MacGuyver4.2.0
Well-Known Member
O.k this thread is to be based upon REAL LIFE stories that have happened to you *and* you have a real, honest-to-goodness 'Moral of the story' ending to your post!
I'll start out with this one that happened to me a couple of years ago...
Well, since I actually DO know real life rocket scientists, I proposed a question to them one day.
I asked 3 of them (the other 2 left the room earlier to get our coffee) what we should do about the spent nuclear fuel rods (which are made up of small cylinder shaped pellets enriched with U238
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fuel_Pellet.jpg
They pretty much all agreed that there was no 'safe' place on the planet esp as more and more are spent and stored.
SO, I thought for a few seconds and said- "Then get it off the fucking planet you genuises. Or do I have to think of everything?"
(sound of silence, followed by gears turning and smoke issuing).
"SHOOT IT INTO Space! That's AWESOME!" they all proclaim!
-gives them some more rocket-related employment for awhile.
-solves problem of storing dangerous spent fuel here on Earth.
-encourages use of more nuclear energy till fusion finally gets here.
Now they are all excited as the coffee has arrived and they can get further would up.
Then one of them says... "wait a minute...who's going to pay for that?"
(more silence)
Sigh... O.K. guys.. listen up- this is how it's going to go work:
You NASA guys routinely launch satelites, probes, landers, etc into space right?
The next probe that is being launched will be from a multi stage rocket.
You aim the rockets trajectory for our Sun. As the small rocket approaches the Sun, the 'probe' section of the rocket breaks away onto another trajectory away from the Sun.
The spent nuclear payload container/section continues on it's final, fiery path towards the Sun and it's finally consumed by the fusion power of the Sun.
This:
-places a probe or other space item into space.
-gets rid of hazardous or dangerous items..forever.
-is self funded. How?
The agencies or companies that want to put stuff into space PAY for the launch and have to accept the 'nuclear garbage can' as a passenger.
"OMG! THAT'S AWESOME! YOUR A GENIUS!!!, blah,blah blah..."
After about sixty seconds of smiling and big grins and shaking hands we stop... and get a real sad look on my face.
"What's wrong??!" -they all ask.
-I JUST figured out WHY it will never work...
-If you load up a rocket with spent nuclear fuel, you will have every terrorist asshole in the world clamoring and falling over themselves to get to that rocket and blow it up! Instant, huge dirty bomb, causing widespread death and destruction!
SO we all looked pretty sad, sipping our coffee...and dreaming about what could have been.
Then I spill my coffee on myself and say OH SHIT!!!
(yes the coffee is %$!@#? hot, but that's not why I said that).
I JUST... figured out how to ensure the safety of any rocket being launched!
-You launch it from THEIR COUNTRY!!!
(they are not going to blow up a deadly nuclear rocket on thier own people are they?)
But... we all look at each other and shake our heads and get sad once more...
The moral of the story- (yes it has one and you can quote me if you want)
"NO matter HOW GREAT your idea is, all it takes is one asshole to ruin it for everyone". ~MacGuyver 4.2.0
I'll start out with this one that happened to me a couple of years ago...
Well, since I actually DO know real life rocket scientists, I proposed a question to them one day.
I asked 3 of them (the other 2 left the room earlier to get our coffee) what we should do about the spent nuclear fuel rods (which are made up of small cylinder shaped pellets enriched with U238
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fuel_Pellet.jpg
They pretty much all agreed that there was no 'safe' place on the planet esp as more and more are spent and stored.
SO, I thought for a few seconds and said- "Then get it off the fucking planet you genuises. Or do I have to think of everything?"
(sound of silence, followed by gears turning and smoke issuing).
"SHOOT IT INTO Space! That's AWESOME!" they all proclaim!
-gives them some more rocket-related employment for awhile.
-solves problem of storing dangerous spent fuel here on Earth.
-encourages use of more nuclear energy till fusion finally gets here.
Now they are all excited as the coffee has arrived and they can get further would up.
Then one of them says... "wait a minute...who's going to pay for that?"
(more silence)
Sigh... O.K. guys.. listen up- this is how it's going to go work:
You NASA guys routinely launch satelites, probes, landers, etc into space right?
The next probe that is being launched will be from a multi stage rocket.
You aim the rockets trajectory for our Sun. As the small rocket approaches the Sun, the 'probe' section of the rocket breaks away onto another trajectory away from the Sun.
The spent nuclear payload container/section continues on it's final, fiery path towards the Sun and it's finally consumed by the fusion power of the Sun.
This:
-places a probe or other space item into space.
-gets rid of hazardous or dangerous items..forever.
-is self funded. How?
The agencies or companies that want to put stuff into space PAY for the launch and have to accept the 'nuclear garbage can' as a passenger.
"OMG! THAT'S AWESOME! YOUR A GENIUS!!!, blah,blah blah..."
After about sixty seconds of smiling and big grins and shaking hands we stop... and get a real sad look on my face.
"What's wrong??!" -they all ask.
-I JUST figured out WHY it will never work...
-If you load up a rocket with spent nuclear fuel, you will have every terrorist asshole in the world clamoring and falling over themselves to get to that rocket and blow it up! Instant, huge dirty bomb, causing widespread death and destruction!
SO we all looked pretty sad, sipping our coffee...and dreaming about what could have been.
Then I spill my coffee on myself and say OH SHIT!!!
(yes the coffee is %$!@#? hot, but that's not why I said that).
I JUST... figured out how to ensure the safety of any rocket being launched!
-You launch it from THEIR COUNTRY!!!
(they are not going to blow up a deadly nuclear rocket on thier own people are they?)
But... we all look at each other and shake our heads and get sad once more...
The moral of the story- (yes it has one and you can quote me if you want)
"NO matter HOW GREAT your idea is, all it takes is one asshole to ruin it for everyone". ~MacGuyver 4.2.0
