The problem with nuclear power in space

3 min readJul 20, 2021

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Gila River | US-China relations | Virtual program

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July 19, 2021

COVID-19
US, China relations sink over lab leak theory
The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where countries gathered in 2018 to promote biosafety, now sits at the forefront of the US-China conflict on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

Artist Henry Cheever Pratt painted this view in 1855, looking west-northwest from the Maricopa Mountains over Gila River Valley. Gila Bend Mountains on the left. Public Domain image, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Megadrought threatens endangered river
Population growth and climate change have diminished the splendor and threaten the future of the Gila River that runs through New Mexico and Arizona. Read more.

The Kilopower project, a partnership between NASA and the National Nuclear Security Administration, developed this concept for a system with four 10-kilowatt nuclear reactors that could supply power for a long-duration, crewed mission on Mars. Credit: NASA

NUCLEAR RISK
Nuclear power in space is problematic
Using nuclear power to fuel space exploration activities is gaining momentum, but governing policies regarding radioactive safeguards in space aren’t keeping pace. Read more.

Wear your support
Refresh your wardrobe with cool gear and awesome T-shirts including Time is Running Out by Nathan Doyle, winner of our design competition hosted by Threadless. Shop now.

NUCLEAR RISK
Virtual program: History of nuclear secrecy
The Atomic Age was born in secrecy, an unusual environment for science where information is meant to be shared. Hear nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein and nuclear policy sociologist Lynn Eden discuss Wellerstein’s recent book Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States and the implications for the future of science. Join us July 21.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The United States has never said nuclear weapons are only for deterring nuclear weapons,”

— Jon Wolfsthal, nuclear policy expert and Bulletin Science & Security Board member, “DoD set to kick off major nuclear scrub,” Politico

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The problem with nuclear power in space

Written by BulletinOfTheAtomic