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by mlindner 2454 days ago
Except that's not a big problem. A non-activated reactor just contains enriched uranium. Uranium is dug out of the ground and you can buy it on amazon and chemically concentrate it yourself. It's safe to hold and handle (wash your hands afterwards so you don't eat particles) and store in your house even. (In the US this is all legal.)

Reactors only become dangerous after you activate them and short lived isotopes are created that also happen to be types that are bioavailable, like cesium-137 and strontium-90 which the body will take up and store inside the body.
2 comments
yellowapple 2454 days ago
> Uranium is dug out of the ground and you can buy it on amazon and chemically concentrate it yourself.

Well now I know what I'm putting in all my nieces' and nephews' stockings this year: https://www.amazon.com/Images-SI-Uranium-Ore/dp/B000796XXM/

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logfromblammo 2454 days ago
Reactor fuels or RTG cores are a bit more dangerous than ore.

A properly designed reactor requires the fuel to be in the core to sustain a chain reaction, and neutron activation of other elements in the reactor does not occur until the reaction has started. Thus, a rocket explosion would not cause a criticality event. The worst that would happen would be dispersion of nuclear fuel to a place where someone might handle it without its transport-safety shielding. Which still wouldn't be that bad.

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