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I thought there was a ban on radioactive materials being launched by NASA but I couldn't find anything about it, does anyone know any more?

by matt2000 14y ago

jlgreco 14y ago
You might be thinking of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban which banned nuclear detonations in space (ending Project Orion).
jcurbo 14y ago
You may be thinking of Cassini; it is powered by an RTG and flew back by the Earth for part of its gravity assist, which caused some controversy about if it somehow went off course and re-entered Earth's atmosphere. More info here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/09/cassini-controversy http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/09/cassini-controve...
uvdiv 14y ago
At least three unrelated "nuclear" things are involved: * Radioisotope power sources (like this, Cassini, New Horizons, etc.) * Critical fission reactors (popular in the early space race before solar PV, still the best option for high-power deep-space missions like (cancelled) Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter/Project Prometheus) * Nuclear pulse propulsion -- setting off nuclear weapons, riding the shockwaves (e.g. Project Orion) Pulse prolusion is banned, quite pointlessly, under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. (Note it extends not only to atmospheric explosions, but ones in deep space). The others aren't. Contained, critical nuclear reactions are legal -- NASA chose a nuclear reactor a few years ago for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, before they cancelled it. And no one cares about radioisotope sources except confused hippies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty Obscure history: a running Soviet nuclear reactor crashed from space into the Canadian wilderness in 1977. In case anyone's curious of the consequences. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954

I thought there was a ban on radioactive materials being launched by NASA but I couldn't find anything about it, does anyone know any more?

jlgreco 14y ago

You might be thinking of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban which banned nuclear detonations in space (ending Project Orion).

jcurbo 14y ago

You may be thinking of Cassini; it is powered by an RTG and flew back by the Earth for part of its gravity assist, which caused some controversy about if it somehow went off course and re-entered Earth's atmosphere. More info here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/09/cassini-controversy http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/09/cassini-controve...

uvdiv 14y ago

At least three unrelated "nuclear" things are involved: * Radioisotope power sources (like this, Cassini, New Horizons, etc.) * Critical fission reactors (popular in the early space race before solar PV, still the best option for high-power deep-space missions like (cancelled) Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter/Project Prometheus) * Nuclear pulse propulsion -- setting off nuclear weapons, riding the shockwaves (e.g. Project Orion) Pulse prolusion is banned, quite pointlessly, under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. (Note it extends not only to atmospheric explosions, but ones in deep space). The others aren't. Contained, critical nuclear reactions are legal -- NASA chose a nuclear reactor a few years ago for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, before they cancelled it. And no one cares about radioisotope sources except confused hippies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Treaty Obscure history: a running Soviet nuclear reactor crashed from space into the Canadian wilderness in 1977. In case anyone's curious of the consequences. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954