Too cheap to meter: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:43, 30 November 2016

Revision as of 01:29, 15 February 2017

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It is often assumed that Strauss' prediction was a reference to conventional [[Nuclear fission|uranium fission]] nuclear reactors. Indeed, only ten days prior to his “Too Cheap To Meter” speech, Strauss was present for the groundbreaking of the [[Shippingport Atomic Power Station]] where he predicted that, "industry would have electrical power from atomic furnaces in five to fifteen years." However, Strauss was possibly referring to [[hydrogen fusion]] power and [[Project Sherwood]], which was conducting secret research on developing practical [[Fusion power|fusion power plantplants]]s.<ref>Pfau, Richard (1984) ''No Sacrifice Too Great: The Life of Lewis L. Strauss'' University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0813910382 p. 187] ISBN 978-0-8139-1038-3</ref><ref>"Abundant Power from Atom Seen; It will be too cheap for our children to meter, Strauss tells science writers," New York Times, Sept. 17, 1954, p. 5.</ref><ref>{{cite book

| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qBqbr8uV9c8C&pg=PA32&ots=X_NiY853vH&dq=strauss+son+cheap+meter&sig=NJRVHP66IqtX80mgp38UfttAIPc

| title= ''Nuclear Energy: Principles, Practices, and Prospects''

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| accessdate= 2008-01-31 }}</ref>

Strauss gave no public hint at the time that he was referring to fusion reactors, because of the classified nature of Project Sherwood, and the press naturally took his prediction regarding cheap electricity to apply to conventional [[fission reactor]]s. However, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission itself, in testimony to the U.S. Congress only months before, lowered the expectations for fission power, projecting only that the costs of reactors could be brought down to about the same as those for conventional sources.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,893336,00.html ATOMIC ENERGY: The Nuclear Revolution] Time Magazine, February 6, 1956</ref> Conversely,

Strauss viewed hydrogen fusion as the ultimate power source. He was eager to develop the technology as quickly as possible and urged the Project Sherwood researchers to make rapid progress, even suggesting a million-dollar prize to the individual or team that succeeded first.<ref>Bromberg, Joan Lisa (1982) ''Fusion: Science, Politics, and the Invention of a New Energy Source'' MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ECOvgg7b3MQC&pg=PA97 p. 44], ISBN 0-262-02180-3</ref> However Strauss was not optimistic about the rapid commercialisation of fusion power. In August 1955 after fusion research was made public, he cautioned "there has been nothing in the nature of breakthroughs that would warrant anyone assuming that this [fusion power] was anything except a very long range — and I would accent the word ‘very’ — prospect."<ref name=nrcblog-20160603/>

No evidence has been found in Strauss’s archived papers to indicate fusion was the secret subject of his speech.<ref name=nrcblog-20160603>{{cite web |url=https://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2016/06/03/too-cheap-to-meter-a-history-of-the-phrase/ |title="Too Cheap to Meter": A History of the Phrase |author=[[Thomas Wellock]] |publisher=Nuclear Regulatory Commission |date=3 June 2016 |accessdate=15 February 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==

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== References ==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Too Cheap To Meter}}

[[Category:English-language idioms]]

[[Category:Nuclear power]]