From the earliest days of the space race, the Energy Department and its National Labs have been indelibly linked with humanity’s quest to journey to the stars. This week on Energy.gov, follow along as we chart that course, from space power systems to dark energy and beyond. These are just a few of the stories we’ll be… Keep reading →
Every year since 1998, the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Lab has been using state-of-the-art technology to track Santa Claus as he circles the globe the night before Christmas. You’ll be able to monitor St. Nick’s journey here starting at 6 a.m. ET on Christmas Eve. Since Santa doesn’t file his flight path with the Federal Aviation… Keep reading →
This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About…” Be sure to check back for more entries soon. Known only as site Y when it opened in 1943, Los Alamos National Laboratory had just one original mission: to build an atomic bomb. In the years since, the Lab’s mission has… Keep reading →
For more than 60 years, the Energy Department’s National Labs have played a crucial role in the national security of the United States. Founded during the immense investment in scientific research and technical innovation in the period preceding World War II, the National Labs conduct cutting edge research in a diverse variety of fields, advancing the safety and… Keep reading →
This week on Energy.gov, we’re revisiting the storied rivalry between two of history’s most important energy-related inventors and engineers: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Check back each day to learn more about their lives, their inventions and how their contributions are still impacting the way we use energy today. Support your favorite with the hashtags #teamedison and #teamtesla… Keep reading →
There’s power in smashing apart giant uranium atoms. But the future of energy may actually lie in the reverse process: the fusion of atoms.
In a recent conversation with Breaking Energy, Dr. Michael Gamble spoke of his research with fusion technology, a process that fuses together tiny atoms like hydrogen and water to momentarily release energy. The nuclei of the two atoms initially repel each other, and have to overcome repulsion of the electric force before fusing together into a joint molecule whose nucleus is held stable with the strong force. Keep reading →
