Everone knows of the outrages regarding nuclear energy. "Nuclear energy is going to destroy all living things on Earth!", "Everyone who lives near a nuclear plant is going to die of cancer!" and, my personal favorite, "Nuclear energy is going to cause the sun to collapse into a black hole and swallow the Earth!". If you believe these, especially the last one, read on.
First off, the nuclear energy that we have here really is safe. There are accidents that occur, but really, the day to day dangers of nuclear energy are overblown by the media. (If anyone on CNN or FoxNews is reading this, yes, I mean you!). Nuclear power creates electricity using sustained nuclear fission. Nuclear fission involves splitting the nucleus of an atom to make smaller nuclei. The process will often release free neutrons and photons. Nuclear fission is generally used with Uranium-235. A free photon is shot at the nucleus of the uranium atom. The collision creates Uranium-236, which splits into many smaller nuclei. The particles released from the breaking of the Uranium-236 collide with other Uranium-235, causing a chain reaction. The chain reaction releases heat, which is used to generate electricity.
There are definite dangers regarding this nuclear power, (think Chernobyl), but in comparison to other forms of electricity production, nuclear power is definitely safer than most.
The main problem with nuclear power is the waste. The process creates Plutonium-239, a highly radioactive substance which can be used to make nuclear weapons. The Plutonium-239 is generally placed in nuclear waste dumps, which are growing in size across the country. What we need is something we can use for nuclear energy which will require simpler mechanics, will be less dangerous, and won't leave nuclear waste behind.
Enter Thorium. Thorium isn't very radioactive, in fact, you could carry a lump of it in your pocket without harm. Thorium is unique because in the nuclear power generators, it will release more free neutrons that equal amounts of Uranium. This means that less fuel is used, and therefore, less waste. Thorium is easier controlled than Uranium, which greatly reduces the chances of nuclear meltdown. Thorium is also a very common element- the US alone has at least 175,000 tons of it. Other countries, such as India, have even more.
So why isn't Thorium used instead of Uranium-235? Thank the Cold War, the only true outrage of nuclear energy. While America and the Soviet Union were in a deadlock, both were trying to gain the upper hand in a struggle for world dominance. And both were creating nuclear weapons. The US was the leading country in nuclear development, and it knew both the benefits of Thorium powered nuclear energy and the risks of Uranium. So why did Uranium and not Thorium become the mainstream nuclear energy fuel? Weapons. The Plutonium waste from Uranium reactors can be used to create nuclear weapons. The US wanted these weapons, and thus Uranium became the mainstream nuclear fuel.
For the past 50 years, Thorium has been nearly forgotten, but recently scientists and engineers are starting to rediscover the benefits of Thorium fueled nuclear energy. India especially has a growing percentage of Thorium nuclear power plants. The US us hoping to follow along with its own Thorium plants, but before this can happen, the common anti-nuclear opinion of the American population must be educated and the skeptics convinced. Eventually, however, Thorium fueled nuclear energy will become the only source of nuclear power worldwide, once people realize the safety, economic and ecological benefits.
For more information, visit: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_new_nukes/
"Why should we colonize Mars?" you might ask. "Aren't we fine here on Earth?" Technically, yes, we are fine on Earth. But colonizing Mars is about more than just about "what will humanity do when the Earth's resources run out?" and "what if we wipe ourselves out by war?" or "what if our nuclear wastes ruin the planet?" (see my next blog post for my article on that one).
We need to explore and colonize Mars because exploring new worlds is at the heart of human nature. Throughout history, humans have been exploring unknown corners of the earth and settling in new lands. Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South Americas are examples. Exploreres, searching for better lands and more food, came and settled. The USA would not exist if people had not been willing to make the voyage over and settle. And the entire point of the Western Expansion was settling the new land. It is the same for Mars. We must settle Mars because exploring and settling new lands is what humans do.
On top of this, Mars is a treasure trove of scientific data. Mars has or has had every type of geologic process known on its surface. It once had oceans, and the possibility of life, even microbial life, fascinates astrobiologists. Mars once was like Earth, before it got too cold. It is the logical place to really begin our expansion into space.
How are we going to make it to Mars? Right now, it takes almost 2 years to make it to Mars. This is too long for humans to travel. But NASA propulsion engineers are currently working on faster ships to carry us to the Red Planet within a matter of months, and once this is accomplished, we will be ready to begin the next phase of the Mars Mission.
How will we survive on Mars? The first step to surviving on Mars is to build a base to keep the colonists safe from the Martian elements. The Mars base must be able to protect against the following:
Temperature
Dust
Radiation
Little Green Men (jk!)
The Martian temperature ranges from -143 to 27 C (-225 to 81 F). The Mars base must be insulated to protect against the extreme temperature range of the Martian surface.
Martian dust is similar to moon dust, and moon dust has been known to cause lung damage when it is inhaled. (Moon dust from astronauts' suits got into the Apollo capsules and caused serious damage to the astronauts lungs). Martian dust is worse because of the iron oxide; the rust in the iron will do even worse damage to lungs than moon dust. The Mars base must have the proper air filters to keep the dust from being breathed by colonists.
The Martian atmosphere is thinner than Earth's, and it's magnetic field is very weak. This means that although Mars is farther from the sun than Earth, it is bombarded by much more radiation. The Martian base will bahe to be lined all over with protective materials. Lead is a possibility, but it is very heavy and will be expensive to transport because of it's weight. Another possibility is Demron. Demron is a lightweight fabric that protects against radiation. Special plastics are currently being developed to protect against radiation while being lightweight and easy and cheap to transport.
There are many challenges that stand in the way of exploration and colonization of Mars. But NASA is working on solving these issues, and is plannning on a fully operative Mars base within the next ten years.
