The Second nuclear era: A new start for nuclear power

by Alvin M. Weinberg

Nuclear energy is in a state of crisis in the United States. No new nuclear reactors have been ordered since 1978. The reason for this moratorium is that the safe operation of nuclear energy plants has been in doubt since the Three Mile Island crisis. The result of a study conducted by the Institute for Energy Analysis, this book examines the possibility of designing reactors that are completely safe--so safe that any rational arguments against the safety of nuclear power would no longer be valid.

432 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 1985

About the author

Alvin Weinberg (1915-2006) was a scientist and director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) from 1955–1973.

From the ORNL website: "Weinberg came to ORNL in 1945 to join the Physics Division at the urging of mentor Eugene Wigner, became division chief in 1947, then succeeded Wigner as ORNL research director in 1948. Weinberg is credited with communicating the meaning and intent of "Big Science," a phrase that has become commonplace among both scientists and policymakers. Weinberg led ORNL through years of maturing and diversification, and served as a scientific advisor to Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. A proponent of nuclear energy, he wrote often of issues concerning nuclear energy and the broader relationship between society and technology."