While watching the first hours of the shuttle
disaster one news station made a brief, and one time, comment that four people
had been taken to a local hospital after becoming very sick after they
handled some debris from the shuttle. I never heard any more about it. Anyone
else catch this?
Ron
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 7:09
AM
Subject: Re: Nuclear-powered spacecraft
plan feared
I receive an inventory of all radioactive materials to be
launched. In the case of the shuttle, it is usually 2 smoke detectors,
one on each flight deck. There may have been some radiotracers on this
mission, I'll have to try and find my memo. The real hazard is the
toxics. Aside from the volatiles, the shuttle is built with many exotic
materials which possess toxic properties. Maybe one of the other NASA
RSO's lurking on the list has the launch plans more readily
available...
At 12:56 AM 2/6/03, High Plains Drifter wrote:
Nuclear
Powered Space craft feared......did anyone notice that the warning on
shuttle debris and that the military folks were monitoring objects for
radioactivity and that the truck and trailer taking items to the air base
was placarded with RAM signs! The warning about toxics, which were
volatiles, appears to be misleading and that the real hazard was
radioactivity. Can anyone shed some light on just what was aboard the
shuttle that could possibly cause 1000's of fragments to be contaminated to
such a degree!
Dean
Chaney, CHP
Kim Merritt, RRPT
Radiation/Laser Safety Officer
HazMed,
Inc.
NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton,
VA
(757)864-3210
<mailto:k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov>
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