Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Ion Engines
Message-ID: <1991Apr4.174632.11319@zoo.toronto.edu>
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1991 17:46:32 GMT
References: <3361@phred.UUCP> <1991Mar22.043009.5544@zoo <1991Mar25.184907.16454@zoo.toronto.edu> <16851@chopin.udel.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <16851@chopin.udel.edu> garrett@chopin.udel.edu (Joel Garrett) writes:
>... cause more problems than it would solve.  Wouldn't the 
>launch of a nuke-based system result in a lot of fallout/radiation?

The ultimate answer has to be "it depends", but the general answer is no,
not really.  There would be some release of radioactive material into the
air if such an engine were fired within the atmosphere; not a lot,
compared to, say, a French or Chinese nuclear test.
-- 
"The stories one hears about putting up | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
SunOS 4.1.1 are all true."  -D. Harrison|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry