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NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is scheduled for launch early on Thursday morning, August 30. How and why? An ANS Nuclear Cafe double feature matinee:
On Friday, March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes in the recorded history of the world occurred on the east coast of northern Japan. The earthquake generated a major tsunami, causing nearly 20,000 deaths.
The August 2012 issue of Nuclear News is available electronically and in hard copy for American Nuclear Society members.
February 25-28, 2013 • Albuquerque Marriott, N.M.
Gale Hauck, engineering project manager at Westinghouse Electric Company, is the new chair of the American Nuclear Society's Young Members Group (YMG). YMG Secretary Elia Merzari caught up with her and asked her to introduce herself, as well as her plans for the YMG.
Mettallic Butterfly ~ photo by: Margaret Harding
The Carnival is the collective voice of blogs by legendary names that emerge each week to tell the story of nuclear energy.
Idaho National Laboratory's Computer Assisted Virtual Environment (CAVE) at the Center for Advanced Energy Studies allows scientists and engineers to literally walk into their data and examine it.
The question is how big is the bird and will any of the proposed deals fly?
Findings could be significant for other reactors
This past week, I had the privilege of participating in the Nuclear Technology Workshop for Teachers in Charlotte, N.C. The all-day event was part of the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC)/North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) Public Information Day, and it had a great turnout-about 50 area science teachers were in attendance.
On Tuesday, August 7, I attended a book tour event sponsored by a New England anti-nuclear group. The event's title that first appeared on the group's website was "Fukushima: Nuclear Power's Gift to the Planet." By the end of the four-state book tour, the title had been changed to match the book, "The Devil's Tango: How I Learned the Fukushima Step by Step" (publisher's website), by Cecile Pineda. As stated during the presentation, the book tour was planned around August 6, the 67th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in World War II. Pineda's presentation contained all the standard anti-nuke issues, and a few new wrinkles as well.
The 117th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up at Next Big Future
Even before its successful landing earlier this week, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory was already sending back important scientific data-about the radiation exposure that astronauts might face during a mission to the Red Planet.
The American Nuclear Society's Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo wrapped up yesterday in Hollywood, Fla. The annual executive conference is attended by hundreds of professional nuclear operators, vendors, and regulators in a format that promotes the open sharing of ideas.
The July/August issue of Radwaste Solutions is available in hard copy and electronically for subscribers (click "subscribers" link in left column). This issue features articles on low-level radioactive waste management, in addition to coverage of the technology and policy of high-level radioactive waste management.
I've been fascinated by nuclear batteries-also known as radioisotope thermal generators or RTGs-since I first saw a pacemaker battery in an exhibit at the Maryland Science Museum. As my wife and children will testify, I a
m one of those slow moving people at museums who insists on reading nearly every placard under every exhibit. I'll never forget my feeling of wonder as I found out that 1/200th of an ounce of plutonium-238 could provide sufficient heat to that tiny battery to make it produce a continuous electrical current sufficient to run a heart pacemaker.
An image sent by NASA's Curiosity rover shortly after landing
The nuclear-powered roving robotic laboratory Curiosity touched down early on August 6, and is beaming back images while undergoing system checks. The Curiosity landing has generated worldwide interest, including interest in its plutonium power source.
Worldwide energy needs will double by 2040.
The 116th Carnival is up at Idaho Samizdat.