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Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Atomic Pioneers

Disneyland 3-14 – Our Friend, The Atom

October 15, 2014 By Rod Adams

On Sunday, January 23, 1957, a large American audience gathered around their television sets to watch the weekly episode of Disneyland, a popular show created and hosted by Walt Disney in return for an investment from ABC that he used to build Disneyland. On that evening, the audience was treated to a compressed course in […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Pro Nuclear Video

NSSA Response to BBC Article “The Ship That Totally Failed to Change the World”

August 11, 2014 By Rod Adams

Press release N/S Savannah Association, Inc. 8/8/2014 For immediate release On July 25, 2014, BBC News Magazine published a feature piece on NS SAVANNAH entitled “The Ship That Totally Failed to Change the World.” The N/S SAVANNAH Association, Inc. was contacted during the production of the article, and interviews were conducted with Stan Wheatley and […]

Filed Under: Atomic Pioneers, Nuclear Ships

NS Savannah tours May 18, 2014

April 18, 2014 By Rod Adams

NS Savannah, dressed out for 50th Anniversary celebrations

Press Release Historic Ship N.S. Savannah Open for Tours May 18, 2014 in Observance of Maritime Day N.S. Savannah Association, Inc. 4/17/2014 The unique, nuclear powered ship N.S. Savannah will be opened for tours at her pier in Baltimore, Md. on Sunday, May 18, 2014 as a part of the annual commemoration of Maritime Day. […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Atomic ships, Nuclear Ships

Atomic Show #214 – Age of Radiance Author Craig Nelson

March 25, 2014 By Rod Adams

The Age of Radiance is good read that adds personality and details to a story I know pretty well – the history of the Atomic Age from the discovery of radiation, to the discovery of fission, to the Manhattan Project to apply the newfound power to the task of creating a war-ending super weapon, and […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Podcast

Alvin Weinberg’s liquid fuel reactors

February 6, 2014 By Guest Author

Figure 6. Senators John Kennedy and Al Gore Sr flank Alvin Weinberg on a visit to ORNL

A nuclear pioneer’s work on safer, cheaper, inexhaustible nuclear power is still inspiring nuclear environmentalists. by Robert Hargraves Physicist Alvin Weinberg worked on the Manhattan Project and later co-invented the pressurized water nuclear reactor. As Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory he led development of liquid fuel reactors, including walk-away-safe liquid fluoride thorium reactors with […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Atomic politics, Climate change, Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy, Guest Columns, Liquid Fuel Reactors, Nuclear Fuel Cycle

The first Critmass, December 2, 1942

December 2, 2013 By Rod Adams

Seventy one years ago — on December 2, 1942, at 3:25 pm — Enrico Fermi and his team achieved the first controlled, man-made, self sustaining chain reaction in a simple reactor. In recognition of that historical event, several of my nuclear colleagues refer to December 2 as “Critmass” (short for critical mass). The first nuclear […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Graphite Moderated Reactors, Technical History Stories

Galen Winsor asks – Who owns the plutonium? How much is it worth?

July 26, 2013 By Rod Adams

Galen Winsor was a hands-on nuclear expert in the fullest sense of the phrase. Before irrational radiation protection rules were imposed, he and his colleagues directly handled used fuel. Since they needed to touch radioactive materials to accomplish their mission, they could not maximize distance or use shielding. Instead they limited their exposure time and […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Fossil fuel competition, Health Effects, Nuclear regulations, Pro Nuclear Video, Radiation

Ted Rockwell – thank you for a productive life and for your friendship

April 4, 2013 By Rod Adams

On Sunday, March 31, 2013, the world lost a nuclear energy pioneer. I lost a friend and mentor. Ted Rockwell passed away in his sleep during the wee hours of the morning on Easter Sunday. He was 90 years old; his death was the end result of a brief illness from which he was unable […]

Filed Under: Atomic Pioneers

Atomic Show #191 – 70th Anniversary of CP-1, the First Controlled Fission Chain Reaction

December 2, 2012 By Rod Adams

On Sunday, December 2, 2012, I gathered together a group of nuclear professionals to talk about the impact to human history of the construction and operation of Critical Pile 1 (CP-1). That simple assembly of graphite, uranium, and uranium dioxide was built in about 6 weeks. When measurements taken during construction indicated that the system […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Podcast, Technical History Stories

December 2, 1942 – Two pioneers present at dawn of fission era

December 2, 2012 By Rod Adams

In the summer of 2012, Argonne National Laboratory recorded the first hand memories of two members of the group of 49 engineers, scientists and students who were present when mankind first proved that it could control a fission chain reaction. Just imagine – you can watch a very recently recorded account from people who were […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Technical History Stories

Celebrating the first self sustaining chain reaction at CP-1

December 2, 2011 By Rod Adams

The CP-1 Team

On December 2, 1942, a small team of scientists and technicians methodically pulled neutron absorbing rods out of a carefully stacked pile of graphite bricks and natural uranium/uranium oxide spheres. The pile has been assembled in just a few weeks with a total project budget in the range of a few hundred thousand dollars. The […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Technical History Stories

The Atomic Show #163 – Four Women in Nuclear Energy

February 16, 2011 By Rod Adams

On February 15, 2011, I gathered together a terrific group of four women who are each making a significant contribution to the expansion of nuclear energy and nuclear knowledge in the United States. I hope you enjoy the conversation and the stories. Meredith Angwin blogs at Yes Vermont Yankee and is the Director of the […]

Filed Under: Atomic history, Atomic Pioneers, Atomic politics, Podcast

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