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Exotic Gas Core Fission

Adds an exotic upgrade path to the fission drive tree, including one reactor and three drives, designed to enable fast but relatively short-ranged ships for the mid- to late-game.

Thanks to knowledge gained from examining alien technology, these new drives are not only more powerful than the original human open-cycle gas core designs but have also solved the problem of fuel loss. However, the higher power outputs require seeding the propellant with greater concentrations of tungsten dust. The new drives do not specifically require the new exotic reactor except if higher numbers of nozzles are desired; smaller numbers of nozzles can be built with a Terawatt Gas Core Fusion Reactor III, necessitating a heavier reactor but having no exotics cost.

All new drives have Open cooling, Hydrogen propellant, and use 9.5 water and 0.5 noble metals per fuel tank. All new research projects have a 100% unlock chance.

This reactor is lighter, more efficient, and has a higher maximum power output than the Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor III, but has a greater fissiles cost and has an added exotics cost.

Required Research: Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor III, Exotic Hybrid Systems
Research Cost: 10,000
Efficiency: 98%
Specific Power: 500 tons per TW
Maximum Power Output: 16.5 TW
Build Cost: 5 water, 5 volatiles, 20 base metal, 14.5 noble metal, 5 fissiles, 0.5 exotics per TW

This upgraded long-range drive burns even hotter than the original, achieving even higher exhaust velocity while still having excellent thrust.

Required Research: Exotic Gas Core Reactor Fission Reactor, Burner Drive
Research Cost: 25,000
Efficiency: 95%
Thrust: 3,000,000 N
Exhaust Velocity: 240 kps
Power Usage per Nozzle: 0.379 TW

Improving on the original by every metric, this drive sets a new standard for fast but short-range drives.

Required Research: Exotic Gas Core Reactor Fission Reactor, Firestar Drive
Research Cost: 25,000
Efficiency: 95%
Thrust: 6,000,000 N
Exhaust Velocity: 120 kps
Power Usage per Nozzle: 0.379 TW

This drive uses magnetic plasma confinement to achieve the highest temperatures possible from confined fission.

Required Research: Exotic Gas Core Reactor Fission Reactor, Magnetic Nozzles
Research Cost: 50,000
Efficiency: 95%
Thrust: 4,500,000 N
Exhaust Velocity: 360 kps
Power Usage per Nozzle: 0.823 TW