Links to useful nuclear websites

Nuclear chemistry
History of radioactivity             presenting Roentgen, Becquerel, Curie and Rutherford
Atom builder                           easy-to-play animation of making atoms from quarks and electrons.  Try it!
Electron configuration              teach yourself about electron orbitals and how they determine chemical reactions. 
                                              To access the powerpoint show, click on "IV. Electon configuration"
Radioactive decay                   simple explanation of alpha, beta and gamma types
Half-lives                                shows each decay nucleus in the three natural series, and their half-lives
Irradiated meat                        rejected by consumers

Nuclear power
How plants work                    animated comparisons of nuclear and other power plants.  For more info, click on nuclear, then roll mouse on numbers.  
FAQ on nuclear energy           an objective look at the issues
What is Uranium?                   clear explanation by pro-uranium mining group
Fission
                                   explained in student-written site
Virtual Nuclear Tourist            wide range of nuclear plant pictures and data
WGBH Nuclear Reaction        nuclear power, info and fears from "Frontline" TV show
Nuclear fission simulator         can be fun if you take some time to play
Control the Chernobyl plant
     try to avoid a meltdown when things go bad!.  Requires Java.
Nuclear waste                          pro-industry view of nuclear waste disposal
Yucca mountain project           the official website for long-term waste storage
New reactor design                  pebble-bed reactor is meltdown-proof?
Objections to pebble-bed         balancing out the hype
About fusion                            clear explanation of fusion power research, from Princeton  

Nuclear weapons
How nuclear bombs work        clearly explained, with animated diagrams
First atomic blast July, 1945     newspaper series, excellent
Atomic bomb decision
             historical record of why we used the bombs
Nagasaki blast site photos        WARNING: powerful images
Nuclear test image gallery         photos of nuclear blasts
Nuclear Blast Mapper              map the devastation from a nuke at any site
Nuclear Control Institute          current nuclear threats around the world
Nuclear weapons issues           facts, figures, and opinion from ex-military analysts
Dirty bomb threat                     would cause more panic than anything else?

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