And so, what now? How do we convince out-of-control agencies there must be no more launches of plutonium into space ... ? And can we convince NASA to change the fly-by to another planet? Is it technically feasible?
I've included the announcement from NASA insider Jim Spellman, of the NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY, Western Spaceport Chapter, WSpaceport@aol.com,
with whom I've been in polite debate since October 12th (you may have seen an earlier cc: I sent to the Abolition Caucus, my response to his response. If you're interested in reading the debate further, let me know and I'll forward the three messages to you).
CASSINI SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED
Last-Ditch Federal Appeal Fails to
Stall Seven-Year Journey to Saturn
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL (October 15 [2:25 a.m. Pacific]) --
After overcoming last Monday's technical gremlins, Mother Nature and a
last-ditch legal effort by anti-nuclear activists, NASA successfully launched
the controversial Cassini space probe in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday
morning.
Generating 3.4 billion pounds of thrust, the 183-foot-tall Lockheed
Martin-built Titan IV-B rocket lifted off on-time at 1:43 a.m. PDT, punching
through a low-level deck of clouds into an otherwise clear, moonlit night.
The original flight was postposed two days from last Monday morning due to
strong upper-level winds, and technical problems with an onboard computer and
a piece of ground support equipment.
Named for the 17th century Italian-French astronomer Jean Dominique Cassini,
the deep-space probe is scheduled to make a seven-year trip to the ringed
planet in July 2004 for a four-year study of the planet Saturn. Cassini is
equiped with a probe named Huygens -- named for Christian Huygens, the Dutch
astronomer who discovered Saturn's largest satellite, Titan in 1655. The
Huygens probe will parachute down to the surface of Titan in November of
2004.
Considered the last of the "Grand Voyager" missions, Cassini is a joint
effort between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.
Total costs for the mission tops out at $3.4 billion, of which $1.4 billion
went into the development of the space probe. The remaining $2 billion goes
towards the launch costs of the Titan IV-B booster, plus the seven-year,
deep-space transit and four-year orbital mission around the ringed planet.
In a last-ditch effort to stop the mission, anti-nuclear activists filed an
appeal before a three-judge Federal panel in San Francisco earlier today, due
to concerns over the use of 72 pounds of plutonium-238 stored aboard three
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) as its power source.
Opponents considered Cassini to be a threat to the world environment if the
Titan IV-B booster were to explode at launch (odds of 1 in 450 to 1 in 1,500
according to NASA), or during a planned "fly-by" of Earth in 1999 (a risk of
1 in a million), releasing a toxic and radioactive cloud into the atmosphere.
The panel turned down the appeal, clearing the final hurtle to launch the
mission.
Approximately 70 people held a candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C.,
"bearing witness" in front of the White House last Sunday evening protesting
the use of nuclear power in space. An unconfirmed report earlier this
evening stated eight protesters were seen outside the main gate of Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station at the time of launch.
--30--
I think we need to reason with these folks. There's a little time now. Please keep us part of any discussion on this issue.
Ellen Thomas
<center>Proposition One Committee
Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
PO Box 27217, Washington DC 20038 USA
202-462-0757 -- prop1@prop1.org -- http://prop1.org
(Check http://prop1.org -- Current Events!)
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