By splitting atoms of uranium and fusing atoms of hydrogen, man hopes to produce unlimited quantities of future power. The great advantages of fusion energy are the ready ava liability of fuel—heavy water—and a minimum of radioactive waste. Electric Power and Light and General Electric exhibits at the Fair bring visitors abreast of man's attempts to harness this energy. Power from controlled atomic fission is already at hand, and about a dozen atomic reactors are now producing electricity for commercial use across the U.S. Power from controlled thermonuclear fusion remains a far-off dream, but the first step, forging split-second fusion bursts, has been achieved and is demonstrated at the Fair.
THERMONUCLEAR BLAZE
The flash of fusion is seen in a General Electric experiment (above). Use of fusion is now in the experimental stage, as fission was 20 years ago.
ATOMIC ACHIEVEMENT
An artist's rendering, based on a display in the Electric Power and Light pavilion, explains how heat from nuclear fission is used to generate steam and drive turbines in an atomic power plant.
An artist's rendering, based on a display in the Electric Power and Light pavilion, explains how heat from nuclear fission is used to generate steam and drive turbines in an atomic power plant.
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