If NASA and General Atomics are able to successful pull off the development of these types of space rockets the benefits would be almost unfathomable. One of the biggest issues facing a human mission to Mars is the months it would take to go just one way and the radiation that the astronauts would be exposed to. Using nuclear propulsion the amount of time it would take would be cut by over half. Not only that but the engine would not need oxygen carried on the space craft as thermal propulsion systems do not require it! This would be another thing that NASA would be able to cut from the spacecraft and thus add more weight to the spacecraft with enhanced and likely heavily radiation protection for the astronauts.