The effect on biological life of nuclear radiation is largely related to the intensity of the gamma ray exposure.

The Sight and Feel of Nuke Sickness.
Symptoms of health destructive intensity of nuclear radiation for humans includes malaise, headache, decreased white cell count (immunity), diarrhea, anemia, anorexia, decreased red blood cell count, cellular mutations, disturbances of reproductive function, vomiting, skin burn (similar to sunburn), internal haemorrhaging, coma and death. Some symptoms may remain chronic for a time and others may develop after a apparent latency. Tumors and cancers sometimes occupy the latter.

Reproductive function abnormalities may include loss of sexual desire, sterility, miscarriages, deformities in newborns and an increase in apparent hereditary diseases.

Psychological symptoms accompany the physical symptoms yet because of the greater individual variation and expression of these factors, little information is released to the public - thereby making preparation for coping minimal and survival of human populations more tenuous.

THINK About It!
In general, psychological symptoms accompanying radiation poisoning run the range of human emotional defense mechanisms and their prevalence is relative to the intensity and duration of exposure as well as to the attitude and coping behaviours of the subject.

A simple listing of some of these SYMPTOMS includes
disorientation, shock, faintness, visual difficulties, depression, grief, anger, paranoia.

The attitude and awareness of a human to either a substantial sudden physical injury, or, to a gradually induced chronic disabling sickness of undetermined origin can mean the difference between hope and despair. Hope can initiate actions which may be productive in countering the symptoms and reducing their potentially fatal results. Despair will often limit any activity taken to resolve the symptoms and frequently encourage the experience of further destructive emotions and the taking of destructive and counterproductive actions.

Nervous disorientation and mental breakdown are usually encouraged by a lack of awareness prior to the experience of a nuclear devastation whereas a lack of institutional and social acknowledgement and support in a more individualized exposure may prove just as negative. Lack of awareness can and has resulted in doctors and nurses as well as other members of the public remaining distant from the affected out of fear that the "disease" is communicable.

Some REALITY.
In the instances of massive exposure presented by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic weapons, there was a marked tendency for children to abandon parents and for husbands to abandon wives. If the context of assistance (emotional, physical, and/or spiritual) to another appears to be beyond the imagination (awareness, capability and hope) of the person, the options apparent are to go insane (as a confusion and expression of intense helplessness, grief, anger ... ) or to withdraw emotionally and physically from the presence of the person. Either alternative is destructive and is the result of a lack of preparation through awareness and spiritual strength. The reality of the potential and capability for mass human destruction is also a factor, of course.

PROTECTION by SHIELDING.
Biological life and objects may be shielded from gamma rays by the influence of various obstacles such as the construction design and materials in housing, shelters and other buildings. Any material will provide some form of shielding from various forms of radiation. The more dense the material the better will be its shielding properties.

Thus a comparable quantity or thickness of lead is more effective than steel which is more effective than concrete, which is more effective than dirt which is usually more effective than wood, which is more effective than glass or paper. The more you have of a higher density material, the better is your protection.

MEASUREMENTS of RADIATION.
Nuclear radioactivity is measured by the number of nuclear disintegration per unit of time in a quantity of radioactive substance. Unstable atoms of substances spontaneously change by losing or attracting atom components in an effort to gain a more stable state; these changes are referred to as "decay".

The older well-known measure was referred to as a "curie", after a husband and wife team of early researchers.

The modern unit is the "becquerel".
It takes 37,000 million becquerels to equal one curie.
That suggests the degree of progress in the measurement of such radiations in a period of over 70 years. One becquerel represents one decay per second. For example, one gram of plutonium-239 has an activity of about 2,000 megabecquerels, which means that every second it emits about 2,000 million alpha particles.

The "Absorbed Dose" of nuclear radiation is an indication of the amount of radiation either deposited in the material through which it is passing, or, induced in the substance. This measurement for decades was referred to as a "rad". In more modern times, a "gray" has become the term of reference. It is equal to 100 rads. A gray is the dose of radiation which will cause one kilogram of material to absorb one joule of energy. This can be difficult to work with since different substances may have different absorption rates.

A "DOSE EQUIVALENT" compensates for the fact that some forms of ionizing (atomic decaying) radiation are more harmful than others. The dose equivalent is the absorbed dose in grays, multiplied by a designated quality factor.

For example, high energy neutrons are given a quality factor of 10.
Alpha radiation is given a quality factor of 20.
These are still approximation factors for humanity does not adequately understand the degree and extensiveness possible in terms of biological transmutation. The modern unit of dose equivalent is termed the "sievert".
100 rem = 1 sievert.

