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NASA Signs Agreement With Department Of Energy

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posted on Aug, 8 2004 @ 04:50 AM
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NASA has signed a deal with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to place nuclear reactors in space. NASA says it will use the reactors for power on future ISS concepts and for power to propel future space crafts. Would the military exploit this so it can out its own nukes in space?


NASA and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration - Naval Reactors (NR) Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will lead to the development, design, delivery, and operational support of civilian space nuclear reactors within NASA's Project Prometheus.

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and DOE NNSA Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors Admiral Frank. L. "Skip" Bowman, U.S. Navy, signed the MOU at NASA Headquarters.

"The development of this space nuclear power system will provide an important new capability to NASA for carrying out the Vision for Space Exploration, allowing us to explore farther and do more science than ever before," said Administrator O'Keefe.

"This work will lead to the development of safe and reliable power generating systems that will alleviate current limitations in space power generation and propulsion that have persisted for decades, and which limit our ability to explore the solar system," he added.



"The nuclear power system in JIMO
(illustration only) will provide more
than 100 times more usable onboard
power than has been available to
previous science probes"

NASA's milestone agreement

[edit on 8-8-2004 by WestPoint23]



posted on Aug, 8 2004 @ 07:58 AM
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very interesting wespoint23. This will provide a good amount of power that i would expect be extremely useful for scientists in space. And nuclear propulsion for space crafts would be cool as well
. I hope the public has gotten over its fear of fission reactors since three mile island and chernobyl, so it will be interesting to see if it comes to fruition.

As for the military putting nukes in space, who knows what the US military would do, i'm sure if they put nukes up there they wouldnt tell the US public or the rest of us about it
.

thanks,
drfunk



posted on Aug, 8 2004 @ 10:26 AM
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I dunno, the idea of putting a slowly exploding nuclear bomb on top of a slowly exploding Liquid Hydrogen bomb is still kinda scary to me.



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 03:16 AM
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Why is it scary? The reactor wont be activated until the craft is in space and poses no threat to earth. this spacecraft will probably be launched in a closed off AF base so if anything goes wrong the are can be closed and no civilians will be hurt.



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 05:19 AM
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OK, what right does any single country have to decide it is ok for them to float nuclear material obove the Earth?

As for Star Wars defence, again what right does any country have to orbit missles around the Earth?



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 03:29 PM
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Originally posted by Kriz_4
OK, what right does any single country have to decide it is ok for them to float nuclear material obove the Earth?


They don't but we seem to think it's okay because we are "A Powerful Nation" and we can do whatever we want.


As for Star Wars defence, again what right does any country have to orbit missles around the Earth?


www.abovetopsecret.com...

This what also ticks me off. We think that because have the funding that we can just go ahead and do it without question. No insight from the American people either.



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 03:50 PM
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And, what's going to happen to the nuclear waste? Will it just orbit Earth like all the other space junk? Just send off on a merry journey through space? Hmmmm...

The idea of a nuclear *anything* above my head is rather scary. Would nuclear fallout be capable of reaching the earth?



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 03:55 PM
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Originally posted by Cercey
And, what's going to happen to the nuclear waste? Will it just orbit Earth like all the other space junk? Just send off on a merry journey through space? Hmmmm...

The idea of a nuclear *anything* above my head is rather scary. Would nuclear fallout be capable of reaching the earth?


I agree with you Cerecy. The idea of having nuclear *anything* is rather scary. The U.S. is just trying prove that they're the Super Power of the world and by putting Nukes in space is sending a message to all weaker countries saying "Don't mess with us or will nuke your $%#" That right there is just wrong.



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 05:18 PM
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all ready there are nuclear devices in space...
isotopes of uranium 238 ect.. and the next mars
rover will be nuclear.. in the cold war era there were many
and are still nuclear powered sovjet and US satelites.
propably weapon systems. and for as waste
space is one as harse to humans it is all waste from
nuclear sources but natural ones... the Sun.
if against nuclear you are against our sun.
its only the way we use it nuclear power.
only thing people are thinking about are chernobyl
and BOMBS :S in all these years after we discovered
a way of using atoms for power there are some incidents yes
but if it was so dangerous way hasn;t a nuclear powered sub exploded
or a nuclear powered carrier or a power plant on land after and before
chernobyl ....? if used correct and with respect nothing is going on...
because everything is dangerous when used not correct or with respect..
even a bike or a gaspower plant...



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 05:24 PM
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And slowly humankind turns it's destructive eye towards the skies. How long before the space around this planet is poluted and damaged?

Since when did space automatically belong to the U.S anyway? Shouldn't this be discussed on a world level seeing as the whole Earth's population would move under this proposed space reactor.



posted on Aug, 9 2004 @ 06:12 PM
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Neat, but I wonder how they plan on refueling the thing. I also am curious if they are actually reactors or a variation of the radioactive thermal generators that are currently used on modern deep space probes and satellites.




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