Atomic America: How a Deadly Explosion and a Feared Admiral

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

On January 3, 1961, nuclear reactor SL-1 exploded in rural Idaho, spreading radioactive contamination over thousands of acres and killing three men. The army blamed â€œhuman errorâ€ and a sordid love triangle. Though overshadowed by Three Mile Island, SL-1 remains the only fatal nuclear reactor incident in American history.
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Todd Tucker, who first heard the rumors about the Idaho Falls explosion as a trainee in the navyâ€™s nuclear program, suspected there was more to the accident than rumors suggested. Poring over hundreds of pages of primary sources and interviewing survivors revealed that the army and its contractors had deliberately obscured the true cause of the accident, which resulted from poor engineering as much as uncontrolled passions.
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The National Reactor Testing Station, where the meltdown occurred, had been a proving ground where engineers, generals, and admirals attempted to realize the Atomic Age dream of unlimited powerâ€”amid the frantic race for nuclear power between the army, the navy, and the air force. The fruit of those ambitious plans included that of the nationâ€™s unofficial nuclear patriarch, Admiral Rickover, whose â€œtrue submarine,â€ the USS Nautilus, would forever change naval warfare. But with the meltdown in Idaho came the end of the armyâ€™s program and the beginning of the navyâ€™s long-standing monopoly on military nuclear power. Atomic America provides a fast-paced narrative history, advocating caution and accountability in harnessing nuclear energy.
Country USA
Brand Bison Books
Manufacturer Bison Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber black & white illustrations
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9780803234024
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	Bison Books
Manufacturer	Bison Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	black & white illustrations
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9780803234024
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

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

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