Nuclear bomb propulsion to launch city sized craft into space?

NASA's Project Orion created the concept of a spacecraft that detonated nuclear bombs behind it, and rid the shockwaves as a form of propulsion, but the project was abandoned because nuclear bombs are dangerous and there is no need for something that powerful.

However, let's say that today, an apocalypse scenario was predicted in 5 years that would wide destroy all life on earth, maybe a meteor or a supernova or something.

With our current technology + 5 years of research and development, could we use Project Orion's concept to build city-sized spacecraft and evacuate the entirety of humanity from earth?

posted about 9 years ago

Phoenix‭

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