Tag: Science

Nuclear Science Center at Texas A&M University

Pretty Blue Light....

Texas A&M rocks! Where else can you tour a nuclear reactor? Sounds like just about the only things you don’t get to do it juggle fuel rods and swim in the reactor pool! Texas is looking like a better vacation spot every day…

When operating, the reactor gives off a blue glow known as Cherenkov Radiation.
When an intense radioactive source ejects high-energy charged particles into a transparent material such as water, plastic, or glass, a ghostly bluish glow extending some distance into the medium can be seen. This phenomenon is easily observed when a room containing a swimming pool reactor or a gamma facility is darkened. [Ours is intense enough that our facility does not need darkening to be able to view this phenomenon.]

Nuclear Science Center at Texas A&M University

nuclear, atomic, Texas, vacation, cool

Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusor


I added some photos of a Farnsworth Fusor demo that I attended a number of years ago to my gallery pages.
What is a ‘Fusor’ you ask? Wikipedia says it best:

The Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusor, or simply fusor, is an apparatus designed by Philo T. Farnsworth to create nuclear fusion. Unlike most controlled fusion systems, which slowly heat a magnetically confined plasma, the fusor injects “high temperature” ions directly into a reaction chamber, thereby avoiding a considerable amount of complexity.

It was fascinating to see this in action, even if it wasn’t producing neutrons. That was probably for the best, I doubt the glass would have stopped them very well. I was pretty close and I doubt my camera would have provided much shielding either.
Farnsworth Gallery

fusion, neutrons, atomic, farnsworth

Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength

HAL 3

Simply amazing… All these need are a tiny powersupply that has like a 50KW/1Kg power ratio and your off to the races! Army of power enhanced troops marching into combat in what would amount to a personal tank that can walk up (re-enforced no doubt) stairs and still be humanoid. Starship Troopers meets every power suited anime show.

…The most fully developed prototype, HAL 3, is a motor-driven metal “exoskeleton” that you strap onto your legs to power-assist leg movements. A backpack holds a computer with a wireless network connection, and the batteries are on a belt.
Two control systems interact to help the wearer stand, walk and climb stairs. A “bio-cybernic” system uses bioelectric sensors attached to the skin on the legs to monitor signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles.

Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength

(Thank you special agent Greg, there will be somthing extra in this weeks disbursement for this)

cybernetics, robots, exoskeleton, tetsuo,