Re: Russian space probe hysteria! -Reply

["Michael P. Grissom" <mikeg@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Hope for the media,

Well, on the local television news in the Bay area (and at
least one national network, NBC) the first hype was that 
Australia (possibly even Sydney!) could be in the reentry 
impact zone, and that a "small radioactive cloud of deadly 
plutonium could be released in a worst case scenario".

This was one of the first cases were I have heard the 
expression "worst case scenario" stipulated.  However, we 
still had the, albeit "small", deadly plutonium!

Ciao,

MikeG.


At 09:12 AM 11/19/96 -0600, you wrote:
>National Public Radio had story on 11/18/96 concerning the reentry.  I
>was completely surprised when the reporter presented mostly facts.
>The reporter discussed the release of radioactivity with a NASA official
>who presented the fact that plutonium thermo electric batteries are
>designed for earth reentry and that no release of radioactivity was
>expected.  They also talked about plutonium being an inhalation hazard
>and that the plutonium was in a ceramic form that would not easily go
>airborne.
>
>Maybe there is some hope for the media after all.

-----------------------
Michael P. Grissom
Special Assistant, SLAC
mikeg@slac.stanford.edu
Phone:  (415) 926-2346
Fax:    (415) 926-3030