Mastodawn

I'm using this as my wallpaper now, and it's cool enough I want to share it: it's a picture of the Advanced Test Reactor (the blue glow is from Cherenkov radiation in the reactor pool). I lightly edited it to give a more sci-fi-concept-art ambiance.

#art #photography #reactors #nuclear #nuclearreactor #CherenkovRadiation #CherenkovEffect

DoomsdaysCW May 23

#SouthernCalifornia #wildfires force evacuations, and one is threatening a #nuclear facility

Evacuations remain in place for fires burning in #Ventura and #Riverside counties. The Sandy Fire in #SimiValley is burning near the #SantaSusanaFieldLaboratory, a former #NuclearReactor site, raising #AirQuality concerns.

By Emilee Speck, AccuWeather staff writer

Published May 21, 2026 1:08 PM EDT | Updated May 22, 2026 12:04 PM EDT

Excerpt: "Due to the Sandy Fire’s proximity to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a former nuclear reactor and rocket testing facility, officials are conducting air quality monitoring around the fire perimeter.

" 'Monitoring equipment has been proactively deployed to establish background air quality readings and to help assess conditions should the fire advance further into the area,' according to CAL Fire. 'At this time, the fire has not crossed into the Field Laboratory property.'

"Nuclear cleanup continues more than 50 years after a nuclear reactor mishap at the #Rocketdyne site. Fire crews are prioritizing the protection of the facility and the surrounding communities. "

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/southern-california-wildfires-force-evacuations-and-one-is-threatening-a-nuclear-facility/1893632

#SSFL #NoNukes #NuclearPlants #California #NuclearAccidents

Anson May 20

NASA plans to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon.

What could possibly go wrong?

#NASA #NuclearReactor #Moon #Space #SpaceExploration

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Apr 4

Researchers build #WiFi chip that can operate inside a #nuclearreactor — receiver uses special materials and design to withstand high doses of #radiation for at least 6 month
Chip was primarily designed to allow #robots to work in contaminated areas for decommissioning #nuclear reactors. Regular silicon #semiconductors used for wireless communication are susceptible to interference from nuclear radiation, meaning robots are limited by physical cable needed to control them https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/researchers-build-wi-fi-chip-that-can-operate-inside-a-nuclear-reactor-receiver-uses-special-materials-and-design-to-withstand-high-doses-of-radiation-for-at-least-six-months

Researchers build Wi-Fi chip that can operate inside a nuclear reactor — receiver uses special materials and design to withstand high doses of radiation for at least six months

A Wi-Fi chip that can withstand heavy doses of radiation would give cleanup robots more freedom to move around without worrying about getting tangled in their communications line.

Tom's Hardware

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Mar 7

#NuclearReactor Backed by #BillGates Gets Federal Approval
#TerraPower’s project in #Wyoming, which uses novel technology, is the first new commercial reactor to receive federal approval in decade.
TerraPower design, which it calls #Natrium developed with GE Hitachi, has several novel features. Probably most notable of these is the use of liquid #sodium for cooling and heat transfer.
Plant won’t be done until 2030 at the earliest, and it still needs an operating license.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/terrapower-gets-ok-to-start-construction-of-its-first-nuclear-plant/

TerraPower gets OK to start construction of its first nuclear plant

Plant won't be done until 2030 at the earliest, and it still needs an operating license.

Ars Technica

Mike McCaffrey Feb 23

We have finally achieved the 1950s #PopularScience dream of a flying #NuclearReactor! (If we ignore the fact that the reactor wasn't actually running or doing anything at all while in the air.)

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-5721761/us-military-airlifts-small-reactor

AI6YR Ben Feb 16

Hmm, apparently they flew a (small?!) nuclear reactor from March AFB to Utah yesterday. I wonder where those nuclear reactors are being built in Riverside County?

https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4406864/department-of-war-partners-with-department-of-energy-in-historic-nuclear-energy/

#nukes #nuclearreactor

Barbara Monaco Jan 31

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🔥
Trump admin has secretly changed the rules for nuclear reactor safety.
NPR reports that Dept of Energy is rushing to build three experimental nuclear reactors by July 4th. A series of documents containing safety regulations for reactors has been pared down to one third its original size. None of the documents are available to the public.
He is going to kill us all.
#NuclearSafety
#nuclearreactor
#deptofenergy

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5677187/nuclear-safety-rules-rewritten-trump

Liam O'Mara IV, PhD Jan 24

The #Soviet military #reconaissance satellite #Kosmos954 failed to eject its #NuclearReactor and burnt up in the atmosphere #ThisDayInHistory in 1978. It scattered #radioactive debris across northern #Canada, for which USSR later paid out just CA$ 3 million for years of clean-up.