# Dropping a nuke on (in) Jupiter **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993 "2003-11-08T00:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Buran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buran)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/1 "2003-11-08T00:00:30Z")
I laughed when everyone (on another site) was panicking at NASA dropping that nuclear powered satellite on Jupiter… [http://www.enterprisemission.com/NukingJupiter.html](http://www.enterprisemission.com/NukingJupiter.html) Interesting, is it possible? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/2 "2003-11-08T00:10:38Z")
It’s crap. We’ve been over this in another thread. Net result: Nada. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/3 "2003-11-08T00:20:53Z")
[That “Galileo thing”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=211123) – Another thread on this topic, where those fears are roundly debunked. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/4 "2003-11-08T02:13:01Z")
The Bad Astronomer [speaks](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/jupiter_galileo.html). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Insufferable_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/5 "2003-11-08T02:14:50Z")
If you thinks that’s crazy I heard that everyone on the face of the earth has a little bit of, I think it was, plutonium in then thanks to NASA. Apparently one of their early nuclear powered satellites exploded before it left the atmosphere. Thanks NASA. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/6 "2003-11-08T03:00:50Z")
Cite, please. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/7 "2003-11-08T04:54:15Z")
I don’t know about plutonium, but I have some mercury in me, and I’m sure pretty much everyone in North America does… darn heavy metals. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/8 "2003-11-08T05:04:53Z")
No need to blame NASA, **Insufferable Jerk** …the Russians have done it at least a couple of times themselves. 😃 I’ll dig up a cite. (P.S.: Great name) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/9 "2003-11-08T05:19:02Z")
From [SpaceLink](http://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA.Projects/Human.Exploration.and.Development.of.Space/Human.Space.Flight/Shuttle/Shuttle.Missions/Flight.031.STS-34/Galileos.Power.Supply/Space.Nuclear.Power.System.Accidents): > [@](#): > > In the single instance of radiological release from a U.S. NPS, the RTG performed as designed. The SNAP 9-A RTG (Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power) was launched in 1964 aboard a Department of Defense weather satellite that failed to achieve polar orbit. The SNAP 9-A, designed to burn up and disperse its nuclear inventory in the upper atmosphere during re-entry, performed as planned. The release of radioactive materials was measured by scientists from the Atomic Energy Commission in air and soil sampling efforts. NPS: Nuclear Power Source RTG: Radioisotopic Thermoelectric Generators ---
**Author:** ![A\_Curious\_Writer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@A\_Curious\_Writer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Curious_Writer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/10 "2003-11-08T13:23:49Z")
If the Schumaker-Levy comet ([http://www.seds.org/sl9/sl9.html](http://www.seds.org/sl9/sl9.html)) didn’t do anything lasting, a single nuclear powered spacecraft won’t. Unless you’re on Star Trek or some other sci-fi show, where the physics can react that way depending onw hat you want the plot to be like. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Coffeeguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Coffeeguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coffeeguy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/11 "2003-11-08T19:04:59Z")
In order for Jupiter to become a star, it would have to be a minimum of 41 times larger. That is, you’d have to smack it with about 40 other planets of Jovian mass to begin that gigantic nuclear furnace thing. And if you wanted a sun “just like ours”, you’d need to need to up Jupiter’s mass by a factor of 1000. Not likely. –CoffeeGuy ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/12 "2003-11-08T19:08:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A Curious Writer \* > If the Schumaker-Levy comet ([http://www.seds.org/sl9/sl9.html](http://www.seds.org/sl9/sl9.html)) didn’t do anything lasting, a single nuclear powered spacecraft won’t. > > Unless you’re on Star Trek or some other sci-fi show, where the physics can react that way depending onw hat you want the plot to be like. 🙂 _Plan Nine from Outer Space_? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Buran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Buran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buran)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/13 "2003-11-08T19:58:44Z")
Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. I didn’t think Jupiter would turn into a star or the impact would have any lasting affect, also I have no particular concerns about nuclear powered spacecraft (in fact I’m all for them, I’d dust of Project Orion if I thought it’d help manned space flight) What I was wondering was if it was plausible that that mysterious black spot was a result of the probes dive? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/14 "2003-11-09T01:32:44Z")
Many things are possible. Plausibility is another thing entirely. Jupiter’s atmosphere is a very complex structure (or system). Large “spots” of many different colours have been observed at various times since we first developed optics fine enough to resolve tham. This new black spot is not out of the range of previously observed phenomena (pa di pa didi). I wouldn’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Insufferable_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/15 "2003-11-09T03:48:34Z")
Here you go Doctor… Apparently that PHD wasn’t in esoteric knowledge. [http://www.tbs-satellite.com/tse/online/mis\_spec\_radioactive.html](http://www.tbs-satellite.com/tse/online/mis_spec_radioactive.html) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Insufferable_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/16 "2003-11-09T04:24:52Z")
That was suppose to have a smiley after it… ---
**Author:** ![That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Insufferable_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/17 "2003-11-09T04:25:03Z")
That was suppose to have a smiley after it…sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-nuke-on-in-jupiter/211993/18 "2003-11-09T04:30:00Z")
[Is this the “black spot” you spoke of?](http://dev.space.com/scienceastronomy/jupiter_dark_spot_031023.html)