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Spaceship, issue 10, October 1950
Page 12
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ATOMICS IN PEACE ATOMICS! That's a meaningful phrase, even to the layman. When atomic energy was first brought into the limelight in 1945, it was followed by fabulous claims that in a few years cars, trains and even planes would be powered by the wondeful, unlimited power of the atom. Well, here it is 1945 and we still use that "obsolete" gasoline. This does not mean that there will never be an atomic-powered car or rocketship, but that it will take much longer than first reckoned. The two main reasons for the lack of progress in this application of atomic energy are: 1. The war threat. 2. An effective way has not been found to eliminate the deadly rays that evolve during fission, therefore making its use in cars and planes impossible. And also-- 3. Cost of manufacture. The first problem, the war threat, is too vague and complex for me to discuss. However, the second problem is more interesting. The second problem is within the scope of the physicist. Most of you know that fission rays can be absorbed by lead or concrete . But, note that load and concrete are bulky and very heavy--imagine a concrete hood ton an automobile! The safe amount of shielding would weight quite a few tons. There are two possible (but highly improbable and fantastic) ways to solve this problem: 1. Find a lighter material which is more resistant to radiation than any now being used. 2. Discover a new type of fission that does not emit the destructive rays. This last is easier said than done! The steam reactor is the only kind of which anything is known. In this type of reactor, the heat evolved by the fission is used to turn water into superheated steam. Then the steam is used as it would be in any steam engine, except that it would be more efficient. There is, it's rumored, another type of reactor--top secret! I suppose it would be called the "Direct [[?]]" since it would not undergo a change before turning into useful power. The navy is building two atomic-powered subs (maybe more?) and an atom-powered surface ship. Though these will run on the steam-engine principle, they are a step in the right direction. How soon will you be riding an atom-powered car? Your guess is as good as mine... ---BARRY STREJCEK PAGE 12
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ATOMICS IN PEACE ATOMICS! That's a meaningful phrase, even to the layman. When atomic energy was first brought into the limelight in 1945, it was followed by fabulous claims that in a few years cars, trains and even planes would be powered by the wondeful, unlimited power of the atom. Well, here it is 1945 and we still use that "obsolete" gasoline. This does not mean that there will never be an atomic-powered car or rocketship, but that it will take much longer than first reckoned. The two main reasons for the lack of progress in this application of atomic energy are: 1. The war threat. 2. An effective way has not been found to eliminate the deadly rays that evolve during fission, therefore making its use in cars and planes impossible. And also-- 3. Cost of manufacture. The first problem, the war threat, is too vague and complex for me to discuss. However, the second problem is more interesting. The second problem is within the scope of the physicist. Most of you know that fission rays can be absorbed by lead or concrete . But, note that load and concrete are bulky and very heavy--imagine a concrete hood ton an automobile! The safe amount of shielding would weight quite a few tons. There are two possible (but highly improbable and fantastic) ways to solve this problem: 1. Find a lighter material which is more resistant to radiation than any now being used. 2. Discover a new type of fission that does not emit the destructive rays. This last is easier said than done! The steam reactor is the only kind of which anything is known. In this type of reactor, the heat evolved by the fission is used to turn water into superheated steam. Then the steam is used as it would be in any steam engine, except that it would be more efficient. There is, it's rumored, another type of reactor--top secret! I suppose it would be called the "Direct [[?]]" since it would not undergo a change before turning into useful power. The navy is building two atomic-powered subs (maybe more?) and an atom-powered surface ship. Though these will run on the steam-engine principle, they are a step in the right direction. How soon will you be riding an atom-powered car? Your guess is as good as mine... ---BARRY STREJCEK PAGE 12
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