Atomic adventures - Kirjakasa

No cover — James A. Mahaffey: Atomic adventures (2017)

363 pages

English language

Published Dec. 29, 2017

ISBN:: 978-1-68177-421-3
OCLC Number:: 959875770

(1 review)

With enthusiasm and witty intelligence, Mahaffey unearths lost reactors on far-flung islands and finds trees that were exposed to active fission--which then changed gender or bloomed in the dead of winter. He explains why we have nuclear submarines but not nuclear aircraft and why cold fusion does not--and cannot--exist. And who knew that radiation-counting was once a fashionable trend? Though parts of our nuclear history might seem like fiction--such as when cowboys got their hands on a reactor--Mahaffey's vivid prose holds the reader in thrall of the infectious energy of scientific curiosity and ingenuity that may hold the key to solving our energy crisis--or even send us to Mars. --

1 edition

Thom reviewed Atomic adventures by James A. Mahaffey

Review of 'Atomic adventures' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A book about many things related to fission and fusion, including the author's own part in replicating (and disproving) the spectacle of cold fusion in 1989. Told by one who knows his subject and includes great footnotes and references, this collection of incidents is recommended.

Some of the many incidents documented here include atomic action outside the United States around WWII, a would-be fusion reactor in Argentina, attempted murder using isotopes, and A.Q. Khan's nuclear nonsense in and around Pakistan. Among my favorite bits were research into a nuclear powered rocket (primarily for exploration of Mars), atomic weapons (including Soviet hand weapons!) and the breakdown of what really happened at Roswell NM (project Mogul).

But the strongest part of the book is how Mahaffey and the Georgia Institute of Technology were skeptical, then fooled, and then finally debunked cold fusion. The descriptions of what was happening are complete and accessible, …

A book about many things related to fission and fusion, including the author's own part in replicating (and disproving) the spectacle of cold fusion in 1989. Told by one who knows his subject and includes great footnotes and references, this collection of incidents is recommended.

Some of the many incidents documented here include atomic action outside the United States around WWII, a would-be fusion reactor in Argentina, attempted murder using isotopes, and A.Q. Khan's nuclear nonsense in and around Pakistan. Among my favorite bits were research into a nuclear powered rocket (primarily for exploration of Mars), atomic weapons (including Soviet hand weapons!) and the breakdown of what really happened at Roswell NM (project Mogul).

But the strongest part of the book is how Mahaffey and the Georgia Institute of Technology were skeptical, then fooled, and then finally debunked cold fusion. The descriptions of what was happening are complete and accessible, and in addition were great reading. Though it looks like his other books cover many of the same topics, I still look forward to reading at least one of them soon.

Subjects

Nuclear energy
Nuclear facilities
Government policy
Nuclear engineering
History