All forms of electricity generation have their own set of advantages... But among the seemingly endless unique advantages of nuclear fission are the massive implications of the deceptively simple equation E=mc². This translates to unparalleled energy density.
All ages are welcome at the Friday Nuclear Matinee for this short video from the UK. Kids get in free! Also, adults who enjoy British accents-and cartoons-and the funny word "aluminium."
The ANS Nuclear Cafe today brings faithful viewers a short interview with Dr. Joseph M. Zawodny, senior research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center. Zawodny discusses research on "Low Energy Nuclear Reactions" at NASA Langley, and the incredible potential of this new form of nuclear power-IF theory is validated by experimental results.
Environmentalist Stewart Brand, one of the principal founders of the green movement in the United States, speaks on environmentalism and nuclear energy. Take a look and have a listen!
by Will Davis
Microsoft founder and extraordinary philanthropist Bill Gates is also a nuclear energy enthusiast.
Today the ANS Nuclear Cafe Matinee features the impressive transformation going on at the Plant Vogtle -3 and -4 construction site near Waynesboro, Georgia.
The nuclear energy industry is the only large-scale energy producer responsible for managing and storing (and paying for) all the wastes generated by the process [in contrast to, for example... dumping wastes into the atmosphere].
When you get right down to it... to many people, nuclear power can seem rather mysterious. Fortunately, this short video takes viewers inside US nuclear power plants and explains the nuts and bolts of how a nuclear plant operates-as told by the people who actually maintain and operate them.
A joint Department of Energy and NASA team has demonstrated a simple, robust fission reactor prototype [note: see Comments for more accurate and complete description] intended for development for future space exploration missions. The DUFF (Demonstration Using Flattop Fissions) experiment represents the first demonstration in the United State-since 1965-of a space nuclear reactor system to produce electricity.
With the 2012 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting wrapping up in San Diego, a musical tribute to the nuclear sciences and technologies-and now, the nuclear arts!- is in order.
What will be the future influence of women in nuclear science and technology What can be done to encourage more women and girls to enter nuclear science and energy fields-and to stay in the "technical track"? How important are role models?
Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc² explains, of course, why a nuclear power reactor can generate so much electricity in such a relatively tiny space, while using such a relatively tiny amount of fuel. Electricity from other forms of energy, say tidal or wind motion, sunlight, chemical bonds (burning things)... well, nuclear fission and fusion, thanks to E=mc², are definitely in their very own league.
The ANS Nuclear Cafe Matinee presents loyal readers-and loyal viewers-with an all-time great video: "Large Hadron Rap"!
America's first new commercial nuclear energy reactors in 30 years are currently under construction at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia, and the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in Fairfield County, South Carolina.
A free college-level internet course surveying the theory, design, and operation of commercial nuclear power reactors is starting soon! This course will be taught by Larry Foulke, PhD, PE, former president of the American Nuclear Society.
Today's ANS Nuclear Matinee shows viewers a time-lapse film of a steel superstructure being built on top of the dome of Sequoyah-2's reactor containment building. The work is being done to ready the site for a large maintenance project scheduled at the plant. When complete, the superstructure will support the removal of parts of the dome along with the reactor containment vessel and steam generator enclosures.
The Higgs boson caused quite a stir earlier this year when its discovery was announced on July 4. After all, the Higgs field, as proven by the existence of the Higgs boson, is basically the reason that matter has "mass" in our universe.
Today the ANS Nuclear Cafe Matinee takes viewers on a virtual tour of an EPR nuclear power plant, in the virtual world of Second Life. EPR (European Pressurized Reactor or Evolutionary Pressurized Reactor) is a relatively new design, third-generation nuclear reactor, with units under construction in Finland, France, and China.