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nuclear fission
Trends
- 1Gabon's natural nuclear reactor ran two billion years ago●Nature beat us to nuclear power by ~1.7 billion years. In what's now Gabon, Africa, natural uranium deposits went critic
Scientists are highlighting the Oklo uranium deposits in Gabon, where around 1.7 billion years ago natural nuclear fission reactions occurred without any human involvement. Groundwater seeping through uranium-rich rock slowed neutrons enough to sustain fission, then boiled off and paused the reaction in self-regulating cycles. The phenomenon is being shared as a striking example of nature achieving nuclear power long before humans.
- 2NASA and DOE sign space nuclear cooperation agreement▼NASA and DOE sign space nuclear MOU -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire
NASA and the Department of Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding on space nuclear technology, formalizing cooperation on nuclear power and propulsion for space missions. The agreement, reported by the American Nuclear Society's Nuclear Newswire, is seen as a step toward enabling long-duration lunar and deep space missions where solar power is limited. Nuclear advocates view it as a boost for fission surface power and nuclear thermal propulsion development.