I never really thought of that. I always assumed the Nuclear Freighter was atomic-powered, to carry heavy cargo around space efficiently. But maybe it meant a ship designed to carry nuclear product like toxic waste or new control rods for far-flung reactors? An interesting thought. SFZ
I googled this conundrum and as is often the case I wish I'd left it ambiguous. Seeing as the Pleasure Cruiser and NF are both described as having nuclear windows or similar I reckon they had nuclear engines SF. Still I like idea of nuclear cargo. There is another Nuclear Freighter too in the SpaceX range, just one no-ones ever seen! It's being towed by the equally unseen Salvage Craft. I like that idea too, space salvage! In fact in the 90's my old toy mail order business was going to be called Rocket Wreckers and Salvage. I went with Moon Zero Toys instead.
There was a short-lived "fad" suggesting that we could get rid of all of our reactor-borne nuclear waste by tossing it into spaceships and launching it into outer space! (Space: 1999, anyone?) Luckily, smarter heads prevailed, and we are stuck with the toxic junk here on Terra. SFZ
There's a whole effort I understand SF to create an eternal warning about nuclear waste sites. It includes an atomic priesthood since, they argue, religion appears to be the only human construct we've created that can sustain message that can last thousands of years!
hmmmm, the Shrine of Our Lady of Radioactivity. I picture monks wearing sickly green radioactive robes, carrying brightly glowing talisman's. This could make for a good sci-fi book.
Now that would be fun to model: a space dock for the freighters being loaded with all sorts of nasty hazardous chemicals (heck that should be easy, just go in any American grocery store and load up with uber-processed food - there's enough hazardous chemicals there to wipe out an entire alien race!)
I never really thought of that. I always assumed the Nuclear Freighter was atomic-powered, to carry heavy cargo around space efficiently. But maybe it meant a ship designed to carry nuclear product like toxic waste or new control rods for far-flung reactors? An interesting thought. SFZ
ReplyDeleteI googled this conundrum and as is often the case I wish I'd left it ambiguous. Seeing as the Pleasure Cruiser and NF are both described as having nuclear windows or similar I reckon they had nuclear engines SF. Still I like idea of nuclear cargo. There is another Nuclear Freighter too in the SpaceX range, just one no-ones ever seen! It's being towed by the equally unseen Salvage Craft. I like that idea too, space salvage! In fact in the 90's my old toy mail order business was going to be called Rocket Wreckers and Salvage. I went with Moon Zero Toys instead.
DeleteThere was a short-lived "fad" suggesting that we could get rid of all of our reactor-borne nuclear waste by tossing it into spaceships and launching it into outer space! (Space: 1999, anyone?) Luckily, smarter heads prevailed, and we are stuck with the toxic junk here on Terra. SFZ
DeleteThere's a whole effort I understand SF to create an eternal warning about nuclear waste sites. It includes an atomic priesthood since, they argue, religion appears to be the only human construct we've created that can sustain message that can last thousands of years!
Deletehmmmm, the Shrine of Our Lady of Radioactivity. I picture monks wearing sickly green radioactive robes, carrying brightly glowing talisman's. This could make for a good sci-fi book.
DeleteNow that would be fun to model: a space dock for the freighters being loaded with all sorts of nasty hazardous chemicals (heck that should be easy, just go in any American grocery store and load up with uber-processed food - there's enough hazardous chemicals there to wipe out an entire alien race!)
ReplyDeleteThat model dock has your name allover it Ed!
DeleteSomething to think about for my next project!
Delete