How did the Anacreon manage space travel without nuclear power?

Question

I just started reading. Still I wonder, the Anacreon world lost the knowledge and the skill for using nuclear power, yet they were able to travel between planets...

Is it because they still were using the technology that was left behind by the Galactic Empire, or did I miss some hints how they did it? In the book, it says that they were using coal for energy extraction, again.

Please note, I did not read the entire book yet so please try to avoid spoilers. Also I am reading a German version so maybe some of the names I mentioned aren't exactly the names you know from the English version.

Answer 1

They still had the machinery but not the knowledge.

They could use anything existing (spaceship, power station) but were unable to fix anything if it went wrong.

For Anacreon specifically, it is stated that they do not have atomic power, but they undoubtedly have space travel.

In Part II, chapter 3, Hardin says:

"What there was of the imperial navy in these regions is in the hands of the four kingdoms now and Anacreon has its share."

More generally in the rest of the Empire, specialist knowledge is being lost. In Part II, chapter 4, Lord Dorwin is discussing a power plant (presumably nuclear) that exploded:

"It had bwoken down some yeahs pweviously and it is thought that the weplacements and wepaiah wuhk wuh most infewiah. It is so difficult these days to find men who weally undahstand the moah technical details of ouah powah systems."

I'd be interested to see the German translation of the Lord Dorwin quote...