Last CVN (Nimitz) class commissioning Saturday; CVNX-1 next...

[Dr Mordrid]

It's the USS Ronald Reagan....

http://navysite.de/cvn/cvn76.html

The Nimitz class supercarriers, the last of which will be CVN77 USS George H.W. Bush, will be eventually be replaced by the CVNX class.

The CVNX will have a larger deck (!!), integrated support for UCAV's and intel drones, more automation (and therefore smaller crews), much smaller superstructures, robotic munitions handling, enhanced survivability, better crew quarters and more electrical power to energize directed energy & microwave weapons and, later, electromagnetic aircraft launch and recovery systems;



Damned futureistic looking and sounding

The transitional ship will replace the USS Enterprise when its current nuclear fuel depletes.

Dr. Mordrid

[K6-III]

We've been building nuclear reactors for submarines/carriers for how many years and we haven't been building reactors for electricity for how many years???

[Dr Mordrid]

Since the late '70's...mainly because of the flap over 3 Mile Island and the movie "The China Syndrome" plus a good deal of mis-statement (actually lying) by the enviro whackos, but this is all silliness IMO. There are reactor designs available now that cannot melt down even if all the coolant leaks out. No radiation leakage either.

Dr. Mordrid

[Corran Horn]

Hopefully when the 'Enterprise' is decomissioned they hand that proud name off to a new vessel.

[GT98]

Nuclear Power is great and all, but what hell to do with all that spent fuel rods? I know they have that place out in Nevada thats going to be a dumping ground deep in the earth, but you still have to get it there.... Thats the biggest problem with Nuclear power...no where good to get rid of it

[K6-III]

Read up on the mini mag orion (there is indeed a good use for weapons grade plutonium).

Otherwise, reprocessing makes most of the nuclear waste reusable.

[Jammrock]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
Since the late '70's...mainly because of the flap over 3 Mile Island and the movie "The China Syndrome" plus a good deal of mis-statement (actually lying) by the enviro whackos, but this is all silliness IMO. There are reactor designs available now that cannot melt down even if all the coolant leaks out. No radiation leakage either.

Dr. Mordrid

I saw a movie about one of those reactors in physics class in college. It was quite the incredible design. But of course Clinton killed the project because it wasn't 'environmentally safe.' Never mind the fact that the current coal burning plant produce more toxic waste than any nuclear plant...

Nuclear Power is great and all, but what hell to do with all that spent fuel rods? I know they have that place out in Nevada thats going to be a dumping ground deep in the earth, but you still have to get it there.... Thats the biggest problem with Nuclear power...no where good to get rid of it

The modern designed plants, the ones that cannot melt down (because they actually tried to melt it down and couldn't) actually reprocesses the fuel rods and reuses them. When the fuel rods are no longer usable or reprocessable (?) they are broken down into components that are less radioactive than burnt coal and have only a 100-year half-life (I love that game). After a single half-life it's no more harmful than a normal metal.

Jammrock

[Tjalfe]

I guess people will rather die slowly from the pollution from a coal power plant, than having the problem of what to do with spend fuel rods.
I saw a show on TV a while ago where Greenpeace argued that the only powersource they would agree to was Solar power, as it impacted the environment the least. So how do they handle night time?.. big lead acid batteries like you can get for home solar panel systems?... does not sound very thought through.