Imagine a world with almost limitless fuel, clean fuel. Envision a society that can harness the same process that powers the sun. Skeptics may say that this is impossible. In fact, an alternate source of energy exists, and so does the process to create it. Nuclear fusion, a process in which the Helium 3 isotope is utilized is the rapture in which the U.S.A., and the world, could produce a great amount of energy as an alternative to petroleum. Whether nuclear fusion produces a substantial amount of energy for the U.S. may not matter. All good things come with speculation. Some critics, like Michael Moyer, suppose that nuclear fusion would create too much radiation, or harmful by-products that may cause cancer or other mutations. …show more content…
should be able to launch its first flight into space sometime this year with the help of Virgin Galactic Corporation. (Vergano) Wakefield states that in order to achieve nuclear fusion, scientists must mine the moon’s crust for Helium 3. (Wakefield) Harrison Schmitt indicates that in order to sift Helium 3 out of the soil, scientists say that the soil must be heated to approximately six hundred degrees Celsius. (Schmitt) Wakefield claims that after they have heated the soil, the isotope is turned into its gas state, and captured. It is then transported back to Earth. (Wakefield) Kulcinski states that the initial phase of realizing a new energy source has come to fruition. (Williams) Schmitt proposes that astronauts must harvest this commodity from the moon because the Earth’s atmosphere refracts Helium 3 towards the lunar surface. (Schmitt) Gregory Bennett says that when safely back on Earth, the process of transforming Helium 3 into the newest energy source can begin. (Bennett) Creating this new energy source is a monumental scientific task in itself, but the court of public opinion poses many tribulations as well. According to 1938 physicist, Hanz Bethea, Nuclear fusion is the process by which scientists use powerful magnetic lasers to fuse, or combine, two atoms to produce new energy with limited by-products or waste. (Moyer, 53) Moyer states that the objective of nuclear fusion is to produce more electrical energy than is utilized.
In March of 1989, a discovery was made that rocked the scientific world. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischman had announced that they were able to create and sustain a cold fusion process. After intense media attention, and corresponding interest in future test, the subject seemed to have faded away. Future tests proved inconclusive, and when the quick promise of easy energy didn’t materialize, most quickly forgot the subject. Little is said about the continuing research in the scientific community to further our understanding of the free energy enigma. Is it science fiction, on the border of legitamete science, or is it a practical field worthy of serious attention?
Fusion energy seems to be the most promising energy source of the not-too-distant future. It is safe, it uses an energy supply that is so abundant that it will never run out, it gives off harmless waste, and it produces energy comparable to the Earth's sun! But are there any problems with this hopeful energy source?
For years, many scientists, environmentalists, and energy experts have been studying how human’s creation and use of energy has impacted our environment. These experts have discovered some troubling facts. Most of our country’s energy is created from burning fossil fuels that pollute our atmosphere, contribute to global warming, and thus threaten the future of our planet. But there’s a safe and effective solution to this problem: nuclear power. Nuclear power should be used more in the United States to create clean power that doesn’t pollute our environment, in order to help combat climate change.
Presently, nuclear fusion and nuclear fission are being studied, and even used in some countries as a power generator. The enormous energy produced by nuclear fission and fusion could light up a big city for a hundred years or more and we do not have to worry about it polluting our environment because nuclear energy is a green energy. Moreover, in a long term, the cost to generate power using nuclear is far less than the cost of generating power using fossil fuel.
disasters have left a bitter taste in our mouths as we approach the New Year. But it wasn't
In this text I will be referring a lot to Nuclear energy and the process. Also, the process of creating other energy sources. Here is some information…
Nuclear fusion is a form of nuclear reaction which occurs when two or more atomic nuclei collide at a very high speed and as a result, join to form a new type of atomic nucleus. During this process, matter is not conserved because some of the mass of the fusing nuclei is converted into energy. Fusion is currently the process that powers active stars.
Lecture 2 talks about nuclear energy and weapons and their impact on society. Overconfidence and too much optimism inhibit clear thinking and allow an avoidance in realizing the negative consequences and unpleasant ideas in the world. Also vital to understand is the concept that science and reality are not identical. Science describes reality, whereas our ideas reality are biased albeit unique. The fusion bomb, first created in 1952, is equal to 10 to 50 megatons of dynamite. It is 500 to 2500 times more powerful than the earlier created fission bomb. The fission bomb, as well as nuclear power plants, split large atoms into smaller atoms in order to create energy. The fusion bomb creates its larger energy by doing the reverse process. The
Albert Einstein once said, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” Albert Einstein is well known for his involvement in nuclear fission with his famous equation, e=mc2. This has led to the development of nuclear energy, an amazing source of energy with some potentially lethal side effects. But is nuclear energy worth it? I’m here today to tell you that yes, nuclear energy is worth it, and to discuss how it can benefit society as a whole. We will begin with how nuclear energy came about, and how it compares to fossil fuels, the most predominant form of energy production. Then, we will move on to discuss some of the main issues that people have with nuclear energy, before, finally, we
The prospect of nuclear fusion is presented by numerous, I included, to be the ultimate answer to the human race’s energy crisis. The very idea of nearly infinite energy with no long-term waste product, especially one that causes harm, will spark a major turning point in human civilization. Nonetheless, even though we can see nuclear fusion in action throughout the universe in the cores of stars and in our miniature mechanical versions of these, we still have yet to break even on the energy front. Some people, when faced with this ongoing problem for the technology, suggest other forms of power generation that we know already work. Hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, and wind power all show promise as sources of massive power generation. Yet
Throughout history, the source of energy that powers the world has advanced alongside technology. The power on which civilization thrives has to be in accordance to the demand at which it is required. As technology evolves, objects from which energy can be extracted can expanded exponentially. In the status quo, the United States is trying to limit the greenhouse gas emissions instead of just switching power sources which is the wrong direction they should be going in. [Thesis] Instead of wasting their time and money investing in burning coal as their main source of power, countries and their governments need to assist in the transition to a more cost effective and efficient form of energy in the form of nuclear energy.
John Paul Jones states, “It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win.” The controversy regarding the utilization of nuclear energy focuses upon the assessment of whether the hazards involved are worth the potential benefits. Throughout the progression of mankind, advancements in energy and power production have consistently transformed all lifestyles. Such advancements have, in addition, provided extensive information pertaining to the sciences. Regrettably, resources scarcely exist, and destruction of the planet is inevitable. Innovations for power source fabrication, ones that prove to be renewable, are not optional projects. Such requirements are demanded on every continent. Despite
Attention Getter: Have you ever wondered how the sun generates so much energy? How it seems to be burning forever with nothing fueling it? Well, its uses fusion power and I’m here to tell you today that we can use that same power, the power of the sun, as a viable alternative to fossil fuels on Earth. 2. Establish Credibility: In my AP Physics class in high school we discussed fusion power in great detail, and I have since been interested and done
It is estimated that at today’s rate of consumption, the earth has about fifty years left of fossil fuels. In contrast, due to the very small amount of uranium needed to create a huge amount of energy, the supply of nuclear energy is almost infinite [Jiskha].
Nuclear energy is an alternative source of energy that holds great amounts of energy and is one of the future sources of energy for this world. “Nuclear energy is energy in the nucleus (core) of an atom. There is enormous energy in the bonds that hold the nucleus together. Energy is released when those bonds are broken” (Uranium). Unlike a chemical reaction with fossil fuels, nuclear reactions create an even greater amount of energy than fossil fuels. “Nuclear energy can be used to make electricity, but first it must be released it can be released from atoms in two ways: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission” (Uranium). Nuclear energy already provides 1/5 of all the energy in the U.S.,