Nuclear waste disposal in space: BEP's best hope? Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • The best technology is worthless if it cannot find a market Beam energy propulsion (BEP) is a very promising technology, but faces major competition from less capable but fully developed conventional rockets. Rockets can easily handle projected markets for payloads into space. Without a new, huge demand for launch capability, BEP is unlikely to gain the resources it needs for development and application. Launching tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste into space for safe and permanent disposal will provide that necessary demand while solving a major problem on earth. Several options exist to dispose of nuclear waste, including solar orbit, lunar orbit, soft lunar landing, launching outside the solar system, and launching into the sun. 2006 American Institute of Physics.

name of conference

  • BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: Fourth International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion

published proceedings

  • Beamed Energy Propulsion

author list (cited authors)

  • Coopersmith, J.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Coopersmith, Jonathan

publication date

  • January 2006

publisher

  • AIP  Publisher