Nuclear Power and Testing Essay examples - 2337 Words

Nuclear Power and Testing With the development of nuclear power came a heavy moral debate between scientists and politicians. The government chose to protect its national security and engage in an â€Å"arms race,† rather than protecting its citizens. The nuclear testing between 1951-1962 exposed thousands of Utah, Arizona, and Nevada residents (â€Å"Downwinders†) to nuclear fallout, resulting in genetic defects, leukemia, and cancer in many of the fallout’s victims. In her 1992 book Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams claims she â€Å"cannot prove her mother, Diane Dixon Tempest, or [her] grandmothers, Lettie Romney Dixon and Kathryn Blackett Tempest, along with [her] aunts developed cancer from nuclear fallout in Utah ( Tempest 286,);† however,†¦show more content†¦With the looming fear of Germany and the Soviet Union, scientists continued to study and develop the Atomic Bomb. Nevertheless, at the end of World War II, a moral debate ensued between scientists and politicians. Many physicists felt that the atomic bomb secrets should be shared after Nagasaki and Hiroshima, however, politicians felt it necessary to continue in secrecy because of the fear of communism and the hysteria of McCarthyism rampant in the United States. Due to the moral dilemma and debate over the secrecy of the program many scientists resigned from the project. Nevertheless, in 1946, an Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was formed that was to supervise the development of the A-bomb. The AEC, however, lied to the residents and claimed that there was no danger of exposure to radiation, and that the residents were out of the span of the fallout threshold (Ball, 19.) Little did the â€Å"Downwinders† know that this exposure would later lead to cases of illness and cancer. The atoms in the atomic bomb produce gamma-ray radiation which was the most hazardous manifestation of radiation, and was capable of penetrating human tissue (Fradkin, 23.) General Leslie R. Groves head of the Manhattan Project claimed that â€Å"radiation [was] a very pleasant way to die (Ball, 8.)† 10% of the materials that are irradiated after the bomb explosion attach themselves toShow MoreRelatedWhat’s the purpose of testing nuclear power in India?2001 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction What’s the purpose of testing military nuclear power? It is true that most of nations may not be able to understand the purpose of it because there are some risks if the testing is conducted. For example, if nation tested nuclear devices, nation may be criticised from other nations due to danger of nuclear power. However, even though the testing is risky, some nations may decide to test nuclear power for some reasons in order to justify the testing. The case in India is no longer exceptionRead MoreUnited States Ratification Of The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty1120 Words   |  5 PagesComprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Purpose The purpose of the proposed research is to determine how technological, international, and domestic developments in the last 20 years could affect future ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the United States Senate. Relevance The instrument of nuclear deterrence has been the primary reason that no full scale war between major world powers has taken place since WWII. Ensuring the credibility of the United States nuclear arsenalRead MoreEssay on Nuclear Weapons946 Words   |  4 Pages Nuclear Weapons nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A Nuclear weapon is any weapon that gets its destructive power from the transformation of matter in atoms into energy. They include missiles, bombs, artillery shells, mines and torpedoes. Another name for nuclear weapons are Atomic bombs or Hydrogen bombs. The United States was the first country to ever use a Nuclear weapon in battle against Japan. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The major arguments for a test ban was first proposed in the 1950ÕsRead MoreKim Jon II Seeking to Expand Nuclear Proliferation1533 Words   |  7 PagesSeeking to Expand Nuclear Proliferation. After the passing of Kim Jon II in December of 2011 and sanctions placed against North Korea, there is mounting evidence his son, Kim Jong-un is continuing where his father left off with North Korea’s nuclear proliferation. Kim Jon-un and his regime have possibly not only reopened nuclear facilities, but are currently expanding nuclear and missile sites. There is also evidence he and his regime are doing nuclear and long range missile testing. North Korea andRead More Nuclear Weopons testing Essay1586 Words   |  7 Pagesthat would assure destruction of enemies, the world super powers of this century have created a legacy that could presumably destroy the entire world as we know it (Schull 6). During the course of the last fifty years, nuclear weapons have continually become an increasingly detrimental threat to our own health and environment. Consequently, laws have been proposed and bills have been signed to end this senseless build-up of arsenal and testing of havoc-caus ing atomic was instruments. Unfortunately,Read MoreInternational Affairs During The Cold War1733 Words   |  7 Pages In this scenario, the Iranians have effectively tested a nuclear warhead and are exerting a great effort to construct an intercontinental weapons system that has the ability to reach the U.S.’ east coast.1 These actions are clearly intolerable and action must be addressed straightaway. As a member of the National Security Team, I am convinced that world opinion would strongly be in favor of ensuring Iran does not further their nuclear weapon development aspiration. Nevertheless, it is vitalRead MoreIs It The Limits Of Knowledge? Essay1714 Words   |  7 PagesLimits of Knowledge Throughout the course of history, scientific discoveries have led to the birth of new knowledge. Humanity’s increase in knowledge has helped to achieve new heights of understanding in a variety of fields such as medicine, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons. While some of these achievements in science can generate much prosperity, some technology has created significant amounts of controversy. The Honors 2400 class entitled The Chernobyl Incident has granted me over the course of theRead MoreIndias Nuclear Activity between 1968 and 19981618 Words   |  6 Pageseconomic power or nuclear weapons are allowed.’ I said to him, ’it is very difficult to achieve economic wealth’.† This was said by I.K Gujral, the Indian Prime Minister at the time during a U.N general meeting in 1997. The context and focus of this essay will be India’s nuclear activity between 1968 up until the Pohkran-II tests in 1998. The background element shows that, in 1968, India wanted to protect its own right of experimenting with nuclear weapons by not signing the NPT (nuclear Non-ProliferationRead MoreThe Physics Concepts And Principles Behind Nuclear Fusion1458 Words   |  6 Pagesprinciples behind nuclear Fusion, the advantages and disadvantages of fusion and whether nuclear fusion could be used in New Zealand. Also, this report outlines the comparison between Fusion and Fission. A fusion is when a reaction in light nuclei combines to form a nucleus with greater mass. Fusion can take place only under extremely high temperature conditions. Another name for this process is thermonuclear reaction. The process of nuclear fusion is important to the future of power production inRead MoreThe Arms Race and How it Changed the United States of America1415 Words   |  6 PagesSoviet Union (Rudolph 1). Unsurprisingly, the Soviet Union was similarly upset at the United States. This anger is what fueled the arms race. During the Cold War, due to fears of nuclear attack, the US and Soviet Union designed and deployed thousands of nuclear warheads, each hoping to deter the other from nuclear launch with threat of counter attack (O’Neal 1). This massive arms buildup, however, had many negative effects on the US. To recognize the impact that the arms race continues to have