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From: barb@oliven.UUCP (Barbara Jernigan)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: "zillion fatal doses of Plutonium"
Message-ID: <522@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Feb-86 19:16:21 EST
Article-I.D.: oliven.522
Posted: Thu Feb 27 19:16:21 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 18:23:20 EST
References: <860225-113525-3597@Xerox> <12042@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Olivetti ATC; Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 21

>    -- David desJardins
>    ...I do think that there is some possible
> danger associated with an explosion on or near the launch pad.  An explosion
> ten miles up over the Atlantic is not much of a concern, but it does seem
> possible that an explosion on the launch pad could at the least contaminate
> the launch area.  Talking about killing several thousand people is absurd,
> but I think NASA should at least consider the probable effects of such an
> accident...

Do you suggest they haven't?  I am, perhaps, naive, but I'm also married to
a conscientious engineer.  He can't be an oddity (though he *is* unique ;-).
I'm sure the engineers from the word go consider the possibility of an 
explosion shredding the payload.  *I* wouldn't send a volatile substance 
(especially something as gnarly as Plutonium) up without encasing it in some 
pretty strong stuff -- and I doubt that NASA (even their ignorant beaurocrats) 
would be so naive as to *not* at least acknowledge a worst case scenario in
their designs.  They may make mistakes, but they're not stupid.

Any JPL designers out there to affirm or nay-say?

Barb