Friday, December 7, 1979
University Daily Kansan
KU prof claims to have solution to nuclear waste
By TED LICKTEIG
Howard Smith thinks he has the answer to eliminating dangerous nuclear weapons.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration knows it, too. What Smith, KU professor of aerospace engineering, cannot understand is why no one seems to be
Even if the nuclear industry is able to solve operational problems associated with nuclear accidents, it must face the problem of storing or disposing of dangerous radioactive nuclear waste.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Midwest has storage facilities to hold radioactive waste from the fall to mid-20 years. Then the facilities will be full.
The nuclear plants, in existence and being built, have the ability to hold the waste at the plant site, but there is other waste that is not able to be held at the
plants," W. L. Brink, an EPA nuclear engineer said recently.
**SMITH SAID NASA** designed a plan in the Smith that would use the space shuttle, now undergoing tests, to launch the卫星 on the solar system, blasting it out past Pluto.
"It was found by NASA to be economically feasible and a reasonable notion," he said.
However, not everyone agrees. C. Frederick Hansen, professor of astronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, recently told a five-member Department of Energy panel in San Francisco that NASA's plan would not work because of the expense and because the lunching of the materials poses a danger to people in ground.
But then, Hansen is not impressed with any plan. After completing research last summer on nuclear waste storage, Hansen wrote that "there is no safe way to store nuclear waste."
out of the solar system is one of several alternative spaces to diving of it.
Those alternatives include:
- underground
- geophysical plate
THE PLAN TO blast radioactive waste
- geophysicist*
* reprocessing*
* polar ice cap*
* blast into sun*
- earth orbit
Currently, there are two large facilities available for nuclear waste storage, one at Barnwell C.S., and another at Morris, I.L.
But South Carolina Gov. Rickley has announced that the Barnwell site will accept only half as much nuclear waste as it now does, and a two-year period that began Nov. 1.
THE BARNWELL SITE also is being burdened by the storage of materials coated with toxic chemicals in garments work by nuclear plant employees and a type of material also has trouble finding a
home because two low-level storage sites in Washington and Nevada have closed.
At present, nuclear research laboratories nationwide are being used to take up the slack.
"From what I've heard about it," he said,
"I don't think it would help the community."
As available sites fill, new ones must be found. One possibility is near Lyons.
SAVE YOUR HOME community
SMITH THOUGHT people in the rest of
the country would not like having a waste
site near them, either.
Smith, a former consultant to Boeing Inc. Wichita, thinks the problems of transporting radioactive waste to launch sites for a trip out of the solar system could be solved
In these tests, appropriate sand and idea of using the Lgons area for nuclear waste storage did not particularly appeal to him.
Nuclear industry critics have said there is a danger of a hijack or a spill in transporting waste to storage sites.
The specific type of radioactive waste that
could be shot out the solar system would include about 3 percent of the uranium used in a year at a typical nuclear power plant. The rest is stored thousands of years and must be stored permanently. The rest can be reprocessed or stored for several years, until it is safe to use.
"I HAVE NO idea why no one else has not
"I looked into this more deeply," he said.
Brink thinks more public bearings on nuclear waste storage should be held, especially in areas that would be affected.
"I think public opinion affects where a storage site is located to a great extent. We wouldn't put it anywhere where people did not want it," he said.
"I would be uneasy about shooting waste into outer space."
Smith thinks it is a great idea.
He said he wrote to several newspapers that he had been asked to question whether the media is it little coverage in views of statements by industry critics who said there was no solution to the problem.
What's a Schlotzsky?
SMITH SAID NASA's plan would use a ucraft that would orbit the earth with the space shuttle and then blast into outer space to integrate 130,000 light years from Earth.
A. Isn't that what Walter Cronkite says when he's upset?
He said the craft would disintegrate because of the pressure put on it and the composition of space.
NOTICE
The Committee on Undergraduate Studies and Advising for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has asked that all undergraduate students be notified that no petitions for withdrawing from a College class will be accepted after 5:00 p.m.
Monday, December 10.
class will be accepted after 5:00 p.m.,
by the College Office.
OLIVER HALL'S annual ONE ACTS
King George's T-Shirt Store is back at 10 W. 9th
Buy 1 T-Shirt at Regular Price and get the other at half-pricel
WE DO CUSTOM PRINTING
8:00 p.m. Oliver Hall Living Room
Thursday Nov. 6 and Friday Nov. 7
'27 Wagons Full of Cotton' by Tonnossoo Williams 'God" by Woody Allon
1980
Mon. Sat. 10-5
Sun. Noon 5
842-8415
Rock Chalk Revue
In between acts (IBA) auditions will be held Spring Semester. For information, call . . .
partially funded by Student Senate
864-3761
THE SQUIRREL IS DEAD
Wake and Grand Closing Tues. Dec. 11th
Next Door To The Great American Hotdog.
201 W. 8th Soon Not To Be Rocky J's 12 noon----12 midnight
9 p.m.-Midnight .25 $ 15 oz. Draws
6 p.m.-9 p.m. $1.00 Pitchers
Noon-6 p.m. .50 Frosted Schooners
ALBUM
GREAT'S
A HISTORY OF ALBUM ROCK
Sunday Nights 7-10 p.m.
LAZEROCK FOR LAWRENCE
VENTURER
Six Inch. Fully-grain oil-tanned Felidan Retain leather. one-piece bellows in the back and inside cuff, split leather lining. Fully gasket backslash. Exclusive yellow velvet taped at the toe. hard rubber mudsole. Reverse Norwegian Weat.
This hiking boot is so good and so good looking you have to see and feel it to believe it. Save $10.00 now over January price.
7th and Arkansas
T. G. I. F.
at
THE HAWK
sua films
Presents
ONE OF THE GREAT
WESTERNS OF ALL TIME!
JOHN WAYNE
THE SEARCHERS
Directed by John Ford
Monday, December 10
7:30 pm $1.00
Woodruff Auditorium
—No refreshments allowed—
Jeffrey Vera Word Natalie
HUNTER • MILES • BOND • WOOD
(1978)
Friday & Saturday,
December 7-8
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
Directed by Warren Beutk & Buck
Henry, with Beatty, Henry, Julie
Christie, Charles Grold, Dyan Cannon
and Jack Warden. Plus: Bruno
Bozetto's "An Award for Mr. Rossi."
His mattein shown in Forum
room.
Midnight Movies
FLESH GORDON
(1974)
(1974)
Directed by Howard Ziem. Soft-core spoof of the Flash Gordon serials.
Monday, December 10 THE SEARCHERS
Directed by John Ford, with John Forsyth. This classic western has Wayne playing a man obsessed with finding his young niece, who has been kidnapped.
Tuesday, December 11 THE PRODUCERS
(1968)
Directed by Mel Brooks. Zero Mistel and Game Warner play schizophrenia-related their taxes. They end up with “Springtime for Hitler.” Plus, “Discover in the Forest.”
Wednesday, December 12
MY LIFE TO LIVE
{1962}
Nean-Luc Goddard's seminal New Wave film, with Anna Karnia and Sandy Rebbott. French-suspects Plus: Nean-Luc Goddard's directed by Dela Heuschneu
All films M-R shown in Woodruff au-
at 7:30 unless otherwise noted. $1.00
admission
Weekends show also in Woodfort at 3:30, 7:00, 8:30 or 12 midnight and Sum. at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For 15.00 admission. No Refreshments.