The peaceful atom: part 1

Part title from label. This program is the first in a three-part series on peacetime uses of atomic energy. A brief animated film reviews such concepts as neutrons and protons in a nucleus surrounded by electrons. There are 92 kinds of naturally occurring atoms, and changes can only be made to an atom by altering its nucleus. When the nucleus is split, it gives off energy. Mr. Strauss, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), cites President Eisenhower's 1953 "Atoms for Peace" speech to the United Nations in which he suggests a world pool of atomic materials for peaceful uses, such as commercial electrical power. Dr. Hafstad, Director of the Reactor Development Division of AEC, discusses the costs and problems of harnessing atomic power. He points out that although our coal and oil supplies are dwindling and uranium supplies are vast, the cost of generating power from the atom is currently prohibitive. However, he predicts that, within the next five to fifteen years, as nuclear power is developed, its costs will fall.