Is it right to use space to dispose of our toxic waste?

Hi all,

 

Not sure if I would class this as a suitable discussion subject for this group, but its implications (and the way it was just a brief passing BBC news item) concerned me enough to try and widen awareness. so apologies for hijacking this as a publicity vehicle.

Caught a very brief news item on the BBC UK's evening news - an unmanned rocket sent up from a Jap[anese island today with a cargo of waste for disposal in space!!!

Item was very cursory - this is all the info I have.

If you have any more info let us know.

Common sense would tell me this is unlikely to be just a load of household waste, but waste that is very expensive to dispose of on Earth - AKA - highly detrimental to humanities wellbeing - do you think possible consequences have been fully researched - or could it be that unregulated space is becoming a viable (profitable) alternative to an increasingly regulated planet!!!

 

Regards John H

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bigyin on January 22, 2011 at 21:28

You mean this Japanese rocket John ?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12258286

Permalink Reply by Angus Bearn on January 23, 2011 at 16:25

Hi, the energy required to put waste into space is so colossal it would be uneconomic for anything but the unwanted results of virulogical warfare research.  The idea of firing it into the sun for atomisation is quite appealing, but these rockets have a nasty habit of blowing up, so burial must be safer for the indefinite future. 

If the astronauts have a few buckets of, erm, fertiliser then there is little wrong with letting it burn up on reentry - it saves trying to catch it!

Cheeers,

Angus

Permalink Reply by Bigyin on January 23, 2011 at 17:31
But where is the article that refers to this ?  As I said, the only rocket I'm aware of from Japan was to take supplies up to ISS.
Permalink Reply by John Honeyman on January 24, 2011 at 9:32

Hi all,

 

All I know is the few words in a BBC news broadcast on sat 22nd they specified waste disposal - it would be nice to know more - if it is true, its scary that it only warranted half a dozen words in a news broadcast. I have passed the possibility on to other concerned organisations ( Greenpeace, Friends of the earth, etc...) maybe if they dig deeper we might learn the full SP.

Permalink Reply by Bigyin on January 24, 2011 at 10:15


If you read the article at the link I posted you'll see that the only mention of "waste" is as follows :-

"It will drop off its cargo and then load up with waste material before burning itself up on re-entering the earth's atmosphere"

No need for alarm methinks.

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