January 14th, 2004

Subject: Pro-nuclear space cadets thrilled by Bush's promise of more billions for pork!

Today, President Bush promised billions of new dollars to build, among other things, nuclear space ships capable of going to Mars faster than non-nuclear missions.  While claimed to be a scientific search for life, in fact, this new plan is little more than a cover for the U.S. military's continued nuclear space initiatives.

NASA currently uses, on average, tens of thousands of Curies each year, of the most deadly substance known to mankind -- Plutonium -- as a heat and power source for many of its so-called civilian missions.  The U.S. military undoubtedly also uses plutonium for missions encircling the Earth.

There is no safe way to launch nuclear materials into space.  Space debris and a wide variety of launch accidents make it impossible.  But this doesn't stop NASA because they DENY THAT INCINERATED PLUTONIUM IS DANGEROUS!!!   It could easily be 100 times more dangerous than they admit -- perhaps even 1000 times more dangerous (at the dose rates that result from an upper-atmosphere dispersion).  They deny that the accident rate is as high as it really is, and they deny that the containment systems they design are as useless as they really are.

Oppose NASA's new funding initiative!  The same amount of money, if it were used to increase science education in our schools, would result, over time, in a much greater increase in human knowledge.

Sincerely,

Russell Hoffman
Technologist
Former Editor, Stop Cassini newsletter
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad, CA


NO NUKES IN SPACE: (FLASH animation):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/mx/nasa/columbia/index.swf
or try:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/mx/nasa/columbia/index.html

STOP CASSINI web site:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/index.htm

Internet Glossary of Nuclear Terminology / "The Demon Hot Atom":
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/hotwords/index.htm

List of every nuclear power plant in America, with history, activist orgs, specs, etc.:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/nukelist.htm

List of ~300 books and videos about nuclear issues in my collection (donations welcome!):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/mybooks.htm

Learn about The Effects of Nuclear War here:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/tenw/nuke_war.htm

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