"Profit And 'Peril' In The Secret Nuclear Trade"

Just listened to an episode of Fresh Air from two weeks ago. They talk about North Korea helping Syria develop a nuclear program and A.Q. Khan. I thought it was interesting that A.Q. Khan refused to help al-Qaida with this technology.

listen to the podcast
read the transcript

- Gina

Large Hadron Collider

It's smashing, but we'll see for how long!

Links for Homework 5: Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power

Hi folks,

The links I supplied for homework 5 will give you some idea of pros and cons of nuclear power, but they are far from exhaustive!  Here are the four originally suggested links:
Wall Street Journal overview of the pros and cons
Greenpeace website and fact sheet on nuclear power  (against nuclear power)
Wired Magazine interview with Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore (pro nuclear power)
Union of Concerned Scientists critique of a "nuclear renaissance" (against nuclear power)


You can find lots of sources for information (and opinions, and misinformation) on the web.  With anything you find, pay some attention to the agendas of the authors!  Here are a few other interesting recent articles I found that touch on some of the pro-con issues. 
Christian Science Monitor article on the status of the nuclear waste question in the U.S.
CNN editorial arguing that nuclear power plants need to be made more secure
New York Times article that addresses the importing and exporting of nuclear technology as nuclear power plants become more widespread
Washington Post (Reuters) article on an increase in public support for nuclear power
An Anti-Nuclear opinion piece on a blog

Updates on the big nuclear news items:

 
 (Image of a Russian ICBM driven through Red Square last year.  Taken from the news article here, image credit: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images)


1) START negotiations finalized! Now, how will this play into the current divisive politics in the U.S.?
Last week, the U.S. and Russia finalized their agreements on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).  The treaty includes new "verification" provisions and also allows the U.S. to continue developing anti-ballistic missile technology.  Obama intends to sign the treaty April 8, and then it gets reviewed by the Senate, requiring a 2/3 majority vote to approve its ratification.  This will require bipartisan support.  Will this issue bring up a lot of debate or will everyone in the Senate basically support it?  Here's an op-ed piece from the Boston Globe advocating for approval of the treaty, which brings up some of the key issues involved. 


2)  Yikes!  More enrichment plants in Iran!  And, battle plans being seriously discussed?
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency) apparently believes that Iran may have started building two more enrichment facilities underneath mountains.  Anonymous sources reported this to the New York Times.   Suddenly it is a very interesting time to look at news on Iran from around the world.  Some highlights:
* A Reuters article published in the Washington Post reports on a U.S. think tank that advocates Isreal using "tactical nuclear weapons" against Iran.  This means some experts out there are seriously advocating the use of nukes to prevent nukes. 
* An article from Press TV (an Iranian news source) characterizes Iran as a "pioneer in fight against U.S. unilateralism".  It quotes Iranian officials maintaining that the Iranian nuclear program as being solely for peaceful purposes.
* Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported on former U.S. ambassador to the UN John Bolton claiming that "Obama is resigned to a nuclear Iran". 


 3) A report from the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Labs claims we need new replacement nuclear weapons technology.  Is this aimed to influence the policies in the still-pending Nuclear Posture Review?
As long as the U.S. has nuclear weapons, our government needs to ensure they will work, but hopefully without dangerous and environmentally damaging nuclear weapons testing.  Some nuclear weapons engineers are advocating greater funding for the development of new nuclear weapons technology to make sure our arsenal is robust.  This debate gets right into the politics - does the Obama Administration have the stamina and "political capital" to go up against the nuclear weapons labs or will they basically grant the labs whatever they want? A New York Times article describes the recent report and some of the reactions.  Very interesting!

US and Russia announce deal to cut nuclear weapons

update on the Start treaty

- nimisha

Race on to sniff out dirty bombs

"None has yet been detonated but nuclear security experts fear it is only a matter of time before one is.