A further way of minimizing, or maximizing, the influence of nuclear radiation on the human and other Earthly biological systems is to calculate an "effective dose equivalent". It is true that different tissues in the body absorb radiation to differing degrees and that the influence on those tissues varies between types. A weighting factor may thus be assigned to calculate the overall risk to the body from the exposure of a single part. This weighting factor multiplied by the organ dose expresses the equivalent whole-body exposure. It is also measured in sieverts. To remain relevant one must acknowledge that if a crucial organ is destroyed by radiation, the fact that other organs acquired lower doses is meaningless - you still die.

WHAT TO EXPECT.
If you have access to a dosimeter, a device which measure the intensity of nuclear radiation present in the surrounding environment or in yourself, you will be able to prepare yourself psychologically for the likely symptoms, and possibly to remedy them or stay away from objects which have become and are radiating nuclear energy.

100 Sieverts (Sv): death within days due to nervous system damage.

 30 Sieverts (Sv): damage to the central nervous system resulting in 
                   nausea, severe vomiting, disorientation, coma, and 
                   possible death.

10 - 50 Sieverts:  death after 1 or 2 wks from gastro-intestinal damage.

10 - 30 Sieverts:  damage to the gastro-intestinal tract, leading to
                   nausea and vomiting in the first few hours. 
                   Internal haemorrhages, diarrhoea and septicaemia
                   follow.  Fluids are lost and infection may enter
                   from the bowel.

Death may occur within a few weeks, due to a breakdown of cell replacement
 within the lining of the gut.

  3 - 5  Sieverts: potential for half of the exposed group to die within 
                   one or two months from damage to red bone marrow.

                 [100 rem = 1 sievert;  100 rads = 1 gray]

WHAT IS RELEVANT?
In 1900, the recommended max. dose was the equivalent of 100 mSv per DAY.
In 1925, the recommended level was 10 mSv per WEEK.
Since 1977, the occupational dose limit has remained at 50 mSv per YEAR.

In 1988, a study indicated that the internationally accepted figures for the risk of cancer induction may have been UNDERESTIMATED by a factor of between 5 and 7.

The amount of harmful radiation released in a nuclear explosion was also found to have been miscalculated previously by a factor as high as 50%!

By the late 1980s, new studies calculated general risk estimates indicating that the risks from ionizing radiation are from 3 to 15 times higher than is recognized in safety regulations.

SURVIVING.
In simplistic terms, if you are exposed to nuclear radiation:

a) get away from the source as quickly and safely as possible;
b) try to filter the air you breathe through a filter;
c) filter the water you drink, wash, and cook with;
d) wash and scrub all dirt and dust from your body and clothes;
e) ensure that any vehicle or dwelling you use is clean inside;
f) insist that others near you follow the same procedures to 
                                    avoid contamination by them;
g) be particularly careful of the source/location of foodstuffs;
h) add all the positive stressors that you are capable of to your
    lifestyle:
               prayer and reverence;
               meditation;
               moderate exercise;
               moderated temperature environment;
               moderate work exertion;
               adequate rest and sleep;
               singing, dancing, humour;
               interpersonal emotional empathy;
               assertive communication;
               sensual appreciation.

i) utilize a dosimeter to determine radiation sources & intensities;

OPTIONS in a Nuclear Environment.
No amount of "peace" and anti-nuclear demonstrations have substantially altered the reality of nuclear weapons and materials proliferation and stockpiling: such developments and sales have simply been conducted with greater secrecy. After 20 years of effort by a few writers and columnists to inform and motivate the public towards total nuclear disarmament, the net result has been a greater stockpile of waste and active materials.

Despite 50 years of opportunities for global human political peace, there is greater national and regional anarchy existing in the 1990s than was present prior to either of the previous World Wars. There have been numerous nuclear accidents and near accidents. The REALITY is that there is a high probability that a large nuclear disaster will happen before the year 2010.

PREVENTION is the best option; that option has been discarded.

AWARENESS is the second best option; knowledgeable & prepared for a mistake.

AWARENESS is the third best option; knowledgeable & prepared for a attack.

HUMILITY is the fourth best option: take your head out of the sand.
Acknowledge that in human recorded history, no worst option remains irrelevant.

