Environment

How The U.S. Failed In Excess Weapons Plutonium Disposition … A Nuclear Sputnik Moment?

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By CHARLES D. BOWMAN
Los Alamos

Putin’s withdrawal from the U.S./Russia agreement for each nation to destroy 34 tons of excess weapons plutonium, (W-Pu) enough for 17,000 nuclear weapons, is more the consequence of U.S. technical failure than the deterioration of an international relationship. Both nations agreed that the plutonium be either destroyed by fission or converted to a plutonium isotopic form that was not useful for weapons. Russia chose to build a fast-spectrum nuclear reactor in hopes of launching a new breeder technology. The U. S. chose to combine the plutonium with uranium

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This Weekend In The Nature Center Planetarium

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PEEC News:
 
The Los Alamos Nature Center planetarium will kick off the weekend with an astronomy show exploring the night sky at 7 p.m., Friday.
 
The film From Earth to the Universe is playing at 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. 
 
For more information about these and future planetarium shows, please visit www.peecnature.org/planetarium or call (505).662.0460.
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Daily Postcard: Greater Roadrunner Visits White Rock

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Daily Postcard: This greater roadrunner is spotted Friday in the back yard of a home in White Rock. The greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Although capable of limited flight, it spends most of its time on the ground and can run at speeds of up to 20 mph, according to wikipedia. Photo by Reva Heron

This greater roadrunner pays a visit to the back yard of a home Friday in White Rock. Photo by Reva Heron Read More

Scenes From Saturday’s Energy Efficiency Home Tour

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PEEC and Los Alamos County sponsored a tour of energy efficient homes Saturday. The home of Rosmarie and Paul Frederickson features 1.5 inches of insulation added under the stucco. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
The Frederickson home has a heat-collecting sunroom. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
The Frederickson garden produces much of the family’s food. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
The Meyer home has solar panels and a xeric (drought resistant perennials) garden. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
Drought-tolerant
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Santa Fe Area Sees Residual Smoke From Watershed Prescribed Burn

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SFNF News:

SANTA FE – Smoke from the prescribed burn in the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed last week is lingering over the city as higher-than-expected temperatures created an inversion that has slowed its dispersal.

Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest, in consultation with the New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Department of Health, decided Friday morning to stop ignitions on the Watershed prescribed burn based on air quality and smoke impacts to Santa Fe. Fire crews used hand and aerial ignitions on Wednesday and Thursday to burn approximately 1,785 acres of the Read More

A Mountaineer’s Story: Ascent Of Mt. Vinson

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Evening descent from Mt. Gardner with the view of Antarctica’s northern Sentinel Range. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Ever wonder what it would be like to stand on the highest point in Antarctica? Attend the Los Alamos Mountaineers meeting Tuesday, Oct. 25 to hear from adventurer Eiichi Fukishima, who seeks to enliven one’s passion for Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson.

Fukishima’s talk begins at 7:15 p.m. at the Los Alamos Nature Center. The Los Alamos Mountaineers meeting starts at 7 p.m. and covers information about upcoming outings as well.

This is a tale of the first ascent of the last high point Read More

NPS: Prescribed Burns Begin Next Week

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NPS News:
 
JEMEZ SPRINGS ― Valles Caldera National Preserve will initiate prescribed burn projects beginning early next week, dependent upon suitable weather and fuel conditions.
 
The prescribed burn will take place within an approximately 1,200-acre project area in the Banco Bonito district of the preserve – north of N.M. 4 near mile marker 30. The burn operations will be completed in phases over a total of 3-8 nonconsecutive days. Brief traffic delays may occur during this time, but are not expected to cause road closures or disrupt visitor activities elsewhere on the
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Heinrich To Tout Economic Bright Spots In Torrance County And Santa Fe

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
 
SENATE News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will be in Moriarty and Santa Fe Monday, Oct. 17, to highlight two new sectors with potential for significant job growth that could lead to a more diverse and prosperous New Mexico economy.
 
Monday morning, Heinrich will participate in a celebration of El Cabo Wind Farm Project at the Estancia Valley Economic Development Association in Moriarty. El Cabo will be one of the largest wind energy projects ever built in New Mexico. The
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LANL: Rocket Motor Concept Could Boost CubeSat Missions

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Artists concept of a CubeSat on-board propulsion system. Courtesy/Inside Out Visuals

LANL News:

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a rocket motor concept that could pave the way for CubeSats zooming across space. These small, low-cost satellites are an easy way for scientists to access space, but are lacking in one key area, on-board propulsion.

“The National Academy of Sciences recently convened a meeting to look at science missions in CubeSats,” said Bryce Tappan, an explosives chemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and lead researcher on the CubeSat Read More