ANS Nuclear Cafe

How do you provide power to spacecraft in the deep reaches of space far from the sun? For the past 50 years the United States has been using radioisotope thermal generators (RTG). Deep space missions using RTGs (including the Voyager Spacecraft that was launched in 1977) are currently still transmitting data from distances far beyond Pluto. More recently, the New Horizon's spacecraft was launched in 2006 has just flown by Pluto offering the first images of the dwarf planet close up. RTGs were used on the moon during the Apollo mission with astronauts, the Curiosity rover, the Viking Mars Landers, and more. The United states has launched about 30 spacecraft and landers that have used RTGs for electricity and heat.

An apparently inadvertent set of artificial conditions are combining to sharply restrict the use of nuclear energy in the United States, potentially damaging both our economy and the environment. They are preventing new nuclear plant construction, and even driving existing plants to close. The most recent and glaring example is the Vermont Yankee nuclear unit, which had been a well-run, economical plant that at the beginning of the year permanently ceased operation largely due to cheap natural gas. Thus we traded a large-scale power generator producing essentially zero pollution and greenhouse gases for burning a fuel that emits both air pollutants and significant CO2.

On Monday morning of November 9, during the Opening Plenary at the 2015 American Nuclear Society's Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., the first Dwight D. Eisenhower Award will be awarded to former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and distinguished physicist Dr. Sidney D. Drell. This award was established in 2014 by ANS's Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the field of nuclear nonproliferation. It is named after the late Dwight D. Eisenhower, a pioneer who helped nurture the nuclear age to technical and political maturity.

Turn on a football game this Sunday and you will see very large men in pads slamming into their opponents wearing pink shoes, socks, gloves, and other brightly colored pink garb. A somewhat ironic yet symbolic gesture by the National Football League, one that not only reminds fans that it is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but also reflects the mental and physical toughness of every single breast cancer patient or survivor and their families that have to deal with this frightening disease. As I pointed out in my last blog post on this issue, we have come a long way in terms of diagnosis and treatment, and medical procedures that utilize ionizing radiation deserve much of the praise. However, there is still much that can be done, since more than 230,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2015 alone.

The 284th edition of the Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival has posted at The Hiroshima Syndrome

The 283rd edition of the Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival has posted at Next Big Future.

Wednesday during National Nuclear Science Week is devoted to the topic of Nuclear Energy.  Do you know how we use the energy obtained by splitting the atom to produce the electricity that charges up your phone, powers your TV and router, and lights your way?  Click on the link below to see the basics.

This year, Nuclear Science Week takes place October 19-23. Always during the third week of October, it's a nationwide event that has been educating people about the importance of nuclear science and technology for the past five years. Many of the associated Nuclear Science Week events, taking place all week throughout the United States, are aimed toward young people to encourage an interest in nuclear science-related careers. This year, the first day's theme will be "Get To Know Nuclear"-a topic kids (and adults) of all ages would do well to learn.

The Friday Nuclear Matinee is a short video on the myths and facts of nuclear energy. Please weigh in with comments and questions below about today's video.

ANS Members from Around the World to Gather in D.C. for Winter Meeting

By Will Davis

As students in engineering programs, we rarely have the opportunity to learn about, or advocate for, the politics behind the technology that we discover and develop. Although these opportunities are rare, they do exist and one such opportunity is the Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation or NESD. The NESD is an independent student run organization that is supported by the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Energy Institute. For one week each summer, the selected delegates receive a fast-paced learning experience that includes meetings with government agencies, industry stakeholders, and past delegates. During this week, the delegates go through a policy boot camp learning how policy is formulated in the United States and what issues currently affect the nuclear engineering field. The delegates then apply this knowledge to write a policy statement that is used for meetings on Capitol Hill. At the end of the week, the delegation meets with several Senate and House offices to advocate for nuclear engineering education funding and current issues such as national energy policy or used fuel management. The delegation is a fantastic opportunity for any student in nuclear science and engineering or related majors. It provides a unique opportunity for the student community to better understand how our field is intertwined with the politics of the nation.

Republished with permission from ANS News, September/October 2015, p. 5.

Burns

Today, the American Nuclear Society hosted a "Blogger Roundtable" event featuring special guest Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Stephen G. Burns. This event was hosted and moderated by Craig Piercy, ANS D.C. Representative. This was the second such roundtable ANS has hosted (the previous having been with Allison MacFarlane.)

By Joseph Campbell, INL

The 281st edition of the Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival has posted at Neutron Bytes.

The 280th edition of the Nuclear Energy Blog Carnival has posted at The Next Big Future.

For today's Friday Nuclear Matinee: ANS member Meredith Angwin was interviewed on Vote for Vermont hosted by Pat McDonald. Listen as Meredith talks about nuclear fuel safety and the economic impact on closing Vermont Yankee. Meredith educates the public in her easy-to-understand manner, and expresses herself with a genuine passion and belief for nuclear technology. Grab your popcorn and enjoy the show!

It is often said that "knowledge is power," but in America it can just as easily be said that "knowledge is frustrating." In today's popular culture-oriented America, the knowledgeable can sometimes find themselves at odds with much of the general population as hysteria and hype override common sense and expert opinions. This is particularly true for the nuclear industry and its associated technology, which often seem to be the scapegoat for Hollywood, comic books, and the Internet.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant went off-line seven months ago, on December 29, 2014. The shutdown has had a massive negative economic effect on the region near the power plant. Could this have been predicted?