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From: knudsen@ihwpt.UUCP (mike knudsen)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: "zillion fatal doses of Plutonium"
Message-ID: <751@ihwpt.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 12:50:44 EST
Article-I.D.: ihwpt.751
Posted: Tue Mar  4 12:50:44 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 05:34:24 EST
References: <221@bu-cs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 32

> I do not feel comfortable with these people gambling like this with my
> future. Perhaps if they would hear us it would motivate research into
> safer sources of power for space flights? I believe at this point in
> time nuclear fission is the easy way out for such projects. Surely we
> can just label it unacceptable and provide funding for those who can
> propose plausible alternatives. Fusion, for example, would appear to
				  ^^^^^^^
> be very promising and from friends who work in this area I hear the
> funding is barely adequate, I have no idea why as they seem to be making
> slow but steady progress and it seems like a wonderful source of power
> for all sorts of things.
> 
> 	-Barry Shein, Boston University

Fusion may or may not be viable in the foreseeable future.
I've always been in favor of it, but it keeps eluding
our grasp.  Major problem seems to be one of critical size--
the smallest possible fusion reactor is HUGE, like maybe
it would fit in the AstroDome, maybe not.

Hopefully, someday, a great source of power for our cities
and industry.  But you'll never see one of these in space.
Several acres (!) of solar cells would be a better bet.
	mike k
PS: the real near-term solution is to beef up the shells
of the plutonium power supplies so they cana take a shuttle
explosion and crash into the sea without rupturing.
The present designs can *almost* do that now; I heard they
are verified to 1600 units of blast but the shuttle blowup
may be around 2000 or 2400.
The argument is whether they need to be beefed up the
extra 50% or less.