Nukes in Space

Nukes in Space (for entire article) mediafilter.org...
Excerpt: Despite enormous danger, huge expense, and a clear alternative using solar power, the U.S. government is pushing ahead with the deployment of nuclear technology in space.

...the Cassini probe to Saturn. Carrying 72.3 pounds of plutonium-238 fuel the largest amount of plutonium ever used in space, the probe will sit atop a Lockheed Martin-built Titan IV rocket.
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ANYONE HAVE ANY UPDATES ON NUKES IN SPACE?

[edit on 11-7-2008 by counterterrorist]

They're not nukes. They are nuclear powerplants. They are more efficient that solar, and can provide more power than solar, on a more consistant basis. The article is more fear mongering about nuclear power.

[edit on 7/10/2008 by Zaphod58]

We have land supremacy and sea supremacy, and on the 3-D plane air and sub supremacy. Space is the next obvious level of control, coz it's harder to shoot down, but has all the time in the world to lob a bomb, if it is not being researched yet, I would be extremely surprised.

we've had radiation lasers in space for a while now. they are simple fusion bombs with a bunch or rods on the side that is facing earth. park the thing or move it over a target. explode the bomb and all the radiation of the bomb is channeled and focused through the rods like a laser to the target below on the surface of the earth.

reply to post by BASSPLYR


I never had heard of this. Very interesting. Have we used it. Or I should ask how does this work. Or could you give me a website so i can read up on it. Isnt Nukes in space a little dangerous. (I bet the Aliens arent going to like humans putting nukes in space.)lol

yeah I learned all about radiation lasers from a discovery channel show on the star wars program. they exist we have them floating around up in orbit. part of the reason we signed a treaty to not put nuclear weapons into space was due to the radiation laser.

They showed one or a mock up of one. not much bigger than a VW Bug. bomb sits on one end, got some thrusters on it to move it around a bit, and a bunch of meter long rods on the other end. apparently even though the bomb vaporizes everything including the rods. in the split second before the rods disintegrate the radiation will travel down the rods or are channeled down the rods for some reason and the radiation goes in pretty much one direction like a laser. I think they said that they did try to test it in an underground shaft. The discovery channel showed footage of what looked like a few acres of desert with a small shack in the center. suddenly the ground sinks down in a circle about 15 20 feet and the shack collapses.

It was tied in to the x-ray laser they were trying to build around 1984 or something.