Cassini's RTGs that held the plutonium were extremely well designed. I know some of the guys involved in that design (one of them was a mentor of mine). In fact some of the software in my entry vehicle design code was originally developed for Cassini accident studies. The guys who designed Cassini went way over the top to insure safety. There comes a point of absurdity in trying to make something safe. Remember that we put our lives on the line everytime we get in a car or step into a bath tub. There was a greater risk of the Titan-4 rocket landing on top of your house and squashing you (an insignificant risk) than there was from getting poisoned by Cassini's plutonium.

What infuriates me is politicians like John Kerry and Barbara Boxer were more willing to believe a notorious prostitute like Michio Kaku than the respected and highly qualified NASA engineers who fully understood Cassini's design.

Gary