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Subject: DRUDGE REPORT BREAK 2/22/97 00:02 UTC
DRUDGE REPORT BREAK 2/22/97 00:02 UTC
NERVOUS WEEKEND FOR NASA
The biggest and greatest unmanned rocket ever designed, the Titan IV-B, is
now set for its first launch on Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. But
there is more at stake than the $250,000 Defense Department satellite it is
carrying, reports Saturday's ORLANDO SENTINEL. The classified rocket
launch, which is believed to be taking place between 12:36 p.m. and 4:36
p.m., will be a test run for the planned Titan IV-B launch of the
Cassini-Saturn probe. That launch, now scheduled for October, will be
carrying with it: 72 pounds of radioactive plutonium, needed for fuel.
Anti-nuke groups have already targeted the rocket and the October launch,
declaring that it is too dangerous to launch radioactive material using
un-tested technology.
"NASA officials counter by saying 24 previous launches have carried small
amounts of radioactive material without any problems," reports the
SENTINEL's Seth Borenstein.
But officials concede that the Cassini mission will carry more plutonium
than has ever been launched aboard a U.S. rocket. The fuel will be encased
in super-hard containers designed to withstand a launch disaster.
The Saturn probe cost $1.8 billion to design.
Late on Friday, the Titan IV-B's maiden run was postponed a day (to Sunday)
because the Air Force hadn't finished preparing the rocket. This comes
after numerous delays that have pushed the launch back from its original
early January target.
DRUDGE REPORT BREAK 2/22/97 00:02 UTC
Filed By Matt Drudge
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