Project Prometheus Too Dangerous!?

[haywood]

Well, here we go again.<br /><br />"NASA’s Prometheus Nuclear Propulsion Work Questioned<br /><br />A Member of Congress is expressing “grave concerns” over NASA’s Project Prometheus nuclear rocket program.<br /><br />Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, representing the 4th District of Georgia, is spearheading an effort to find like-minded lawmakers to question the building and deployment of “a nuclear propulsion rocket” – and to protect the public “from the potential of a catastrophic nuclear accident posed by the Prometheus Project.”<br /><br />In a “Dear Colleague” letter dated May 5 to other members of Congress, Representative McKinney is seeking the support of Members of Congress “for shifting Federal funding from the development of nuclear propulsion systems to research and development for solar and other alternative energy systems that can support our space program.”<br /><br />McKinney has also prepared a letter for co-signing by her colleagues addressed to new NASA chief, Michael Griffin. “If NASA insists on pursuing this dangerous idea,” the correspondence requests that the Environmental Impact Statement for Project Prometheus also address the military application of the nuclear space work.<br /><br />-- Leonard David"<br /><br />Another "know nothing, tree hugging, nuclear (or was that nucular) power hater" from Congress who just can't resist keeping her hands out of progress<br />Boy this really steams me.<br />These are the kinds of people who would have said that the Wright Bros. plane was too dangerous because it might have fallen on somebody's house.<br />By all means Ms. McKinney. let's not make any sort of progress and we can guarantee that we'll all be sitting on this planet (or what's left of it) in a thousand year's time.<br />To pre-load the public with this sort of drivell does a disservice to the whole scientific community.<br />Nothing like showing your ignorance of the whole issue!<br />

 

[wvbraun]

I hope she gets an appropritate response from Griffin. He should tell her to stop making a fool of herself and read up on the subject. BTW: She is a democrat. Why am I not surprised? <img src="/images/icons/mad.gif" />

 

[wvbraun]

You can't be serious! <img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" /> And the people who voted for her probably think Bush is a stupid monkey...This is too much.

 

[lycan359]

<br />He is a stupid monkey, but that's besides the point.

 

[crix]

Hahah!<br /><br />I was so frustrated after reading the first paragraph of that SDC article that I had to close out of it before finishing. What a short-sighted moron she is. So selfish too.

 

[lycan359]

<br />How about instead of everyone being dicks you go write her a letter explaining why you think nuclear is the way to go and the safty precautions that are being looked at.

 

[nacnud]

She has the right to ask questions, even dum ones, it's up to us and people like us to explain the answers. Even if it has to be done in words of one syslable, or less, so she can follow it.<br /><br />Getting angry is less likely to help than doing nothing at all.<br /><br />

 

[wvbraun]

Of course she has the right to ask questions but she wants to destroy Project Prometheus without waiting for the answers: "Representative McKinney is seeking the support of Members of Congress “for shifting Federal funding from the development of nuclear propulsion systems to research and development for solar and other alternative energy systems that can support our space program.”"<br /><br /><br />Raaahh! Ok, I have to step back now, this is really driving me crazy...

 

[arkady]

And ridiculing ~50% of the American voters while trying to make your point isn't going to help your cause. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "<font color="#0000ff"><em>The choice is the Universe, or nothing</em> ... </font>" - H.G Wells </div>

 

[lycan359]

>“If NASA insists on pursuing this dangerous idea,” the correspondence requests that the Environmental Impact Statement for Project Prometheus also address the military application of the nuclear space work. <<br /><br />So... all she is saying is that if NASA does go through with it the Environmental Impact Statement should also address military applications.<br /><br />This little article is poorly written, can anyone find a copy of the actual letter?

 

[wvbraun]

I wonder what she means by "other alternative energy systems"? Wind? Oil? Coal? Dung?

 

[wvbraun]

"So... all she is saying is that if NASA does go through with it the Environmental Impact Statement should also address military applications. "<br /><br />No, that's not what she is saying. She wants to destroy Prometheus and if that doesn't work she wants to make it as hard as possible for NASA to make progress on the program.

 

[wvbraun]

No, Cynthia herself does a pretty good job at proving my point.

 

[lycan359]

<br />We already use fossil fuels to launch the Shuttle.<br /><br />I wonder if she is thinking that this will be a ground launch nuclear rocket.

 

[jurgens]

LOX and LH2 are fossil fuels? Since when?

 

[lycan359]

<br />LH2 is made from natural gas.

 

[rybanis]

Yes, because all liberals are dumb and treehuggers<br /><br />*sigh* <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lycan359]

But don't all launches already have Environmental Impact Statements? Including the Cassini launch with it's big RTG?

 

[wvbraun]

True. I hope Project Prometheus has some influential backers in congress.

 

[ve7rkt]

I am not against nuclear power on the ground. (CANDU reactors, safest in the world!)<br /><br />I am not against nuclear power in space. I'm all for nuclear power in space. You've got a NERVA to Mars, or a nuclear-electic ion drive ship to Saturn? Hook me up with a ticket, I'll take the bunk closest to the engine, so long as I'm on the friendly side of the rad shield.<br /><br />BUT I am very much against moving nuclear powerplants -- specifically, their fuels -- between ground and space; that's a risky 200km.<br /><br />It's interesting how anyone saying anything against atomic power is considered a treehugger. But hey, Cosmos 954 didn't land in YOUR backyard. Sure it could have been the US grain belt, but the important thing is, it was just the useless frozen Canadian north.<br /><br />(On that note, though, thank you America for pitching in on the cleanup when any other country might have said, meh, not our problem.)<br /><br />If only there were a uranium-rich asteroid out there, we could add the fuel on orbit and life would be perfect...

 

[arkady]

I'm Danish, I have no idea.<br /><br />Cut/pasting 10 lines of a news article and proceeding to ridicule half the american population on the basis of it just got the better of me. Start a thread in Free Space or something if you wanna vent your political beliefs. Don't expect me to comment further. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "<font color="#0000ff"><em>The choice is the Universe, or nothing</em> ... </font>" - H.G Wells </div>

 

[mikejz]

You're forgetting the difference between a 'hot' and a 'cold' reactor. If the reactor is lauched cold, then there is little to worry about.

 

[lycan359]

<br />All we have to do is insure that the fuel stays intact in the event of the rocket exploding.<br /><br />I'm not an engineer but I think it's well within thier abilities to design a small container that will survive.

 

[spacefire]

Congress is teh ghey! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[yurkin]

I’m not a 100% sure but I believe that the LH2 used in the shuttle's launch is synthetic. It is made from very pure water. They don’t use natural gas because it’ too difficult to remove all the impurities, these impurities could compromise shuttle's performance.