Monday, December 25, 2017

Nerd Heaven

Oct 21 - 30, 2017

Starting this post with yet another amazing sunset.  It was too dark to get a good picture but I tried.


The birth of the Atomic Age pretty much happened in Oak Ridge Tennessee where three individual projects were launched to enrich Uranium and produce Plutonium.  To tour the sites, catch a tour bus at the American Museum of Science and Energy.  You can probably visit several areas on your own but this three hour tour is included in the $5 entry fee for the museum and is something that is worth $30 or more.  The guide is amazing and the tour covers many sites.

"To help with "moral confusion".  Mary is all about nuking the bad guys so put your mind at ease

What exactly did they sew with this?


This.  This was the first nuclear reactor.  Dear God, how did we survive our own ignorance?


How the atomic pellets were added to the reactor


First reactor was called a "pile", presumably because graphite bricks were piled around the fuel to contain it.

Back side of the reactor

Lots of dials and gauges like this one to measure the reaction.  The building also has a sign that instructs people to run if the warning horn sounds.  You'd have to run really, really fast...

And this cool looking thing is a building created with 3-D printing technology. 

Farther down the road is Dayton, TN known primarily (only?) for the Scopes Monkey Trial that took place here.  I didn't find any quirky, touristy stuff capitalizing on the trial but the area is quite pretty.





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