AbstractPrevious studies have shown that the disposal of nuclear waste in space is promising as a practical and economically plausible option, based on use of the first generation space shuttle. The promise brightens if we consider use of more effective second generation systems such as fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit transports. These vehicles, with simpler more reliable flight characteristics and with operational economics at least twenty times more favorable than the first shuttle, can become available in the early 1990s when the nuclear waste problem will have grown to truly serious proportions. This paper surveys both vertical and horizontal-takeoff vehicles as they could be used for the Earth-to-orbit phase of nuclear waste disposal mission. The international nature of the nuclear waste issue is emphasized, and the suggestion is made that an international equatorial launch site be established. This launch center, apart from its inherent safety features, would serve as a focus for an international solution of the truly worldwide problem of nuclear waste disposal.
Nuclear waste disposal in space: Implications of advanced space transportation
Acta Astronautica ; 7 , 12 ; 1373-1387
1979-12-06
15 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Nuclear Waste Disposal in Space
NTIS | 1978
|Space disposal of nuclear waste
Tema Archiv | 1978
|Nuclear waste disposal in space
TIBKAT | 1978
|Nuclear waste disposal in space
NTRS | 1978
|The disposal of nuclear waste in space
AIAA | 1978
|