National Laboratory

New Options For Plutonium Pit Production At LANL

by

Pit Production would continue at PF-4, according to new report by the Congressional Research Service. Courtesy/LANL

 

By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post
  • Would relocating Royal Crest help solve safety problem?

The Royal Crest trailer park may have a role to play in fulfilling a Congressional mandate for Los Alamos National Laboratory to resume production of plutonium pits, the imploding, hollow cores that detonate thermonuclear weapons.

A report by the Congressional Research Service that became available this week proposes several options to solve manufacturing, safety Read More

Manhattan Project National Historical Park Advisory Committee Meets May 26

by

LAC News:
 
The next meeting of the newly established Manhattan Project National Historical Park Advisory Committee is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, at Municipal Building Room 330.
 
The public is welcome to attend meetings of the committee. The committee has not yet determined a regular meeting time, date and location.
 
The purpose of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Committee is to identify and review the various issues that must be addressed in order to prepare Los Alamos County for the opening of the Park. The Committee’s charge is to advise the
Read More

Poll: What’s Causing Bright Spots On Ceres?

by

Unusual bright spots discovered on Ceres. Courtesy/JPL

JPL News:

Can you guess what’s creating those unusual bright spots on Ceres? Volcano, geyser, rock, ice, salt deposit, other?

On March 6, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft began orbiting Ceres, the largest body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Even before the spacecraft arrived at the dwarf planet, images revealed mysterious bright spots that captivated scientists and observers alike.

Until Dawn gets a closer look over the next few months, it’s anyone’s guess what those spots could be. So, go ahead! Read More

SFI Seminar ‘Punches And Hugs’ May 26

by

Christie Aschwanden SFI Journalism Fellow
 
SFI News:
 
Santa Fe Institute (SFI) will be holding the seminar “Punches and Hugs: What Hate Mail Has Taught Me About How To Communicate Science With The Public” with Christie Aschwanden at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, at Noyce Conference Room.
 
Abstract: Even in our age of science, irrational thinking and science denialism remain rampant. The “truth wins” assumption holds that when the truth is presented, it will be universally recognized, yet this isn’t always the case, as evidenced by ongoing controversies
Read More

U.S. Leads Fifth International Review Meeting On Safety Of Spent Fuel And Radioactive Waste Management

by

NNSA News:
 
VIENNA, Austria ― Representatives of the nations or Contracting Parties who are signatories to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention), began on Monday the Fifth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties.
 
The Joint Convention is the first international instrument that deals with the safety of management and storage of radioactive waste and spent fuel in countries with and without nuclear programs. It elaborates and expands the existing International Atomic Energy Agency
Read More

Court Reverses Sabotage Verdict For Y-12 Protesters

by

Courtesy/Nuke Resister & Transform Now Plowshares
 
By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

By a 2-1 vote, a U.S. Court of Appeals in Knoxville, Tenn., overturned a sabotage conviction for three religious protesters on May 8.

The decision led to the release Saturday of Megan Rice, an 84-year-old nun, 59-year-old Greg Boertje-Obed and 66-year-old Michael Walli. They were arrested while infiltrating the Y-12 National Security Site near Oak Ridge National Laboratory on July 28, 2012.

Rice has been serving a 35-month sentence and the two men were working on a 65-month sentence each. Read More

National Defense University Students Tour Los Alamos

by

National Defense University students gather for lunch Monday at Fuller Lodge during their visit to Los Alamos. Photo by KayLinda Crawford/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Students from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., paid a visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory Monday as part of a two-week trip visiting various national security facilities around the country. 

According to a staff member traveling with the students, 50 different countries are represented by this gathering and all are studying for a Masters Degree in National Security.

Before gathering for Read More

Udall To Discuss Critical NM Funding For Labs

by

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall will attend Senate Committee meetings on several issues important to New Mexico, including the Fiscal Year 2016 budgets for New Mexico’s national labs, military bases and the Department of Veterans Affairs; Indian water rights settlements; important safety updates at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that affect all airports; and expanding U.S. relations with Cuba.

Additionally, a bill that Udall recently introduced to create a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), will be considered by the Senate Read More

Science On Tap: Risks Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

by

James Privette 

LANL News:

James Privette of the Integrated Services group at Los Alamos National Laboratory describes how LANL is working to counter the risk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) pose to national security.

Privette will discuss the issue in a Science on Tap conversation at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 21, at UnQuarked Wine Room, 145 Central Park Square in downtown Los Alamos. There is ample parking in Central Park Square.

As the use of drones increases in popularity, their threat to the nation’s assets also increases. Privette will discuss how Read More