Why nuclear power is better = solar power stinks

Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.


(CNN) -- The Phoenix Mars Lander has entered a state of suspended
operation called "safe mode" due to low power, mission managers said
Thursday. And while they hope to recharge batteries and reactivate the
spacecraft in the coming days, they say the rapid onset of the Martian
winter means Phoenix's days are severely numbered.
NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

"This is a precarious time for Phoenix," Phoenix project manager Barry
Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a written
statement.

"We're in the bonus round of the extended mission, and we're aware
that the end could come at any time," he said. "The engineering team
is doing all it can to keep the spacecraft alive and collecting
science, but at this point survivability depends on some factors out
of our control, such as the weather and temperatures on Mars."

The Phoenix team knew when they selected a landing site on Mars'
arctic plain that the spacecraft would not survive a winter there, but
they picked it anyway because satellite observations indicated there
were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the
form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising
place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable
environment.

The spacecraft landed on May 25, and has conducted five months of
research, scooping up soil samples for analysis in onboard scientific
instruments.
Don't Miss

* Spacecraft blasts off to probe edge of solar system

Phoenix landed at mid-summer inside the Martian arctic circle where
the summer sun never sets, so the solar-powered craft had plenty of
power for the first few months of its mission. But temperatures have
been dropping in recent weeks, as the nights get longer and winter
weather sets in. Daytime high temperatures have only been about -50
Fahrenheit, dipping down to -141 at night.

In the coming weeks, the sun will set for the season and the long
night of a polar winter will begin. Mission engineers say that, with
no sunlight reaching the solar panels, the spacecraft will die.

Eventually, snow and advancing polar ice will completely cover
Phoenix. Mission managers say they may attempt to reactivate it after
next spring's thaw, but caution that it is extremely unlikely such
efforts would be successful.

Researchers have not found the organic chemicals they were seeking in
the soil, though they did gather a lot of information about its
chemistry. Science team members say they will be sifting through the
data for months, if not years.

NASA's next mission to the red planet is the Mars Science Laboratory,
a large, nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances
carrying a suite of onboard scientific instruments. It is scheduled to
launch next summer, though ongoing technical problems may require a
postponement to 2011.

Rich wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound

You must be joking, right?
A craft with nuclear(isotope)powersource is a VERY heavy thing,
only feasible for deepspace probes and military spy satellites.
Landing such a thing on mars might increase cost tenfold.

Only thorium power is better, as otherwise solar, wind, tidal and
geothermal are each better alternatives than spendy reactors created
for making spendy WMD.

~ Brad Guth Brad_Guth Brad.Guth BradGuth BG / “Guth Usenet”
http://www.alaskapublishing.com
http://www.guarddogbooks.com


Rich wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.


(CNN) -- The Phoenix Mars Lander has entered a state of suspended
operation called "safe mode" due to low power, mission managers said
Thursday. And while they hope to recharge batteries and reactivate the
spacecraft in the coming days, they say the rapid onset of the Martian
winter means Phoenix's days are severely numbered.
NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

"This is a precarious time for Phoenix," Phoenix project manager Barry
Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a written
statement.

"We're in the bonus round of the extended mission, and we're aware
that the end could come at any time," he said. "The engineering team
is doing all it can to keep the spacecraft alive and collecting
science, but at this point survivability depends on some factors out
of our control, such as the weather and temperatures on Mars."

The Phoenix team knew when they selected a landing site on Mars'
arctic plain that the spacecraft would not survive a winter there, but
they picked it anyway because satellite observations indicated there
were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the
form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising
place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable
environment.

The spacecraft landed on May 25, and has conducted five months of
research, scooping up soil samples for analysis in onboard scientific
instruments.
Don't Miss

* Spacecraft blasts off to probe edge of solar system

Phoenix landed at mid-summer inside the Martian arctic circle where
the summer sun never sets, so the solar-powered craft had plenty of
power for the first few months of its mission. But temperatures have
been dropping in recent weeks, as the nights get longer and winter
weather sets in. Daytime high temperatures have only been about -50
Fahrenheit, dipping down to -141 at night.

In the coming weeks, the sun will set for the season and the long
night of a polar winter will begin. Mission engineers say that, with
no sunlight reaching the solar panels, the spacecraft will die.

Eventually, snow and advancing polar ice will completely cover
Phoenix. Mission managers say they may attempt to reactivate it after
next spring's thaw, but caution that it is extremely unlikely such
efforts would be successful.

Researchers have not found the organic chemicals they were seeking in
the soil, though they did gather a lot of information about its
chemistry. Science team members say they will be sifting through the
data for months, if not years.

NASA's next mission to the red planet is the Mars Science Laboratory,
a large, nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances
carrying a suite of onboard scientific instruments. It is scheduled to
launch next summer, though ongoing technical problems may require a
postponement to 2011.

On Nov 2, 1:42 pm, Sjouke Burry
wrote:
Rich wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound

You must be joking, right?
A craft with nuclear(isotope)powersource is a VERY heavy thing,
only feasible for deepspace probes and military spy satellites.
Landing such a thing on mars might increase cost tenfold.

Because of our republican Mafia, the Mars thing will likely never
happen.

~ BG

"Rich" wrote:

Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.

Er, P238 is in very short supply. Ain't nuthin' to do with the environuts.

On Nov 2, 5:39 pm, "Tom Jarrett" wrote:
"Rich" wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.

Er, P238 is in very short supply. Ain't nuthin' to do with the environuts.

Thorium isn't in short supply, and it would not cost us (all
inclusive) 10% as much as P238 per GW.h

~ BG

On Nov 2, 6:16 pm, "S. Caro" wrote:
Sjouke Burry wrote:
Rich wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound

You must be joking, right?
A craft with nuclear(isotope)powersource is a VERY heavy thing,
only feasible for deepspace probes and military spy satellites.
Landing such a thing on mars might increase cost tenfold.