"

Cheryl Jones, The Australian, March 10 , 2010
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/race-on-to-sniff-out-dirty-bombs/story-e6frgcjx-1225838861956

- Nimisha

German atomic waste dump under the threat of collapse

German government is grappling with the decision to commit to nuclear energy due to the recent leak in a radioactive dumpsite the " previous Social DemocratGreen government pushed through legislation for a phased
withdrawal from nuclear energy, it is back on the agenda as a way of reducing dependence
on Russian gas and cutting carbon dioxide emissions."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/german-atomic-waste-dumpbrunder-threat-of-collapse/story-e6frg6so-1225822671487
Roger Boyes, The Times, January 23, 2010


- Nimisha

Areva develops new nuclear reactors that 'destroy' atomic waste

Robin Pagamenta , The Times, March 22 2010

French scientists have developed a new nuclear reactor to minimize atomic waste .




- Nimisha

Bill Gates funds Japanese R&D for mini nuclear reactors

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/03/24/bill-gates-wants-nuclear-reactor/

Don't know about you guys, but I really like Bill Gates.

-Matthew

Iran...

Yet another article about Uranium Enrichment in Iran.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/science/09enrich.html

-Cat

Quilted Bombs

This is a fibers artist who does tons of quilts, this is one of the bomb...
If I remember correctly she stitches these by hand.

http://www.annavonmertens.com/portfolio.php?genus=9&specimen=36#


-Cat

Possible Alternative for Nuclear Waste?

"Belgian nuclear scientists have been given the go-ahead to work towards an advanced new research reactor system with a role in researching the transmutation of wastes."


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR_Approval_for_Myhhra_0503101.html

-Pablo

Smashing!

Little blurb on the Geneva atom smasher

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9EKDT302.htm

-Harrison

Scary

"The government filed its request in an effort to investigate Mr. Khan regarding recent news reports in which he was said to have confessed to supplying Iran with information related to the nuclear program."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/world/asia/23pstan.html

-Cat

By request: Rad Town

I've shown this a couple of times in class but here's the link:  Environmental Protection Agency's RadTown graphic information interface.

That START Treaty thing again

I keep bringing this up in class, but it isn't making much of the U.S. news lately.  Here is a great cartoon from the Moscow Times (an English-language newspaper covering Russia) from today:



Here's the link to the associated article.

Tsar Bomba

How could I forget the Tsar Bomba?
-Oliver

Force Majeure

OPERATION CHAGAI-I
OPERATION TRINITY
OPERATION TUMBLER-SNAPPER
OPERATION WIGWAM
OPERATION PLUMBBOB: I II
OPERATION DOMONIC
***
SELECTED LISTENING: I II

-Oliver

More nuclear power plants for Illinois?

 (Image from Chicago Public Radio article, photo by Ryan Wakeley via Flickr)


Two pieces of interesting news about nuclear power plants in our region.  First, the Illinois Senate has overturned a ban on building new power plants in our state.  This could be the first step towards furthering Obama's goals for more nuclear power in our region (currently the main nuclear expansion efforts are in the Southeast).  The bill still has to go through the Illinois House.  Here's the news blurb.

The second interesting piece of news concerns a reactor in Ohio (my home state).  Workers at the Davis-Besse power plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio have found more corrosion cracks in the reactor vessel.  They had some serious problems with this back in 2002.  So far, no leaks of radioactive material have occurred, but this highlights the fact that our current nuclear power infrastructure is not always as robust as we would like it to be.  Here's the article.

Three articles:

1. "What is Causing Deformities in Fallujah's Children?"
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/03/what-is-causing-deformities-in.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

2. "Hybrid Fusion: The Third Nuclear Option"
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527505.900-hybrid-fusion-the-third-nuclear-option.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

3. "The US Lagging in Nuclear Reactor Technology"
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527503.800-the-us-is-lagging-on-nuclear-reactor-technology.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Madeline Snively

Three news stories to follow

This is an interesting spring to be learning about nuclear technology!  There are three major nuclear news stories right now that I think we should all be following in detail.  They all deal with nuclear weapons, which we will be covering in a lot more depth later in the semester. However, if needed I'll rearrange some of the in-class material to facilitate ongoing discussion of these topics. Browse the articles below (or any others you may find), keep your eyes and ears open for the latest updates, and collect any questions about these subjects so we can discuss them in class!

