NASA eyes nuclear step for rocket science

This following is excellent. It's from a web site called

Ananova, and it came up from a search in Alta Vista News for "nuclear." Note

the NASA spokesman's response. No technical response here, just a direct

address to the understood public priority.

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much

you care." - Anon.

Bates E.

Ananova :

Nasa eyes nuclear step for rocket science

Nasa wants to develop atomic-powered rockets

and nuclear reactors for colonies on other planets.

The agency has proposed spending almost a

billion dollars on the controversial project over the next five years.

Experts say the investment will

revolutionise space travel and make conventional rockets a thing of the

past.

Rockets are relatively slow and expensive

because of the enormous amount of fuel they need to escape the Earth's

gravity.

It is uneconomic to carry fuel into space to

power craft once they are there, so current probes rely on the gravity of

other planets - adding years to a journey.

However nuclear power, which could fire a

craft to faster and faster speeds and then slow it down before its arrival,

might halve the 17-year journey time to Pluto.

The plan will face opposition from groups

who fear a launch accident could scatter radioactive material around the

globe.

But Ed Weiler, Nasa's associate

administrator for science, said: "The number one issue would be safety."

He told engineers: "Anything that we build

would have to safely survive the worst possible scenario, which would be a

rocket blowing up on the pad. If you can't show that a system could survive

that, then don't talk to me."

Story filed: 10:10 Tuesday 5th February 2002

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