Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

6.1.8.1 Concept Summary
6.136
6.1.8 Space Disposal
Space disposal offers the option of permanently removing part of the nuclear wastes
from the Earth's environment. In this concept, HLW would be formed into a cermet matrix
and packaged in special flight containers for insertion into a solar orbit, where it would
remain for at least 1 million years. NASA has studied several space disposal options since
the early 1970s. A reference concept using an uprated Space Shuttle has emerged and is
considered in detail here.
The Space Shuttle would carry the waste package to a low-earth orbit. A transfer
vehicle would then spearate from the Shuttle to place the waste package and another
propulsion stage into an earth escape trajectory. The transfer vehicle would return to the
Shuttle while the remaining rocket stage inserted the waste into a solar orbit.
The space disposal option appears feasible for selected long-lived waste fractions, or
even for the total amount of high-level waste that will be produced. The remaining TRU
wastes would require some terestrial disposal option, such as mined geological repositories
in the continental U.S. Space disposal of unreprocessed fuel rods does not appear economi-
cally feasible or practical because of the large number of flights involved.
Space disposal was considered for its potential to reduce long-term environmental
impacts and human health effects for a given quantity and type of waste compared with
alternative terrestrial disposal options. Because of the characteristics of the space
disposal concept, which removes the waste package from the bioshpere, it is highly unlikely
that physical forces would cause the radioisotopes to migrate toward the Earth. Conse-
quently, for a package properly placed in orbit, there would be no long-term risk or
surveillance problem as in terrestrial alternatives. However, the risk and consequence of
launch pad accident and low earth orbit failure must be compared to the risk of breach of
deep geologic repositories.
6.1.8.2 System and Facility Descriptions
System Options
The reference concept and system for the initial space disposal of nuclear waste has
been developed from a number of options available at each step from the reactor to ultimate
space disposal. These options are summarized in Figure 6.1.22 (Battelle 1980), which indi-
cates currently preferred options chosen for the DOE/NASA concept, primary alternatives,
secondary alternatives, and options that are no longer considered viable. The bases for
selection of options for the reference concept (those blocked off) are detailed in various
sources listed in Appendix M.
Waste-Type Compatibility
As noted, space disposal of unreprocessed spent fuel rods would be impractical because
an excessive number of launches would be required. This would result in high energy re-