Channel 94
Plutonium is a heavy, radioactive, man-made, metallic element used in the production of nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy has been a hot topic of debate. In Writing Assignment 2, the roundtable discussion mainly focuses on Generation 4 nuclear reactors and we have to argue for one of the reactors that should receive funding for further research and development. However, I personally think that nuclear … In cases where waste is being recycled, waste recycling produces plutonium and uranium in its pure form and such chemical waste can be used in the making of nuclear weapons. …

More: continued here

Nuclear energy is not worth the risk. The problem of nuclear energy such as terrorism, plutonium production, uranium mill tailings, and waste storage problems make nuclear energy too risky for humans to even experiment with. …

More: continued here

It didn’t help matters when the film Silkwood, starring Meryl Streep, came out in 1983, showing how workers who were exposed to plutonium had to be literally scrubbed raw — those decontamination showers are burned into the brains of a …

More: continued here

Some NASA space probes that venture into the outer reaches of the solar system (where solar panels are less effective) make use of a mild type of nuclear power, in which the gradual decay of radioactive plutonium isotopes generates …

More: continued here

It didn’t help matters when the film “Silkwood”, starring Meryl Streep, came out in 1983, showing how workers who were exposed to plutonium had to be literally scrubbed raw — those decontamination showers are burned into the brains of a generation! … There is additionally the ongoing threat of terrorists targeting a nuclear reactor. The other side of the debate maintains that nuclear is safe, sustainable and abundantly available. Like the rest of the climate debate, …

More: continued here

What are the realities of nuclear power economics and time-frames for nuclear reactor deployment, relative to other means of reducing carbon emissions and generating electricity? … The half-lives of uranium and plutonium isotopes are virtually unending: * U-238 : 4.51 billion years. * U-235 : 731 million years. * Pu-239 : 24400 years. Such radioactive longevity goes far beyond the time horizons of any human institution, including governments and nation states. …

More: continued here

Fission takes place in a nuclear reactor. The fuel used is pellets of uranium. In a modern reactor, half-inch long pellets of uranium are packed into 12 or 14 foot tubes made of an alloy of the metal zirconium. About 50000 zircalloy fuel rods … Since nuclear reactions produce a considerable amount of plutonium there are considerable hazards that come along with it. Nader and Abbotts, two men who have a great amount of experience in the nuclear industry, comment that: …

More: continued here

Perminov said the new nuclear-powered ship should have a megawatt-class nuclear reactor, as opposed to small nuclear reactors that powered some Soviet military satellites. The Cold War-era Soviet spy satellites had reactors that … Nasa has used small amounts of plutonium in deep space probes, including those to Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and heading out of the solar system. The only planetary mission currently considered by Russia is a plan to send a probe to one of Mars’ …

More: continued here

Igor Lisov, a Moscow-based expert on Russian space programme, said the prospective ship would use a nuclear reactor to run an electric rocket engine. “It will be quite efficient for flight to Mars,” he said. … Nasa has used small amounts of plutonium in deep space probes, including those to Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and heading out of the solar system. HOW THE NEW CRAFT WOULD WORK. THE proposed next generation of Russian spacecraft would most likely use conventional …

More: continued here

It didn’t help matters when the film “Silkwood”, starring Meryl Streep, came out in 1983, showing how workers who were exposed to plutonium had to be literally scrubbed raw — those decontamination showers are burned into the brains of a … There is also the ongoing threat of terrorists targeting a nuclear reactor. The other side of the debate maintains that nuclear is safe, sustainable and abundantly available. Like the rest of the climate debate, opinions on this topic …

More: continued here