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From: allen@mmm.UUCP (Kurt Allen)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: plutonium
Message-ID: <590@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Mar-86 09:41:04 EST
Article-I.D.: mmm.590
Posted: Mon Mar 10 09:41:04 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 03:41:36 EST
References: <860225173815.083415@HI-MULTICS.ARPA> <8602271640.AA13501@pc.Purdue.EDU>
Reply-To: allen@mmm.UUCP (Kurt Allen)
Organization: 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Lines: 16
Summary: 


	Aviation Week and Space Tech. had an interesting note about the
	plutonium canisters that are used in the space program. They are
	very well armoured. An unidentified source said that one missle
	launched from Vanderburg exploded and dropped a canister of this
	type loaded with plutonium into the ocean. The canister was recovered
	unbroken and launched on a subsequent missle.

	Also if I remember right the apollo astronauts were using plutonium
	in the LEM. I believe that they manually loaded the plutonium into
	the reactor after the LEM landed. They were issued a pair of gloves
	to do this.
-- 
	Kurt W. Allen
	3M Center
	ihnp4!mmm!allen