Nuclear Power 'Materials'

As a kid growing up in the midst cold war of the 1970s and 1980s, many conversations between my friends and me dealt with nuclear war. Obviously, these were limited to the fantasies we conjured up and small bits and pieces we could glean from our parents and relatives. Over time, I had developed an interest in atomic energy and was even considering a future in it as a nuclear engineer.

In 1985, I decided to focus my 7th-grade science fair project on nuclear energy. I found an article about a written program for an Apple //c that could simulate a nuclear power plant operation. With the help of the local library, I got a copy of the magazine article, which contained the code I typed into my Apple //c for about 3 weeks. Mind you, this was a mimeograph copy, and the clarity was horrific. I persevered and got it running.

In addition to the program, I sent letters to three nuclear power stations requesting more information, one of which was Three Mile Island. They all obliged.

As for the science fair, I scored well, but I was disqualified from going to the state level competition because I was not the code's originator.

With the events at Chernobyl in 1986 and Three Mile Island in 1979 still fresh in the minds of many in the U.S., public support for nuclear power all but vanished. I realized that if I went the route of nuclear engineering, I would have a limited future.

The collection presented here is primarily from the data collected for the science fair. I regret not keeping the cover letters, but I retained the documents. In 2011, armed with a Fujitsu scanner and a desire to rid me of a lot of paper, I scanned the materials and sent the rest to the recycling bin.

There are several other materials obtained over the years:

The educational paper from 1987 was handed out during my high school general science class when the teacher presented some materials on nuclear power plants.

In 1999, I organized a trip to SONGS (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) for troop 667. The materials posted are from that tour. Once a month, the station would allow a scout troop to visit and earn the atomic energy merit badge. (Yes, I am an eagle scout; yes, I did get the atomic energy badge; no, I do not know David Hahn, the 'Atomic Boy Scout').

SONGS was a fantastic tour. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of thinking and planning that went into it. After 9-11, tours ended. According to Wikipedia, SONGS was decommissioned in 2013 after attempts to replace the steam generators were not successful. I have not spent any time determining the specifics of the history that lead up to the decommissioning.

The Hanford WA map was a gift from my dear mother, who toured the facility in 2019. The tour map was a wrapper for the Bendix CD V-742 dosimeter pen she gave me. I honestly could not tell you if the pen is from the old stock or a knockoff.

Nine Dot Connects has allowed me to post this material because of its history and the science that can be learned from it. Nine Dot Connects is neither condoning nor condemning nuclear power. None of the material has been redacted except for any blank pages to reduce the file size. We hope you find this fascinating.

Also, note - Nothing presented is classified or in any way going to assist nuclear hungry countries in advancing in their nuclear ambitions. All materials were created for public consumption and awareness.

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Nuclear Power 'Materials'

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