Science Past from the issue of May 23, 1959

NUCLEAR-POWERED BLIMP — America’s first nuclear-powered aircraft could very well be a huge blimp, about three times the size of those now being used by the U.S. Navy for submarine and plane spotting…. The blimp’s length would be 540 feet, making it possible to locate the atomic reactor far enough away from the craft’s control car to permit personnel to work in an environment comparable to that of an atomic plant…. Security requirements, the officials said, prevent disclosure of the airship’s detail and the extent of its shielding.