Michio Kaku & Cassini: Has His View Changed?

[Telos]

I had never known that Michio Kaku was against the Cassini launch. (although, that was back when I was in the 8th grade and sheltered from learning about important and interesting things).

I have searched around some and have been unable to find recent statements from Dr. Kaku about the Cassini mission. Has he changed any of his views since then?

 

[selfAdjoint]

I think he's still against the power system they used in Cassini. His opposition before it took off, which included active picketing of the launch, was based on the possibility that if anything went wrong with the shoot, and the Cassini came down in the atmosphere, it could spew radioactivity. The proponents countered that the radioactive material, which has used for its heat to power the onboard systems, was well contained and the possiblily of an accident that would breach the container was really remote. In the event, the takeoff was perfect, and the problem did not arise.

I don't have any recent quotes either, but I am sure that if NASA trid to lauch another probe with the same radioactive material powered system, he would vigorously oppose it. From his point of view, it only takes one failure...

 

[Telos]

Thank you. That about answers my question!

 

[Phobos]

Similar power systems are planned for future missions, so perhaps we'll be hearing from Dr. Kaku again soon on this topic.

 

[WhiteWolf]

this might be a dumb question... but I am kinda new to the forums here, and I've read Hyperspace last summer, and I was curious if Dr. Kaku comes on here at all?

Really, I loved the book...

 

[selfAdjoint]

this might be a dumb question... but I am kinda new to the forums here, and I've read Hyperspace last summer, and I was curious if Dr. Kaku comes on here at all?

Really, I loved the book...

He's never been here, and I've been with the site since Physics Forums took it over. Hyperspace is tremendously popular. It has its critics in the physics community, but then what doesn't?

 

[cozzmikjoker]

Other than a handful of chat sessions, Dr. Kaku never appeared (posted) on any of the three previous forums (going all the way back to May 2000 on the Yahoo boards, even though he was registered as a user). I've listened to enough interviews and read enough seminars that I think I could recognize the writing style if he had posted incognito. If he's been on any of his previous websites forums, it sure fooled me. Too busy, I guess.

 

[gambit7]

I wrote to him once inquiring about a potential appearance at a convention. He wrote me right back
Nice lil email, of course - he also promoed his new book. hehe

 

[cozzmikjoker]

Maybe if we holler and scream enough, he'll visit this forum.

I don't know what's going to become of this board- if it will stay as it is or what. It's been disconnected from the Physics Forum which does not bother me in the least. His website's forums have always had enough members that the forum, alone, is an entity unto itself! I think all the board merging going on is a big mistake (including the Bad Astronomer's).
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[cozzmikjoker]

changing the subject...
Ramanujan isn't the only one who had an interesting dream, it seems.
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Thomason.html

While at Rutgers, he put everything in place except for one step ... On January 22 1988, he had a dream in which his recently deceased friend Thomas Trobaugh told him how to solve the final step... Awaking with a start, he worked out the argument for the missing step. In gratitude, he listed his friend as a coauthor of the resulting paper.

 

[cozzmikjoker]

interesting coast to coast show tonight

This show sounds like Dr. Kaku's book, "Visions".

Reporter and editor at the Washington Post, Joel Garreau, will talk about how we are engineering the next stage for human evolution through genetics, robotics, and nanotechnologies.

Find a radio station in your area that plays Coast To Coast:
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/info/wheretolisten.html
Get your digital recorders or VCR ready to record if you can't stay up at midnight.

 

[Mk]

He wrote me right back
Nice lil email, of course - he also promoed his new book. hehe

lol, I wonder if it was automated or not, the response he sent me. I clearly mentioned that I am eagerly waiting for his next book. At the end he said "and be sure to remember to buy my latest book, coming out in December 2004, Parallel Worlds." Or something like that.

 

[renerob]

Dr. Kaku

I heard Dr. Kaku in a lecture at Caltech in Pasadena a couple of months ago and he is still against the use of plutonium in batteries, as was used in the Cassini project.