NASA to go NUCLEAR! WOOT!

[Tac]

http://www.space.com/news/nasa_nuclear_020205.html

Damn, gotta get a job in  nasa now.. even if its as a test monkey.

[CyranoAH]

Great news!!

I wouldn't want to be near the launch site of the probe, tho

I hope we don't get too much "let's not pollute space with radioactivity" nonsense...  space is full of cosmic rays that would kill you a zillion times faster than that caused by this probe.

The only risk is, obviously, the launch, but I'm sure that all the sensible equipment will be thoroughly shielded.

In fact, it's not the first time we lauch a miniature nuclear plant into space... voyager had it, Cassini-Huygens has it... this one's just going to be a bit larger

Great news for me, can't deny it, since I'm into Deep Space Communications

Hope NASA gets a lot of credit with this, it really needs it!

Daniel, aka Cyrano

[Animal]

At last, I hate how they held back on this because of the ignorant public fear of nuclear technology.

[Udie at Work]

I read somewhere, or saw it on TV a while back that everybody on the planet has a measurable amount of plutonium in their bodies.  Due to the atmospheric blasts of the 50's and 60's  I doubt if the probe blew up at launch or in the atmosphere that it would add much to what they put there from the tests.

 This is good news I think