| Abstract: | There are four dozen potentially dangerous radioactive satellites orbiting the Earth today. Currently planned launches will vastly increase their number, resulting in over three metric tons of fuel and fission products in orbit by the year 2000. This article describes the nuclear power supply systems used by both the USA and the USSR, and the actual and potential hazards and accidents involved. The author suggests that a programme for retrieving the majority of nuclear supplies in space is both necessary and economically possible. |
