Check 6 Revisits: Atomic Ambitions—Destruction To Discovery

In the decades since two modified B-29s dropped atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, bringing World War II to a close, there have been many ideas about how the power of the atom might be harnessed for other uses, including space exploration and aircraft propulsion. 

On this episode, Aviation Week editors comb through our archives to discuss the legacy of the atomic bomb missions and the evolution of nuclear power in aerospace through to the present day—and beyond. “We hold in trust a power that is capable of unraveling the very fabric of our civilian…We have proved the destructive use, while the constructive applications are still in the realm of speculation.”-AW&ST, Sept. 1945

Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here:

• ‘Atomic’ Aircraft Development Seen Far Off By Industry Heads (Aug. 13, 1945)
• Army-Navy Post-War Plane Needs Seen Large Despite Atomic Bomb (Aug. 20, 1945)
• The Atom | New Source of Energy; A Tide In The Affairs Of Men (September 1945)
• Atomic Transports 15-20 Years Away (Feb. 6, 1956)
• Nuclear Reactor Tests Include B-36 Flights (Jan. 16, 1956)
• The Soviet Nuclear-Powered Bomber (Dec. 1, 1958)
• Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details (Oct. 15, 2014)
• Debrief: Signs Of Life For Russia’s Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile (Aug. 18, 2025)