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BTL: Columbia Shuttle Accident Underscores Warnings From Those Opposed To... |
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by Between The Lines'Scott Harris
Email: betweenthelines (nospam) snet.net (verified)
Address: BETWEEN THE LINES c/o WPKN Radio 89.5 FM Bridgeport, Connecticut |
08 Feb 2003
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...Use of Highly Toxic Radioactive Materials on Board Spacecraft. nterview with Lloyd Dumas, author of "Lethal Arrogance: Human Fallibility and Dangerous Technologies," conducted by Between The Lines' Scott Harris |
Columbia Shuttle Accident Underscores Warnings From Those Opposed to Use of Highly Toxic Radioactive Materials on Board Spacecraft
Interview with Lloyd Dumas, author of "Lethal Arrogance: Human Fallibility and Dangerous Technologies," conducted by Between The Lines' Scott Harris
As America and the world mourn the loss of seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia, destroyed as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, hard questions are being asked about the cause of this tragic accident. But while efforts to recover debris of the spacecraft began across east Texas and Louisiana, it was evident from official warnings issued to the public that some materials aboard Columbia were potentially dangerous to human health.
Since the mid-1990s, critics have sounded an alarm about NASA's use of radioactive materials in their spacecraft, which they maintain pose a risk of catastrophic accidents. As seen in the destruction of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986, and now was with Columbia, the use of plutonium batteries and other toxic power sources on future missions poses a risk of accidents that could disperse these materials over wide areas of the earth. Such an accident could expose millions to dangerous levels of radiation with the potential to cause cancer and other illnesses.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Lloyd Dumas, professor of political economy at the University of Texas. Dumas, author of "Lethal Arrogance: Human Fallibility and Dangerous Technologies," discusses the lessons he believes government planners should learn from the loss of the Columbia Space Shuttle.
Lloyd Dumas' book, "Lethal Arrogance: Human Fallibility and Dangerous Technologies," is published by Palgrave/ Macmillan.
Contact the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space at (352) 337-9274 or visit their Web site at www.space4peace.org
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