The CARBON-14 CLOCK.
Developed by Willard Libby as a useful dating method for recent events in archaeology, its practical accuracy is limited to 57,300 years or less. The Earth is constantly being bombarded by high-energy cosmic-ray particles, except on the side facing away from the Sun. These particles, mostly protons, interact with the magnetic field and atmospheric layers around the Earth to produce neutrons with sufficient energy to be absorbed by nitrogen-14 nuclei. Every nitrogen-14 atom thus affected is transformed into carbon-14, a radioactive isotope whose half-life is 5730 years; that is, it loses half of its radioactive strength in that period of time.

Carbon-14 is formed and lost at fixed rates WHEN the Earth's magnetic field is STABLE and once the Van Allen radiation belts were formed. With specialized Geiger counters and accurate determinations for total carbon, the abundance of C-14 relative to all isotopes of carbon can be measured.

When an organism dies, all of its carbon is removed temporarily from the carbon cycle on the Earth. Its carbon-14 content becomes depleted, since no new carbon can enter it in a digestive manner. For a given sample, measurements are combined with data for the carbon half-life and an equilibrium amount of carbon-14 to give the age of the sample from the time it was no longer open to the carbon cycle. In practice, the older the sample, the less carbon-14 activity remains. The accepted limit is about 10 half-lives, or 57,300 years. This is but an instant in the 4.5 billion plus years of the Earth's physical form. Other methods of dating must be used for older samples.

The radiations travelling through interstellar space are of many kinds. They are primarily the result of continual gigantic continual nuclear explosions in huge spheres of elementary particles which we call "stars". The star around which the planets in the solar system of which the Earth is a part, humans call the "Sun".

As the Sun continues to explode, burn, and radioactively decay, it radiates a spectrum of MICROPARTICLES and energy away from it in all directions; humans call it "the solar wind". This continual, though periodically fluctuating, tidal wave of matter-turned energy travels in what is termed an " electromagnetic spectrum ". That is, the speed of the intensity of the solar wind produces a vibratory cycle which humans can detect with instruments.

The QUANTITY of electromagnetic energy received by the Earth from the Sun is approximately 10 ' 21 power kilogram-calories (1 kcal = 4186 Joules) per year. This is only one billioneth of the Sun's output, and roughly equivalent to the energy that could be produced by 20 million small power stations of human design.

The VIBRATORY RATE of variation of this energy is further called a "wavelength" and these have been measured from longer than 1000 metres per second to less than 10 to the 23 power cycles per second. Since different rates of intensity tend to share characteristics which humans can differentiate and those characteristics indicate different degrees of "power" capable of effecting change, this electromagnetic spectrum is divided into shorter segments of "rays" which have been given names for easier reference and differentiation.

VISIBLE LIGHT is only a very small segment of the central region of the defined spectrum is easily detected by humans. Visible light is fundamental to the images which humans see and by which they interpret most of their reality. Without direct and reflected visible light being present in their environment, they would be "blind" to all that was happening around them. Visible light is generally health promoting for humans. Detection of it by cells within the eye stimulate the production and release of peptides and hormones which are essential for good health. Long periods of reduced access to Sun-sourced visible light have a tendency to promote symptoms of depression and tiredness in humans. With few exceptions, such as looking directly at the Sun, diffused and reflected visible light is neither dangerous nor fatal to humans regardless of length of exposure or quantity (brightness). A difficulty arises in that visible light is often accompanied by varying amounts of other rays, most noteably infra-red and ultraviolet energy intensities.

Without biofeedback training or the use of technical apparatus designed to detect other waveforms and convert them into the visible rays of a picture, humans would be oblivious-by-sight of the remainder of electromagnetic reality which surrounds them and fills interstellar space. Since most of these other rays are harmful to humans and much of terrestrial life, and, since most of these "invisible" rays are deflected away from the Earth's surface by the influence of the Earth's magnetic field, the Van Allen radiation belts, the ionosphere, the ozone layer, and clouds - visible light is the most important and relevant rayform for humans to be aware of while on the Earth. Some other animals, all insects and birds, and all plants have indicated an ability to sense a wider spectrum of electromagnetic energy than humans. These abilities suggest that they have been more adaptable in the past and may be more adaptable in the future to changes in the Earth's radiation environment and the resulting ecology.

INFRA-RED, also called INFARED Radiation is a second range of rays which is detectable by humans, not by sight but by feel. This lower intensity longer waveform of energy has less of an ability to either penetrate a solid form or to be reflected away from it. That is, it tends to be absorbed by the surface molecules of the physical substances which it encounters. Its absorption "warms" the surface and this activity is refered to as "heating". That is, it neither passes through the substance nor is reflected from it as effectively as other classifications of rays. A variety of uses of infra-red radiation have been used in the past for the purpose of promoting human healing and relaxation. Unless the duration and quantity of infra-red rays is long and/or high, they are neither dangerous nor fatal to humans.

