Lifeboat Foundation

Physicists on the Borexino neutrino experiment at Italian physics laboratory INFN in Gran Sasso announced in Nature that they have detected neutrinos produced deep inside the sun.

Neutrinos, which constantly stream through us, interact very rarely with other matter. When created in nuclear reactions inside the sun, they fly through dense solar matter in seconds and can reach the Earth in eight minutes.

In Brief:

Researchers have proposed an alternative way to generate super-strong magnetic fields that would solve the hindrances keeping us from harnessing the Faraday effect to its full use. More research and experimentation are needed to test the method.

Continue reading “Physicists Propose A Way to Make Magnetic Fields That Are Stronger Than Any on Earth” »

That’s why researchers are hard at work on ways to make spacecraft power systems more efficient, resilient and long-lasting.

“NASA needs reliable long-term power systems to advance exploration of the solar system,” said Jean-Pierre Fleurial, supervisor for the thermal energy conversion research and advancement group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “This is particularly important for the outer planets, where the intensity of sunlight is only a few percent as strong as it is in Earth orbit.”

Continue reading “No extension cord is long enough to reach another planet, and there’s no spacecraft charging station along the way” »

China is developing the world’s smallest nuclear power plant which could be installed in one of the islands in the disputed South China Sea to supply power to households and is capable of running for up to decades without refuelling, a media report said on Tuesday.

Modelled on the compact lead-cooled thermal reactor used by the navy of the former Soviet Union in its nuclear submarines in the 1970s, Chinese researchers are carrying out intensive work to develop “portable nuclear battery pack” within five years, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Earlier, the official media reports said China will soon start assembling floating maritime nuclear power platforms.

Continue reading “China developing world’s smallest nuclear reactor for South China sea islands: report” »

A supersonic airliner that flies at three times the speed of sound – and runs on nuclear fusion. Stephen Dowling investigates the challenges of making airliners run on atomic power.

China plans to build more than 60 nuclear power plants over the next 10 years.

The country’s three major nuclear companies — State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC), China National Nuclear Corporation, and China General Nuclear Power Corporation will each build at least two nuclear power plants annually.

SNPTC vice president Zheng Guangming made the announcement at the World Nuclear Association Symposium in London.

One of the world’s deadliest nuclear powered attack submarines, the Yasen-class’s inclusion will add deeper strategic depth to Indian Navy’s Blue Water Naval ambitions.

India is interested in renting the multi-purpose Project 885 Yasen class submarine from Russia. This is being seen as a sign of another forthcoming India-Russia collaborative venture for the construction of six new SSN for Indian Navy.

NEW DLEHI — A high-level Indian delegation will be visiting Russia shortly to finalize an agreement on renting the Yasen class submarine for the Indian Navy.

Continue reading “Indian Delegation to Visit Russia For Leasing Yasen Class Submarine” »

Researchers from the University of Rochester have detailed conditions where the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore can create five times more nuclear fusion yield than the current records.

Nuclear fusion is one of the Holy Grails of energy research. However, developments in this particular field have been more like baby steps rather than great strides.

But now, one study is significantly accelerating our (unfortunately) small steps towards nuclear fusion. Researchers working on the OMEGA laser at the Rochester University’s Laboratory of Laser Energetics (LLE) have found optimal conditions that could produce a fusion yield that’s five times higher than the current record.

Continue reading “OMEGA Laser Could Produce Nuclear Fusion at 5 Times Current Levels” »

Russia and iran nuclear power plant partnership.

TEHRAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) — Iran and Russia have agreed to build two nuclear power plants in Iran’s southern city of Bushehr shortly, Press TV reported on Thursday.

“Operations to build two new nuclear power plants in Bushehr will start on Sept. 10,” Press TV quoted Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), as saying.

Continue reading “Report: Russia to build two nuclear power plants in Iran” »