Posts by Ian Moore 6 publicly visible posts • joined 25 Feb 2008
"Even though the astronauts would be protected by the Martian atmosphere (and the planet itself) during their stay, "
How?
Mars has a tiny magnetic field so charged particles will not be deflected towards the poles as they are by Earth's. Also the atmosphere is so thin it will hardly form a shield of any effectiveness.
A magnetic shield will be useless against gamma rays and neutrons.
Natural Uranium is a mix of U238 (99.3%) and U235 (0.7%).
Depleted Uranium is what is left when the amount U235 has been reduced during the production of enriched Uranium, as used in reactors and bombs, which has a higher percentage of U235.
U238 has a half live of about 4.5 billion years.
U235 has a half life of about 700 million years.
Where do you get the idea that after 100 years Uranium of any type is inactive?
In order to qualify as green an energy source has to be sustainable. This means it will provide energy for the long term without screwing up the planet. There is no way nuclear power meets this criterion.
The supply of uranium is finite, so nuclear power is not sustainable.
The waste produced is lethal and stays that way for tens of thousands of years.
The only green use of nuclear power involves the conveniently situated fusion reactor you will find a mere astronomical unit away. And it will outlast the planet!
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