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Space probes require a minuscule amount of radioactive fuel, but launching that into space has still occasionally caused concern among environmentalists, as som
by Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Space probes require a minuscule amount of radioactive fuel, but launching that into space has still occasionally caused concern among environmentalists, as something might go wrong during launch. Can you imagine the resistance if someone wanted to launch enough processed uranium to support a Mars colony?
- nine_k 6y agoIf it's a pebble bed design, easily. Pebbles are uranium coated with multiple protective layers, extremely strong. They could be collected and reused if the launch vehicle plainly explodes on the launch pad.
- WJW 6y agoI think the problem is more when it explodes when the rocket is already going mach 10 and the resulting explosion scatters thousands of radioactive pebbles across several thousand square kilometres of Atlantic ocean, possibly hundreds of metres deep.
- Vecr 6y agoWhy's that a problem? The uranium won't leak out, the ocean will provide enough cooling, and even if it eventually does, it would be slowly and near the bottom, causing no problems at all.
- fpoling 6y agoThe problem with space probes is that the radioactive fuel is highly radioactive plutonium. If probe explodes and plutonium disperses in atmosphere, that causes thousands deaths via lung cancer. Uranium does not causes that.
- 08-15 6y agoEverything causes concern among environmentalists, even dihydrogen monoxide.
- pfdietz 6y ago235U is not very dangerous at all before it has undergone a chain reaction. The oceans contains tens of millions of tonnes of the isotope.