ULTRA-VIOLET Radiation is a more intense, shorter waveform (than visible light) classification of energy rays (dispersion). Most of this category of energy, respective to the Earth, originates from the Sun. Thus, only those locations receiving the direct rays of the Sun, above the horizon, are exposed to U-V radiations. Much of this radiation is absorbed by the Earth's ozone layer in the upper atmosphere so that its degree of presence at the Earth's surface is relative to the thickness and density of the ozone layer.

Due to chemical interactions between human-manufactured chlorine and fluoine-based hydrochemicals, a long-term influence of depletion of ozone began during the mid-twentieth century. Due to windflow patterns, ionosphere characteristics, and, magnetosphere (the ocean of magnetic influence surrounding the Earth, excepting at the magnetic poles) - radical ozone depletion has become most noticeable over the Antarctic and towards Australia. Fluctuating areas of partial depletion have been discovered over many cities, especially those of capital based political economies with high consumer emphasis and usually close to industrial production facilities.

Ultra-violet radiation is most often noticed by humans as a skin-tanning agent. Too much exposure results in sunburning. Both tanning and burning encourages the formation of thicker and tougher skin and influences the mutation of cells into skin cancers. Some geographic locations now (1996) have such variations in the density of U-V daily radiation counts that sunburns may occur for some people in a matter of minutes on one day, and, only after many hours or several days at other times. This increasingly erratic radiation risk has resulted in a greatly increased requirement for humans to technically monitor the U-V radiation count for their region and to utilize "sun-block" agents. Even with these precautions, hundreds of thousands of individuals now acquire new cases of skin cancer annually.

X-RAYS and GAMMA RAYS have greater energy intensity and shorter wavelength: the latter are the more dangerous to terrestrial life. While very short exposures and low quantities of X-rays have been found useful in providing medical diagnostic aids, it is widely recognized that equally short durations can result in cellular changes capable of rendering an individual impotent, form mutated cells (which may develop into cancers), and, mutating foetal cells enough to result in deformities or possible miscarriages. It is clearly understood that a continuous exposure to a beam of X-ray energy can literally burn a "hole" through you composed of dead cells.

Imagine the influence of full-body exposure if one were to venture into space. X-Ray radiation can pass through the hardest of steels and is often utilized to photographs of the internal structure of machine parts for the purpose of detecting invisible cracks and other structural weaknesses. The ion shell surrounding the Earth absorbs or reflects almost all solar and interstellar X-Ray approaching the Earth. Perhaps 1% of the density of instellar X-Ray energy passing the Earth reaches the surface of the planet and the humans on it.

Since most of this category of radiation is sourced from the Sun, none can reach the Earth's surface which is below the horizon. Hence, regions experiencing "night" are the safest. However, venturing into "outer" space would expose humans to dosages potentially 99 times greater than Earth surface levels during "daylight" exposures, UNLESS, spacevehicles employed "ion shields" like those used by Extraterrestrials.

"GAMMA RAYS", which are more devastating to most terrestrial lifeforms, and are a major component of nuclear weapons explosions, have been described above. The potential for "radiation sickness", permanent immunological destruction, genetic mutation and fatality is extremely high compared to other intensities of energy impact. Old standards of protection suggested the use of a shell of 3 feet of earth, a foot of steel, or, an inch of lead. With more recent findings relative to the destructive potential of gamma rays on long-term human health, it would be reasonable to double the thickness of these shells. Do you know of any human spacecraft which utilize a shell with 25% of the effectiveness of these protective shells.

Several other factors to consider.
Insects, with their different physiology, are minimally affected by X-Rays and Gamma Rays relative to human physiology. Gamma rays can also be deflected by high-energy ion fields.

COSMIC RAYS are beyond even gamma-rays.
These electromagnetic densities are even more intense, more penetrating, more destructive to animals life, smaller, more difficult for humans to detect, and, harder to shield against. Cosmic rays are streams of atomic nuclei of extremely penetrating character that travel at speeds approaching that of light. Primary cosmic rays are atomic nuclei and electrons which have been accelerated by the influence of electric and magnetic interstellar fields in addition to the "explosive" forces of their originating nuclear furnace, a star. They have far more energy than the alpha, beta, and gamma rays emitted by radioactive atoms - and are, thus, much more dangerous. Matter which reaches a speed of light become converted to energy and, in essence, become light.

