AUT: NoFlyby Newsletter # 3 (a)

[Action Site to Stop Cassini Earth Flyby <noflyby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Action Site to Stop Cassini Earth Flyby -
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby

NoFlyby Newsletter # 3
March 20, 1998 (Vernal Equinox 2:55 p.m., EST, 7:55 p.m. GMT)
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You can find a formatted version for printing this newsletter at
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/alerts/3.htm

The NoFlyby site is coordinating a press conference at the United Nations
on June 24, 1998.  Karl Grossman and Michio Kaku are two of the confirmed
speakers for the press conference. Other groups participating in this work
are WILPF (Metro NY), Peace Through Reason (Prop 1), Grandmothers for Peace
International, Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice, The Global Network
Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and the Nonviolent Web. The
NoFlyby Site will be posting information and helping coordinate events,
including the distribution of press releases.  We need your help.  Our idea
is to make August 18th a day for International Awareness on the risks of
Cassini and future dangerous uses of nuclear energy and weapons in space.
The Cassini Earth flyby is scheduled for August 18, 1999.

The Cassini space probe was launched on October 15, 1997. It is an
exploratory probe designed to explore Saturn, its rings and its moons, in
particular Saturn's largest moon, Titan.  In order to get to Saturn NASA
has planned a series of "planetary swingbys" or "flybys" to gain
acceleration by exploiting the forces of planetary gravity. NASA expects to
execute the second swingby around Venus on June 24, 1999, and then direct
the probe back toward Earth. The plan is for the probe to perform a flyby
of Earth on August 18, 1999 and then speed off to Jupiter and finally
Saturn.  For more information about the Cassini trajectory and planetary
flybys, please see http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/traj.htm

The purpose of our press conference on June 24, 1998 is to give warning of
the possible environmental hazard that exists in the event of an
inadvertent reentry of the plutonium-laden probe into our atmosphere during
the Earth flyby. According to NASA's Environmental Impact Statement, the
Cassini flyby has the potential to expose five billion people to 99% or
more of the 72.3 pounds of plutonium radiation in the event of an accident.
 Such exposure would DOUBLE the man-made radiation activity in our
environment!

How can an accident happen?  There are many possibilities: a few are
miscalculation, equipment failure and collision with space debris. An
article that appeared in Space News (Feb 16-22, 1998, p.3) by James E.
Oberg reported that on January 15, 1998 a Multi-Service Launch System
booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. made impact with orbital debris
that was apparently only 12 to 15 centimeters across in size. The
refrigerator-sized Intercontinental ballistic missile was behaving as
expected, when it suddenly disintegrated shortly before hitting the
atmosphere slightly above 320 kilometers.  The full text of the article and
a link to comments by NoFlyby Advisory Board member Dr. Ross McCluney is
posted at http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/ref/debris.htm

There have already been nine space accidents polluting our environment with
radioactive substances.  It is known that NASA is planning more plutonium
launches  (see the "High-efficiency radioisotope power source" link on the
Nasa site for the Pluto Express at
http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/roadmap/site/missions/A/pluto_express.html).
Furthermore, according to Karl Grossman's research, military programs are
calling for systematic use of nuclear reactors and weapons in space.  Each
of these missions is a "mobile Chernobyl."

If you have not already done so, please consider taking the time to watch
"Nukes in Space," the award winning 52:30 minute video documentary produced
by EnviroVideo.  We urge you to purchase a copy and donate it to your local
library after you watch it. More information on Nukes in Space I and II see
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/karl/index.htm#nukes.

We risk harming our planet substantially for generations into the future.
This is the time to act. Please contact your elected representatives and
consult http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/actions/ for other ideas on how
you can respond to this concern.  Let us know how you think the Action Site
to Stop the Cassini Earth Flyby can become more effective.

Cassini is our chance to make a difference!  Please notify us if you are
interested in receiving the NoFlyby media kit to help distribute
information for June 24, 1998 actions. Please advise if you plan to come to
the event at the United Nations and send us your ideas in helping us make
August 18, 1998 "International Awareness Day," one year before the
scheduled Cassini Earth flyby

LET'S USE CASSINI TO END THE RISK OF PLUTONIUM POLLUTION ON EARTH.

We remind you of a few important upcoming events:

->> Sixty papers, including several by  Dr. Jay Gould, Dr. Joseph Mangano
and NoFlyby advisory board member Dr. Sternglass will be presented at the
"Conference on Effects of Low-Level Radiation" in Muenster, Germany,
between March 19 and 21.  Dr. Roland Wolff, a German Medical Physicist and
member of the German Stoppt Cassini campaign will have a poster there about
Nukes in Space!

->> There will be a free showing of "Nukes in Space: The Nuclearization and
Weaponization of the Heavens" video documentary at the Jones Library in
Amherst, Mass., Main Meeting Room on Tuesday March 31, 1998 at 7:00 P.M.

->>The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space is having
a strategy meeting on April 7-9, 1998 in Colorado Springs, Colorado,
concurrently with the annual National Space Symposium.  Registration forms
are available at http://www.afn.org/~fcpj/space/globe/meeting.htm#reg

->> Karl Grossman will present his lecture and slide-show "The
Nuclearization and Weaponization of Space" on  Monday, April 20, at 7:30
p.m. at the Village Temple, 33 East 12th St., New York City (Broadway and
University Place).

->> The Florida Conference on the Nuclearization & Weaponization of Space
is scheduled on Saturday, May 16, 1998, 11:00 - 4:00 7265  at the Florida
Solar Energy Center.  See http://www.afn.org/~fcpj/

->> New York City: On September 26 and 27 there will be a major symposium
on radiation and health coordinated by NoFlyby advisory board member Dr.
Helen Caldicott, who organized the original Physicians for Social
Responsibility symposia.  More information is available at
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/action/symp.htm

The events listed in this newsletter are posted in What's New at
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/alerts/  Please check the listing there
for further details.

Other:

We are proud to announce that NoFlyby Advisory Board member Barbara
Wiedner, founder of Grandmothers for Peace International, was one of four
Peacemakers recognized by the National Peace Foundation (see
http://www.nationalpeace.org).  The other three recipients were Bishop
Thomas Gumbelton, auxiliary bishop of the Detroit Archdiocese, James Mang,
director of the Western New York Peace Center in Buffalo, and Barbara
Simmons, director of the Bucks County Peace Center, Langhorne, PA.

Also we wish to thank the New Society Educational Foundation for the grant
they awarded the NoFlyby Action Site.  For more information about NSEF
please see http://www.nonviolence.org/nsef/

The NoFlyby sites invite you to review a very impressive bibliography at
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/sites.htm . The most recent addition is
the article mentioned above that appeared in Space News (Feb 16-22, 1998,
p.3) by James E. Oberg on the space debris incident.  The full text of the
article and a link to comments by NoFlyby Advisory Board member Dr. Ross
McCluney is posted at http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/ref/debris.htm

If you know of other people who you think would be interested in receiving
NoFlyby communications, or if you do not wish to receive communications
from the Action Site to Stop Cassini Earth Flyby, please send a message to
noflyby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx indicating the relevant e-mail address/s.

Coordinators
Action Site to Stop Cassini Earth Flyby
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby
P.O. Box 1999, Wendell Depot, MA 01380 USA
E-mail: noflyby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



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