X-Message-Number: 20208 Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 09:30:43 -0400 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #20197 - #20206 Hi everyone! There seems to be a unified view that the pollution of nuclear power will stay with us for a long time. That is, thousands of years. At least 2 ways to deal with that problem in far less than 1000 years can be suggested: 1. Throw the waste into the Sun. Yes, we'll have to store it for a while until our space technology advances far enough that we can do this safely, but that's likely to be far less than 1000 years. 2. Process it into useful elements The problem that many get hung up on here is that such processing can also produce material useful for weapons. However anything useful for weapons can also be used for quite peaceful applications. Moreover any country able to make its own fuel for nuclear reactors ALREADY has the ability to make nuclear weapons. So how could that processing really make a serious difference. Not only could processing give us some fissionable elements, but even radioactive elements which decay fast enough can provide useful energy. Think of Strontium 90, which has already been used in probes of the outer Solar System, where Solar power ceases to be practical at all. And if those elements decay slowly, then that decay produces correspondingly less damage. And it is the slowly decaying elements which take the longest to decay: like 10,000 years or more. Just some thoughts on nuclear power, given the problem of excess CO2. Best wishes and long long life to all, Thomas Donaldson PS: And early versions of fusion power will still make radioactive elements, too. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20208