Nuclear fission—when the nucleus of an atom splits in two, releasing energy—may seem like a process that is fully understood. First discovered in 1939 and thoroughly studied ever since, fission is a ...

Novel propulsion ideas for moving around space seem like they're a dime a dozen recently. Besides the typical argument between solar sails and chemical propulsion lies a potential third way—a nuclear ...

All nuclear fission power reactors run on fuel containing uranium and other isotopes, but fueling a nuclear reactor is a lot more complicated than driving up to them with a dump truck filled with ...

CLEVELAND — When NASA astronauts return to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost, they will need power sources on the lunar surface. Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland ...

We took a look at the element tritium a short time ago. A "high octane" and ultra-rare nuclear isotope of which we have a global supply you could fit in an XL-sized suitcase. A supply that small could ...

Zap Energy says its ultimate goal is safe, clean energy from fusion. To help get there, it’s starting to build fission reactors. By Raymond Zhong Atomic fusion has long been seen as the ultimate ...

Outdone only by nuclear fusion, the process of nuclear fission releases enormous amounts of energy. The ‘spicy rocks’ that are at the core of both natural and artificial fission reactors are generally ...