Why not launch an immense amount of nuclear heads in a far planet like Venus or Mercury, just for fun?
We like boom boom, no?
9 comments
The risk of a failed launch and having a nuclear warhead falling on an unintended target isn't negligible, and sending a heavy payload outside of the Earth gravitational pull is quite expensive.
Same reason why we don't send our nuclear waste into space or the sun.
And damaging another planet in our solar system use of little scientific value compared to leaving it as-is.
Personal opinion though: It would be an absurdly expensive way to taint future study of any place we nuke, especially if we want any hope to find any type of life on another planet.
I really hope we find something on Europa or Titan. Both have water and heat, so maybe they’ve got something next to a seafloor vent or something.
2 flaws I see.
All countries have a gentleman agreement not to launch nuclear material into space. If the launch failed, it'd be catrostrophic for people here in earth.
It's really expensive to launch stuff into space, getting stuff out of the earths orbit is another level of power beyond getting it above the atmosphere.
They use radioactive materials on long range stuff
Cost.
You would be a contender in either American political party with a platform as robust as that one. @ViscloReader@lemmy.world 2024!
I'd really hope my tax money doesn't go to something like this. But I'm sure it's paid for dumber things.
The risk of a failed launch and having a nuclear warhead falling on an unintended target isn't negligible, and sending a heavy payload outside of the Earth gravitational pull is quite expensive.
Same reason why we don't send our nuclear waste into space or the sun.
And damaging another planet in our solar system use of little scientific value compared to leaving it as-is.