Topic 1:  the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review:
Every four years or so, the U.S. government reviews its nuclear weapons policy.  Even though we are well past the cold war era, there is a lot of subtlety and complexity to our policy for nuclear weapons development, strategy, and potential use.  The 'posture review' discussion takes place between the administration and the Department of Defense, and the final document describing U.S. nuclear weapons policy is generally classified.  However, a public version is usually released.  We're anxiously awaiting the Obama administration's version, but it keeps getting delayed.  Madeline posted one article a couple of days ago, and here are a couple of opinion/commentary pieces:
New York Times editorial on the Nuclear Posture Review
Foreign Policy's 'The Cable' blog posting on delays in the Nuclear Posture Review 


Topic 2:  Negotiations over the START Treaty with Russia:
For decades, the U.S. and Russia (or the Soviet Union previously) have written and signed treaties for mutual arms reduction (with some mixed success).  The STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was one of the more successful arms reduction efforts.  However, it recently expired in December of 2009.  Throughout the last year, the Obama administration and the Russian government have been attempting to negotiate a replacement treaty.  While the public hasn't heard a lot about this, these debates have led to some pretty scary rhetoric and escalating tensions between the two nations at times.  Supposedly, an agreement is right around the corner (although, that's been the case for months).  Here are a few updates:
CNN article giving an update on the START negotiations
Reuters update


Topic 3:  Iran's Nuclear Ambitions and the International Response
Last fall, secret nuclear facilities in Iran were revealed, sparking the beginning of a big international mess.  Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely intended to provide nuclear power (electricity).  However, their infrastructure does not seem consistent with this, and most international observers believe there is ample evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.  Iran's internal political situation is fairly unstable, and the rhetoric coming out of the government is confusing and often confrontational.  The Obama administration has been trying to get international support for sanctions against Iran, to force them to give up their nuclear technology program.  A few recent updates:
Bloomberg News Agency Article on Iran sanctions
New York Times article highlighting another confusing move by Iran

Once again, you may find better articles in the coming days about each of these topics (please post if you do!)

WWII Letter on Atomic Energy (By my Grandpa)

This is a transcribed letter my aunt sent me, from my grandpa, Jerry, to my grandma Doris.

* * *
July 6, 1945

My Dearest Sweetheart,

Did you hear the big news today about those atomic bombs and the production of atomic power? Wow, but the future is catching up with us fast. I have known for some time that the production of atomic power was possible. In fact, it has been accomplished on a small scale. The trouble was that it was terribly expensive and the material from which it was produced was very rare. It was produced first from the element uranium-235, the number 235 is to distinguish it from several other isotopes of uranium which have different atomic weights. But in the whole world there wasn’t much more uranium-235 than there was radium, so it was impossible to produce much atomic power. For myself I’m wondering just how they have accomplished this recent miracle. I wonder if they have found methods for transmuting other elements into uranium-235 or have they approached the problem from another direction such as using Munroe hollow charges of explosive to create pressure and temperatures high enough to crush the atoms. You see, if explosives are shaped like this [drawing] the power of the explosive is focused into a small jet, which has terrific speed and power. It can punch holes in armor plate like it was wax. That’s the secret of the bazooka shell, which is able to smack out all but the heaviest tanks. If a large number of these hollow charges were focused on a single small point they might be able to crush the atom.
I think they have used uranium, though, because that was by far the most promising method, and now that we have atomic power there are ever so many things we can do that weren’t possible before, such as flight through space. We may be reading before long about trips to Mars or Venus or the moon. You may remember I wrote about that just a few days ago. Most important of all though, I hope it will give the Japs some incentive to give up.
P.S. Sorry this is another academic letter, but I have to talk to someone.

With all my love,
Jerry

* * *
-Grace Claiborn

White House is Rethinking Nuclear Policy

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/us/politics/01nuke.html?ref=politics

-Madeline