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Pastimes : The Case for Nuclear Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Snowshoe who wrote (21)	1/15/2001 11:29:49 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Respond to of 312

Cool link on Anti-matter!! That's what we're shooting for down the line, but first we'll probably have to have fusion power reactors in order to produce sufficient quantities of anti-matter through manipulation of the plasma (an assumption on my part). The problem with anti-matter is that there is NO doubt about how easily such material could be readily turned into devastating weapons of mass destruction. I wouldn't want to trust ANY nation with such power until we have a more stable global political environment (global democracy). Nuclear power plant fuel has only a small percentage of fissionable U-235 (roughly 3%, I believe), whereas a nuclear warhead is roughly 90% U-235 or plutonium. But we can still dream about the potential of cheap inexhaustible energy, can't we? Regards, Ron

To: Snowshoe who wrote (21)	1/16/2001 2:17:21 AM
From: CVJ	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 312

But Cap'n, without a reliable source o' dilithium crystals, how do ye propose we convert to anti-matter generators?

To: Snowshoe who wrote (21)	1/16/2001 9:41:13 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Respond to of 312

Wow - that's pretty wild. Sounds fairly speculative. How about this - it actually seems doable, and soon. There's a blurb in the February issue of Wired magazine that talks about Plasma Rocket Engines. Quote from the magazine - "Nasa's projected 2018 Mars mission would ride a stream of superhot ionized hydrogen contained only by a magnetic field. Plasma power, which is being tested on a very small scale, would enable astronauts to reach Mars in 115 days, compared with the 10 months it would take traditional rockets." spaceflight.nasa.gov And as soon as we get to Mars we can start mining the asteroid belt!