New Horizons mission - plutonium risk?

[cybernomad]

There's seems to be public paranoia in the media over this.<br /><br />If the probe happens to burn up in the earth's atmosphere what are the risks, say compared to the background radiation?<br />

 

[henryhallam]

Nil

 

[nacnud]

Depends if you breathe in Pu or not.<br /><br />Pu is an alpha emitter, alpha radiation is very short range but highly carcinogenic at close range < 5 mm. If the containment can keep it in large lumps, or better, then there isn't a problem.<br /><br />

 

[mlorrey]

yeah, this is just more absurdist hem hawing by ignorant tree huggers and attention getters. If Michio Kaku shows up on tv speaking against it, I'm gonna show up at the studio and slap him with a wet noodle.

 

[henryhallam]

<font color="yellow">If the containment can keep it in large lumps, or better, then there isn't a problem.</font><br />Which it can, to an extremely high degree of confidence (tested in action a couple of times as well as massive safety factors in the design)

 

[nacnud]

I agree but it doesn't hurt to explain why and how Pu can be dangerouse <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />PS you ever seen the video from the UK of the train hitting the nuclear waste container? (It didn't leak)

 

[JonClarke]

What public paranoia? Compared with cassini's launch there seems to be almost nothing. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[henryhallam]

Yup - that's proper engineering! And agreed about explaining when & where Pu is dangerous.

 

[telfrow]

They're out there, Jon...<br /><br />http://cyberspaceorbit.com/plutonium_launch.htm<br /><br />http://www.nuclear-free.com/english/global.htm <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[cybernomad]

a little bird told me it's making rounds <br /><br />personally I'm excited about the mission <br />

 

[JonClarke]

Like the truth I am sure it's out there but compared to the months of contraversy and court cases over Cassinni there has been nothing. I don't think it has been menytioned in any major news story. All good of course! An outbreak of common sense, or do people think they have more immediate threats to worry about these days?<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[mattblack]

Michiu Kaku is trying to pass himself off as sort of a Carl Sagan replacement (as if!). Dr Sagan never had a problem with Voyager, Cassini and Galileo's RTGs. Dr Kaku may be a Phd, but when Cassini's launch was imminent, he was standing with the protestors saying Cassini should have SOLAR PANELS to fulfill it's mission!! He lost much credibility for me at that point, in spite of his undoubted intellect. So that suggests to me that he has another agenda.<br /><br />You can read some of their hysterical, somewhat conspiracy theory stuff (perhaps rightly calling itself the most controversial website in the world!):<br /><br />http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/cassini.htm<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[summoner]

<font color="yellow">Should the Atlas 5 rocket fail early in flight and crash into hard ground, people within 62 miles of Cape Canaveral could be exposed to fine particles of plutonium. That would increase the chance that up to 100 people in the area could get cancer some time in the next 50 years, according to studies by NASA and the Department of Energy.</font><br /><br />This quote from newsartist's link pretty much sums it up. Good article, and a bit surprising to see an article in a paper that isn't alarmist. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[rybanis]

Also the Atlas V currently has a spotless launch record!<br /><br /><br />Argh, I'm green...but not THAT green. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Like the truth I am sure it's out there but compared to the months of contraversy and court cases over Cassinni there has been nothing. I don't think it has been menytioned in any major news story. All good of course! An outbreak of common sense, or do people think they have more immediate threats to worry about these days? <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Or enough people still remember the explanations given during the Cassini mission and aren't bothering to raise a fuss this time. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

It woul be really nice if that were the case <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[spacester]

I think it is exactly the case. Occam's razor. <br /><br />Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a well-informed public making reasonable conclusions. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>