Atomic Awakening: A New Look at the History and Future of Nuclear Power

by James Mahaffey

Overview

The American public's introduction to nuclear technology was manifested in destruction and death. With Hiroshima and the Cold War still ringing in our ears, our perception of all things nuclear is seen through the lens of weapons development. Nuclear power is full of mind-bending theories, deep secrets, and the misdirection of public consciousness, some deliberate, some accidental. The result of this fixation on bombs and fallout is that the development of a non-polluting, renewable energy source stands frozen in time.

Outlining nuclear energy's discovery and applications throughout history, Mahaffey's brilliant and accessible book is essential to understanding the astounding phenomenon of nuclear power in an age where renewable energy and climate change have become the defining concerns of the twenty-first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605981277
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	10/15/2010
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,086,426
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

James Mahaffey was a senior research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute where he worked under contract for the Defense Nuclear Agency, the National Ground Intelligence Center, the Air Force Air Logistics Center, and Georgia Power Company. He is the author of Atomic Awakening and Atomic Accidents and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Table of Contents

author’s note: An Inside Joke vii

introduction: The Paradox Inside a Puzzle Inside a Fantasy xiii

part 1: the fantasy 1

chapter 1 : Invisible Demons 9

chapter 2 : A Couple of Remaining Questions 26

chapter 3 : Einstein Drops a Bomb 47

chapter 4 : The Other End of the Universe 63

chapter 5 : Breaking Open the Atom 78

part 2: the puzzle 93

chapter 1 : A Fortuitous Condensation of Genius 99

chapter 2 : An Implied Threat from the Fatherland 112

chapter 3 : A Jolt in the Dark 134

chapter 4 : A Light at the Mouth of the Tunnel 157

chapter 5 : Post-War Planning 176

part 3: the paradox 193

chapter 1: A Quest for Power 201

chapter 2: Digging Canals, Curing Cancer,

and Flying to Jupiter 222

chapter 3: The Graphite’s On Fire! 249

chapter 4: Nuclear Rockets and Nuclear Airplanes 277

chapter 5: The Building Boom, the Bust,

and a Resurgence 300

epilogue: The Radioactive Park 327

bibliography 334

acknowledgments 336

index 337

Editorial Reviews

"Mahaffey writes with delightful witty prose. A surprisingly entertaining history of nuclear power."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"For many people, the idea of nuclear power died with the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown, but for the curious and open-minded, this book offers a timely look at nuclear technology that, the author argues, could provide plenty of cheap, renewable energy, if only we can get past our oversized dread of it. Mahaffey offers hope leavened with pragmatism that, while nuclear technology may be experimental forever, it can still be useful and safe."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

For many people, the idea of nuclear power died with the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown, but for the curious and open-minded, this book offers a timely look at nuclear technology that, the author argues, could provide plenty of cheap, renewable energy, if only we can get past our oversized dread of it. Mahaffey's history lesson begins along a familiar path, from 17th-century chemist Robert Boyle to the great 20th-century physicists. Nazism and WWII sent hundreds of scientists—and their cutting-edge work—to the U.S. But the war also sent that research underground in the ultra-secret Manhattan Project. Researchers also dreamed of “peaceful atoms” to generate electricity and run submarines, planes and rockets. The specters of Hiroshima and a few horrifying nuclear accidents displaced that peaceful vision. With a wealth of anecdotes, Mahaffey, a senior research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, offers hope leavened with pragmatism that, while nuclear technology may “be experimental forever,” it can still be useful and safe. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A surprisingly entertaining history of nuclear power. Georgia Tech Research Institute senior scientist Mahaffey begins with the discovery of radiation in the 1890s but concentrates on the period after World War II, when the great powers took time out from building bombs to explore peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The narrative's hero is U.S. Navy Admiral Hyman Rickover, the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," whose reactor design for the nuclear submarine emphasized safety and sturdiness over cost. Aside from nations that wanted to build cheaply, such as the Soviet Union, Rickover's design became the standard. Ending around 1963, the "Age of Wild Experimentation" included failed attempts to dig canals, drive spaceships (a good idea, according to the author) and propel jet bombers (a horrifying radiation-drenched Air Force project narrated by Mahaffey with laugh-out-loud irony). The author emphasizes that, in the absence of a breakthrough in solar, wind or fusion technology, nuclear power remains the sole practical source of clean energy. While France generates 87.5 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, the United States reached 20 percent in the late '70s and stalled-money, not fear of radiation, was largely responsible. Despite enthusiastic claims after WWII, generating electricity from the atom is no bargain, and once the U.S. government stopped subsidizing nuclear plants, utilities companies remembered that American coal is the world's cheapest source of power. Global warming and rising hydrocarbon costs took their toll, and in 2007, after a 30-year absence, U.S. regulators received the first of a stream of applications to build a nuclear plant. Mahaffey writes delightfully wittyprose, delivers clear explanations of technical problems and takes no prisoners in his description of clueless politicians, technology-challenged military leaders, madcap engineers and self-righteous antinuclear activists. Agent: Jodie Rhodes/Jodie Rhodes Literary Agency

Kirkus Reviews