AN ENERGY BORDER or threshold between matter and energy is formed by cosmic rays. They share characteristics of both. They are deflected in their path by a magnetic field and are strongly deflected by magnetic fields anywhere in space. The Earth's magnetic field is its primary shield against the intrusion of cosmic rays to its surface. Cosmic rays represent parts of atoms, such as positively charged protons and negatively charged electrons, in addition to uncharged masses called neutrons.

COSMIC RAYS consist mainly of protons.
The Earth's geomagnetic field deflects and "captures" passing cosmic ray protons into an orbiting layer of protons called the upper Van Allen belt. The remaining cosmic ray components on their way to the Earth's surface are gradually diffused further. Most of the cosmic rays which reach the surface of the Earth are in fact secondary particles formed by interaction with nitrogen, oxygen, and other atoms.

Still, a person living at a high altitude of 6,000 feet (i.e. Denver, Colorado) will be exposed to a density of cosmic rays twice that of someone living at a sea-level location in the same latitude. That is, cosmic ray exposure at the Earth's surface also varies with location relative to the equator and the poles: it is greatest at the poles and least at the equator.

COSMIC RAYS INTERACT with the outer Van Allen belt (at 10,000 miles altitude) of electrons which are supplied by the passing solar wind - to result in a capture of protons. It is this belt which produces the "Northern Lights" effects and it is the most sunspot-influenced layer of the Earth's massive protective layers. This is because sunspots themselves have high magnetic strengths. After passing through a "slot", the remaining cosmic rays reach the inner Van Allen belt (at 3,000 miles altitude) where their influence is to form a density of protons.

In effect, remove the MAGNETIC FIELD of the Earth and cosmic ray bombardment would interact more directly and violently with the Van Allen radiation belts, ozone layer and ionosphere to produce a "Northern Lights" phenomenon of unbelievable proportion. Energizing some parts and burning others, the Earth's ecosphere would be damaged to the extent that the geomagnetic field was very weak or missing. It could be expected that the sky, and the reflecting waters, would turn orangy-red in colour. Anything which was incapable of surviving underwater, underground, or, in caves, would have great difficulty in surviving.

The DENSITY OF COSMIC RAYS reaching the Earth's surface has varied considerably over the past million years. Thus the use of the unstable radiocarbon 14 dating technique shows at least a 20% variation even over the duration of the past 3000 years. The varying solar wind also influences the presence, density, and speed of the cosmic particles. The magnetosphere of the Earth has been decreasing in its strength since the beginning of the 20th century.

A MAGNETIC FIELD REVERSAL is overdue, according to the Earth's history of numerous reversals. The Earth's magnetic field has been rapidly weakening throughout the 1990's. Null periods (of zero magnetic field) during reversals can last from a few minutes to as long as decades. Yet local magnetic fields can be produced from permanent magnets and electromagnets. Still, for travel beyond the Earth, protection against harmful cosmic rays could be achieved in any of 3 ways - which are utilized by visiting extraterrestrials.

1. magnetic field deflection;
2. hyperdensity polarized "metals";
3. speed-of-light velocity.

MAGNETIC FIELD DEFLECTION is the method which safeguards the Earth. Humans ride a spaceship through interstellar space, in an orbit around their home star, the Sun, proected by cosmic rays by a geomagnetic field. Such a field is utilized as part of the propulsion system of some craft used by extraterrestrials. This gives rise to the twisting of light rays which result in humans seeing fuzzy or distorted images of the crafts they are witnessing. It also accounts for the magnetically induced local interferences experienced by humans when some interstellar craft have been nearby: loss of or noisy electromagnetic communications (televisions, radios), loss of engine power in cars, feelings of depression and/or paranoia which result in reactions of fear, angry, aggression, or passivity. Such magnetic shields are not publicly known to be in use on any craft of human origin.

The HYPERDENSITY POLARIZATION of materials has been confirmed in the electron microscopic analysis of metals given to Billy Meier by the Pleiadians. The characterisitcs ascribed to the materials found at the Roswell crash site and other sites are not representative of any material which humans are presently (1996) capable of constructing. The molecules within the material are aligned much as the molecules of iron are aligned in a bar magnet. This alighnment of molecules increases the "strength" of the material 1000 times that of regular human manufacture. Thus a thickness of 1/1000th of that required as a shield or structural element becomes sufficient. In turn, this reduces propulsion requirements and mass drag. No human space vehicles use any material of strength beyond that as refered to here as "current" technology.

