[ExI] pentagon wants orbiting solar power stations

Samantha Atkins sjatkins at mac.com
Sun Oct 14 05:46:05 UTC 2007


On Oct 13, 2007, at 3:56 PM, hkhenson wrote:
>
> Both fusion and fission generate neutrons.  There is a really big
> problem in that neutrons can be silently diverted into making Pu
> 239. The problem will only be recognized when a city is terror nuked
> without warning.
>

I have heard it said that such usages to produce Pu 239 is not a  
simple process and leaves telltales allowing detection.   As far as it  
being possible I think this is very well recognized as it is used as  
an argument against countries like Iran developing even supposedly  
peaceful nuclear tecnology.  So I doubt very much we are blind to the  
possibility or require a city being nuked to alert us.


> Also, the biggest use of oil is transport fuel, and that not easy to
> displace with fission.  It can be done, but the resultant fuel will
> be very expensive.  See my discussion on dollar gasoline here a  
> while back.
>

What kind of transport are we talking?  Some 60+% of oil used in the  
US is used by cars and trucks.  How many of them could run just fine  
off of electricity generated by nuclear power?

- samantha



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