What's New Robert L. Park Friday, February 19, 2010

WHAT NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 19 Feb 2010   Washington, DC

1. NUCLEAR: "SPLIT WOOD, NOT ATOMS."
That was a popular bumper sticker in the period following the 3-Mile Isla=
nd=20
disaster in 1979. Usually described as "the worst civilian nuclear accide=
nt=20
in US history," there were no human casualties. However, seven years late=
r=20
the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union, now Ukraine, led to massive=20
casualties from radiation exposure, reinforcing the nuclear fear factor.=20
Not a single nuclear power plant has been commissioned in the US since.=20
That's about to change. Industries are seeking approval of new modular=20
designs that will bring the benefits of standardization to the nuclear=20
power industry. The news comes just as President Barack Obama announced=20
more than $8 billion in loan guarantees to stimulate production of new=20
nuclear power plants. If there is a problem, it most likely will come fro=
m=20
a dysfunctional Congress.

2. BIOFUEL: BRAZIL IS THE WORLD=92S MOST EFFICIENT PRODUCER.
If you want to sell a car in Brazil, it had better run on ethanol. =20
Brazilians began running cars on ethanol during the oil embargo in the=20
1970s. According to an article by Antonio Regalado in this week's Science=
,=20
they make ethanol for half of what it costs to make it from corn in the=20
United States.  But they know the rest of the world is investing heavily =
in=20
the next generation biofuel: cellulosic ethanol.  Brazil's bio-ethanol=20
science and technology Center (CTBE) has just been inaugurated =96 right =
in=20
the middle of sugarcane country.

3. VOODOO: VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS.
Several times a year there are announcements that of inventors obtaining=20
free energy. Occasionally they succeed in patenting their idea. =20
Unfortunately, even a patent will not make the idea work. Patent number=20
6,938,422 seems to be such a case. What is claimed seems to be that=20
electric power can be generated using ambient energy extracted from the=20
working fluid. If that's so the second law of thermodynamics would not be=
 a=20
law would it? We'll keep working on it.

4. SPACE: A SPECTACULAR VIEW IS SAID TO BE AVAILABLE ON THE ISS.
The so-called Tranquility Node has been successfully installed on the=20
International Space Station. The 14-ton node will house Core life support=
=20
systems, exercise equipment, robotic workstations and an unmatched view o=
f=20
Earth from a new viewing deck. Observations are made through the largest=20
window ever sent into space. There are four more shuttle missions to the=20
ISS planned for the next seven months before the shuttle fleet is retired=
. =20
So far, unfortunately, there are no reports of anything new seen from the=
=20
viewing deck. Earth, of course, is both complex and dynamic; there's a lo=
t=20
to look at. Astronauts will therefore keep looking. If anything new is=20
reported we will let you know at once. Whether this will attract addition=
al=20
paying space tourists is not clear.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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