Atomic America: How a Deadly Explosion and a Feared Admiral Changed the Course of Nuclear History - Hardcover

Tucker, Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 141654433X ISBN 13: 9781416544333

Publisher: Free Pr, 2009

Synopsis

On January 3, 1961, nuclear reactor SL-1 exploded in rural Idaho, spreading radioactive contamination over thousands of acres and killing three men: John Byrnes, Richard McKinley, and Richard Legg. The Army blamed "human error" and a sordid love triangle. Though it has been overshadowed by the accident at Three Mile Island, SL-1 is the only fatal nuclear reactor incident in American history, and it holds serious lessons for a nation poised to embrace nuclear energy once again.

Historian Todd Tucker, who first heard the rumors about the Idaho Falls explosion as a trainee in the Navy's nuclear program, suspected there was more to the accident than the rumors suggested. Poring over hundreds of pages of primary sources and interviewing the surviving players led him to a tale of shocking negligence and subterfuge. The Army and its contractors had deliberately obscured the true causes of this terrible accident, the result of poor engineering as much as uncontrolled passions. A bigger story opened up before him about the frantic race for nuclear power among the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force -- a race that started almost the moment the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS), where the meltdown occurred, had been a proving ground where engineers, generals, and admirals attempted to make real the Atomic Age dream of unlimited power. Some of their most ambitious plans bore fruit -- like that of the nation's unofficial nuclear patriarch, Admiral Rickover, whose "true submarine," the USS Nautilus, would forever change naval warfare. Others, like the Air Force's billion dollar quest for a nuclear-powered airplane, never came close. The Army's ultimate goal was to construct small, portable reactors to power the Arctic bases that functioned as sentinels against a Soviet sneak attack. At the height of its program, the Army actually constructed a nuclear powered city inside a glacier in Greenland. But with the meltdown in Idaho came the end of the Army's program and the beginning of the Navy's longstanding monopoly on military nuclear power. The dream of miniaturized, portable nuclear plants died with McKinley, Legg, and Byrnes.

The demand for clean energy has revived the American nuclear power industry. Chronic instability in the Middle East and fears of global warming have united an unlikely coalition of conservative isolationists and fretful environmentalists, all of whom are fighting for a buildup of the emission-free power source that is already quietly responsible for nearly 20 percent of the American energy supply. More than a hundred nuclear plants generate electricity in the United States today. Thirty-two new reactors are planned. All are descendants of SL-1. With so many plants in operation, and so many more on the way, it is vitally important to examine the dangers of poor design, poor management, and the idea that a nuclear power plant can be inherently safe. Tucker sets the record straight in this fast-paced narrative history, advocating caution and accountability in harnessing this feared power source.

About this title

Product Description

Atomic America A fascinating story masterfully recounted, "Atomic America" offers the eye-opening truth behind America's only fatal nuclear reactor incident, its lessons, and its profound implications for today's energy dilemmas. b&w photographs. Full description

Review

"A brilliantly told story of nuclear power development in the United States. At a moment when Americans may be turning to the atom as a solution to our energy and environmental needs, this is a much needed cautionary tale."-- Priscilla J. Mcmillan, author of "The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer: And the Birth of the Modern Arms Race"

Tucker has achieved the difficult task of entertaining as he enlightens: Atomic America is a gripping narrative as well as a clearheaded caution as we enter what perhaps will become the era of atomic precedence. Sara Hov, Army--Sara Hov "Army ""

With the United States again considering nuclear power as a means to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, Atomic America serves as a reeminder that, whether the United States is finally ready to pass the nuclear responsibility test or not, the days of careless, runaway atomic enthusiasm are firmly in this nation s past. Mike Kanin, Washington City Paper--Mike Kanin "Washington City Paper ""

Tucker is a good explainer, and his background in the field lends authority to his technical descriptions. Seth Shulman, Washington Post--Seth Shulman "Washington Post ""

Incorporating the career of Admiral Hyman Rickover, the creator of the nuclear navy, Tucker s work importantly recalls a forgotten warning from nuclear history. Gilbert Taylor, Booklist--Gilbert Taylor "Booklist ""

"Tucker has achieved the difficult task of entertaining as he enlightens: Atomic America is a gripping narrative as well as a clearheaded caution as we enter what perhaps will become the era of atomic precedence."--Sara Hov, Army--Sara Hov "Army "

"With the United States again considering nuclear power as a means to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, Atomic America serves as a reeminder that, whether the United States is finally ready to pass the nuclear responsibility test or not, the days of careless, runaway atomic enthusiasm are firmly in this nation's past."--Mike Kanin, Washington City Paper--Mike Kanin "Washington City Paper "

"Tucker is a good explainer, and his background in the field lends authority to his technical descriptions."--Seth Shulman, Washington Post--Seth Shulman "Washington Post "

"Incorporating the career of Admiral Hyman Rickover, the creator of the nuclear navy, Tucker's work importantly recalls a forgotten warning from nuclear history."--Gilbert Taylor, Booklist--Gilbert Taylor "Booklist "

Edition details

• Publisher: Free Pr
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 141654433X
• ISBN 13: 9781416544333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 277