Isn't it in "socialist" countries that nuclear energy is more readily available and especially nuclear powered satellites are being launched from?
Those "socialist" (or communist) countries don't have a public opinion, therefore they have nothing to fear from Greenpeace and the like and they can go ahead launching nukes in space!
A paradise, it seems, for those promoting nukes in space!
Isn't it from a socialist country that the first satellite was launched and the first human was sent into space? They seem to have understood the need for space as well as if not better than any other free country.
I find it a huge contradiction to assimilate "Greens" to "Socialists", knowing there are no greens in "socialist" countries where freedom is suppressed!

The bottomline, as Nathan has expressed, is where freedom of expression exists, there also is a lot of ignorance guiding the anti-technology demonstrators. Captain Cousteau was an environmentalist who knew perfectly well better technology was needed to protect the environment. He was 100% pro-space and knew all the astronauts but he also loved his planet.
So, it's up to us to correct misconceptions the anti-technology people have about science, the space program and the need to explore.
It's not through rants we can convince people, but instead, by knowing what we are talking about, whom we are talking to and ,sometimes, a little passion in the voice helps too.

Raoul