SPEED-of-LIGHT TRAVEL ability brings a number of health, safety, travel, and exploration advantages with it. At that speed, the fundamentals of which were described to Billy Meier by a Pleiadian, BEFORE, it was theorized by American and Japanese astrophysicists who had been considering the "problem" for many years, become very positive to safe interstellar travel - even for humans. Special precautions must be observed during the acceleration phase of the journey when the spaceship is increasing its speed from a position of rest on the Earth's surface, which is already moving quickly through interstellar space - to a speed of about 186,000 miles per hour over a period of perhaps 4 or more hours. Once the speed of light has been reached, time, as we know it, stops - in accord with Einstein's equation: E=mc'2. Thus, in reality, any point in the universe can be reached in a time ageing of about 8 hours of duration.

At this speed, all less intense energy forms (infra-red, microwave, radio waves) fall from presence as they are actually receding away from the craft. Ultra-violet rays and microwaves become the energy equivalents of microwaves, which can be reflected. Cosmic rays, because of the speed differential that has been created, lose the danger they previously posed as microscopic charged particles capable of material infiltration and biological damage. They now interact much as infra-red and visible light would have to an object at rest on the surface of the Earth. That is, they may be reflected by a shiny surface (most reports of intersteller extraterrestrial craft have been described as very shiny - even brilliant in lustre), or seen as a white light (containing all of the colour wavelengths). The required guidance system defies human description or conceptualization at this point (1996).

Humanity does not use nor know how to construct effectively any of the above cosmic ray protective-propulsion systems. The suggestion of setting up a lunar base or a Mars base is fundamentally suicidal and unscientific. Yet like lemmings following their leader, almost every human scientist have fallen into denial about well-know facts in their worship of technology and the prestige and capital which accompanied their dependency on and promotion of so-called space research.

"Successful" human-crewed missions into space (at altitudes over 15,000 miles) have been of short duration, have failed, or have been faked. Many of the "successful" crewed lunar missions were manned by crews which never left the Earth, or the spacecraft itself never left the Earth. Others remained in space for relatively short periods by reason of the dangers of cosmic rays and other factors. These facts also explain straightforwardly why the MIR spacestation has never orbited beyond the protection of the Van Allen Belts and why the American lunar missions had to be changed to near Earth shuttle missions. Continuation of the lunar program would have led to its earlier discovery as a farce.

The conspiracy involved in duping the public has resulted in a siphoning away of the equivalent of hundreds of trillions of dollars of human effort surplus to support human pride, contribute to the development of more proficient and devasting weaponry, and, to justify the proping up of huge capital-based capitalist and communist political economies with high national debts, inadequate social services and coping skills training, rising frequencies of chronic illness, and declining spiritual strength. As long as everyone received their paycheque, no one dared speak up against the idol of human authority. Increasing numbers of individuals are no longer receiving a paycheque. There never was a possibility for an Alternative 3; it would be like expecting the intelligence of a grub to invent a 586 Pentium computer! Humility has never been a strong point for humanity since its fall from grace.

The LOWER VAN ALLEN BELT, created by interactions between cosmic radiation and the magnetosphere, results in a further shield at an altitude of about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) below which lethal intensities of solar wind and cosmic radiation are negligible. Indeed, a formal classification for the extent of the Earth's atmosphere includes that space between the Earth's surface and at least an altitude of 450 miles (720 km). The orbiting altitude of the MIR station is 246 miles (395 km) making it safe from the real space hazards of the solar wind and high cosmic radiation intensities - by a factor of 3000/250 or 12, that is, 1200%. It is a Fake!

SOME RESEARCH and MILITARY SURVEILLANCE BENEFITS are provided by MIR at its orbiting altitude. It is at an optimum height from which to take high resolution photographs of the Earth's surface. It can provide an environment for weightlessness training and experimentation - although one must wonder for what ultimate purpose. It is far above the 16 mile (25.6 km) altitude of the ozone layer, above the stratosphere of 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km), and the ionosphere of 90 to 150 miles (144 to 240 km). All of the media promotion and media hype about the achievements of the MIR or any similar station and their contribution to eventual space travel is little more than fantasy used to justify the continuation of funding to what has always been a commercial offshoot of the military whether it is centred in the USA, the CIS, or China.

How can the public trust a 95% public funded enterprise which siphons billions of dollars each year from economies which are sinking deeper into debt while trying to balance ballooning populations which are progressively heading for moral, social, and material adequacy disasters?
Ignorance, deception, manipulation, greed, power?