Scaremongering? How? You're launching the thing into space, aren't you? What's the worst that could happen?
It was scaremongering to push their agenda. They want to make everyone afraid of anything remotely related to nuclear power. Not surprisingly greenpeace, the same group who said nuclear fusion is dangerous, was also in on the protesting. Facts mean nothing to those people.
In fact here is an except from a
newsletter that was going around at the time, which has thankfully be archived on the net (the first sentence was from someone else contributing, the rest is about greenpeace. I included it to show the kind of scaremongering we're dealing with):
Cassini is an unnecessary hazard and could even spark a war if it lands in the wrong place. American prestige will plummet if Cassini fails.
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*** Greenpeace Joins the Fray
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INCOMING EMAIL:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GREENPEACE DIRECTORS APPEAL TO CLINTON TO POSTPONE CASSINI SPACE LAUNCH - URGE USE OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
Washington, October 10, 1997 (GP) - The Directors of Greenpeace International and Greenpeace USA have appealed to President Clinton to postpone the launch of the Cassini space probe to Saturn until NASA can implement a solar-powered alternative. Greenpeace considers the Cassini probe a grave threat to global health and the environment.
Cassini, scheduled to be launched by NASA on Monday, October 13, carries 72 pounds of plutonium in devices that generate electricity. Dispersal of the plutonium in the event of a launch pad accident or disintegration in the atmosphere could pose a grave health risk. Minute particles of plutonium are carcinogenic if inhaled and atmospheric disintegration could lead to exposure of this deadly material to the global population.
In the letter sent on October 8, Thilo Bode, Greenpeace International Executive Director and Kristen Engberg, Acting Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, appealed to Clinton to display global leadership by reconsidering the impact of plutonium dispersal beyond the US borders. The two directors further urged Clinton to direct NASA to develop solar-powered cells to replace the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), which produce electricity based on the decay heat of the nuclear substance.
"A plutonium-fueled spacecraft not only creates a potential global hazard, but also sends the wrong signal regarding our energy and resource future," said the letter to President Clinton.
