Karl replied:
>Cassini contained 72 lbs. (about 33 kg.) of PLUTONIUM. (Pu [239])
>I believe this is the stuff used in the bombing of Nagasaki, about 2 kg
>will make a very nice explosion when properly contained. Cassini didn't
>blow up and is on its way to Venus of all places ( and thence eventually
>to Saturn.)
>
>P.S. What do others (other than rc@vom.com) on the list think of nuclear
>energy?
Hi! Thanks for the note.
Sorry for any confusion I might have caused: I am well aware that Cassini
carries "plutonium" and not "uranium." The quote was something I heard a
guy say who was calling in to a radio talkshow just following the launch.
He was wondering whether the "Cassini protestors" would be apologizing, and
said "uranium" - I thought later I that I should have included a note to
that effect, and figured it would come back to haunt me - sorry! but I
liked leaving it that way because the statement revealed a lack of
information and understanding; and it could be read also as asking whether
NASA would be apologizing for scaring everyone with its folly...
Anyway: the Plutonium Dioxide isotope *mixture* in Cassini's RTG's is
mostly non-fissile Pu238 which is dramatically "hotter" and thus much more
biologically active than Pu239 (some 280 times, in fact, over the short
term). The mixture does contain some Pu239 - fissile and long-lasting...
but its not weapons-grade plutonium we are really concerned with here.
Yes - Cassini is "on its way to Saturn" - but: Not before swinging back
around OUR PLANET for a sophistocated "fly-by" in August of 1999 when there
is a chance it could accidentally enter the earth's atmosphere and spread
its Plutonium world-wide!
So, you see: Its not over yet. It didn't blow up upon launch and is away
safely for the time being, but its coming back! AND: Cassini is not the
last but just one in a series of "plutonium launches" that are planned. We
need to stop the nuclear military/industrial/space agenda which NASA, DOE,
DOD, and the nuke contractors have developed, and are proceeding with.
There is lots of info on Cassini & nukes is space on the web (these are
just a few of the links):
Russell Hoffman's STOP CASSINI WEB SITE:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/index.htm
Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice:
http://www.afn.org/~fcpj/
"Plutonium Russian Roulette" at Rob's Place:
http://www.vom.com/rc/cassini.htm
The Cassini Debate / Real News Page:
http://www.rain.org/~openmind/cassini.htm
The Anti-Cassini WebRing:
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=anticassini&list
Peace! Rob, Sector Air Raid Warden at
Rob's Place
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