As the technology develops, costs and weight will probably come
down. Some are calling for emission free nuclear powered passenger
aircraft to help fight global warming:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5024190.ece

William Mook, where are you?

~ BG

Tom Jarrett" wrote in message ...
"Rich" wrote:

Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.

Er, P238 is in very short supply.

Pu-238? I don't think phosphorus has such a high isotope. ;-)
--

Rick Evans
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lon -71° 04' 33"
Lat +42° 11' 07"

"

On Nov 2, 1:07 pm, Rich wrote:
Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.

(CNN) -- The Phoenix Mars Lander has entered a state of suspended
operation called "safe mode" due to low power, mission managers said
Thursday. And while they hope to recharge batteries and reactivate the
spacecraft in the coming days, they say the rapid onset of the Martian
winter means Phoenix's days are severely numbered.
NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

"This is a precarious time for Phoenix," Phoenix project manager Barry
Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a written
statement.

"We're in the bonus round of the extended mission, and we're aware
that the end could come at any time," he said. "The engineering team
is doing all it can to keep the spacecraft alive and collecting
science, but at this point survivability depends on some factors out
of our control, such as the weather and temperatures on Mars."

The Phoenix team knew when they selected a landing site on Mars'
arctic plain that the spacecraft would not survive a winter there, but
they picked it anyway because satellite observations indicated there
were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the
form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising
place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable
environment.

The spacecraft landed on May 25, and has conducted five months of
research, scooping up soil samples for analysis in onboard scientific
instruments.
Don't Miss

* Spacecraft blasts off to probe edge of solar system

Phoenix landed at mid-summer inside the Martian arctic circle where
the summer sun never sets, so the solar-powered craft had plenty of
power for the first few months of its mission. But temperatures have
been dropping in recent weeks, as the nights get longer and winter
weather sets in. Daytime high temperatures have only been about -50
Fahrenheit, dipping down to -141 at night.

In the coming weeks, the sun will set for the season and the long
night of a polar winter will begin. Mission engineers say that, with
no sunlight reaching the solar panels, the spacecraft will die.

Eventually, snow and advancing polar ice will completely cover
Phoenix. Mission managers say they may attempt to reactivate it after
next spring's thaw, but caution that it is extremely unlikely such
efforts would be successful.

Researchers have not found the organic chemicals they were seeking in
the soil, though they did gather a lot of information about its
chemistry. Science team members say they will be sifting through the
data for months, if not years.

NASA's next mission to the red planet is the Mars Science Laboratory,
a large, nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances
carrying a suite of onboard scientific instruments. It is scheduled to
launch next summer, though ongoing technical problems may require a
postponement to 2011.

THORIUM, thorium, Thorium and more THORIUM.

Once and for all, out with the P238.

~ BG

On Nov 4, 2:30 am, BradGuth wrote:
On Nov 2, 1:07 pm, Rich wrote:



Increased mission costs (due to payload size) and potential problems
with the availability of sunlight and deployment of solar panels ALL
prove that solar powered probes are a MISTAKE. All space-bound probes
should be powered by nuclear cells. If it wasn't for ENVIROKOOKS,
they all would be.

(CNN) -- The Phoenix Mars Lander has entered a state of suspended
operation called "safe mode" due to low power, mission managers said
Thursday. And while they hope to recharge batteries and reactivate the
spacecraft in the coming days, they say the rapid onset of the Martian
winter means Phoenix's days are severely numbered.
NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

NASA officials say the rapid onset of the Martian winter means the
Phoenix Lander's days are numbered.

"This is a precarious time for Phoenix," Phoenix project manager Barry
Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a written
statement.

"We're in the bonus round of the extended mission, and we're aware
that the end could come at any time," he said. "The engineering team
is doing all it can to keep the spacecraft alive and collecting
science, but at this point survivability depends on some factors out
of our control, such as the weather and temperatures on Mars."

The Phoenix team knew when they selected a landing site on Mars'
arctic plain that the spacecraft would not survive a winter there, but
they picked it anyway because satellite observations indicated there
were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the
form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising
place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable
environment.

The spacecraft landed on May 25, and has conducted five months of
research, scooping up soil samples for analysis in onboard scientific
instruments.
Don't Miss

* Spacecraft blasts off to probe edge of solar system

Phoenix landed at mid-summer inside the Martian arctic circle where
the summer sun never sets, so the solar-powered craft had plenty of
power for the first few months of its mission. But temperatures have
been dropping in recent weeks, as the nights get longer and winter
weather sets in. Daytime high temperatures have only been about -50
Fahrenheit, dipping down to -141 at night.

In the coming weeks, the sun will set for the season and the long
night of a polar winter will begin. Mission engineers say that, with
no sunlight reaching the solar panels, the spacecraft will die.

Eventually, snow and advancing polar ice will completely cover
Phoenix. Mission managers say they may attempt to reactivate it after
next spring's thaw, but caution that it is extremely unlikely such
efforts would be successful.

Researchers have not found the organic chemicals they were seeking in
the soil, though they did gather a lot of information about its
chemistry. Science team members say they will be sifting through the
data for months, if not years.

NASA's next mission to the red planet is the Mars Science Laboratory,
a large, nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances
carrying a suite of onboard scientific instruments. It is scheduled to
launch next summer, though ongoing technical problems may require a
postponement to 2011.

THORIUM, thorium, Thorium and more THORIUM.

Once and for all, out with the P238.

~ BG

Plutonium is a fine fuel. It has worked very well in all
applications.