Carl Sagan on Project Orion

[downix]

Depends on your nuke. The nuclear weapons which were being designed for Orion would not leave heavy amounts of waste radiation. You can design any bomb, even a nuclear one, to focus it's energy in a pattern. For an Orion, you need as much energy as possible against that pusher plate. That means the radiation would be taken along with the spacecraft, as the plate was to be made out of a transuranic element, designed to absorb the radiation as part of it's job.

[WaiWu]

"We don't want to contaminate space with radiation"

Are you kidding me?! The sun gives out way more radiation in the solar system than all the nuclear bombs on Earth could give out...

[CTCParadox]

@WaiWu I think he means more that the immediate area around the Earth with all it's delicate satellites and EMP producing upper atmosphere may not take kindly to a having a boatload of nuclear explosives detonated in it.

[technatezin]

@WaiWu That really depends on where in space you are talking about. Near the vicinity of the Earth it is shielded by the radiation belts which traps charged particles heading toward the Earth. Outside of the radiation belts you will have the full solar flux of the sun's radiation. Atomic detonations near low Earth orbit will definitely contaminate the space around the low Earth orbit which will be the likely place where all space launches will take place.

[DamazViccar]

@WaiWu Hybrid and electric spaceships are more universally sustainable!

[AntiEcoTerror]

Carl Sagan has always been a replete political ass.

He is not 1/100th the scientist that Freeman Dyson is...

[TTTopGun]

I guess we all have to wait for the fusion coil.

[pateli2008]

More to come about that talk.

I also have incomplete bits of the occasion, that I'm not sure are worth showing, if not for just historic reasons, or call it "sentimental" if you wish :).

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

More please!

[Carlsagan93]

I will give you more if you suscribe to my channel!! hahaha!!!!

greetings!

I can't believe that you don't have a girlfriend!!! HAHAHA

[pateli2008]

????

[Carlsagan93]

I was joking. but I will upload a documentary about the Universe so if you wish suscribe!