Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades • Hacker News Board

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#21

Post by fragmede » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 1:44 PM UTC

jandrewrogers wrote: post #17

When I studied chemistry at university, only a handful of select students were introduced to the nuclear science lab in the basement. It had a lot of spicy isotopes, neutron sources, etc. Even as a chemistry student with free run of the place for years I had no idea it was in the building until the department head pulled a few of us aside. The reason for the informal secrecy, as it was explained to me, is that every…

Same thing with animal testing. You don't get to know where the monkey labs are but the alternative is we test on poor people? learn to keep secrets, people.

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#22

Post by cogman10 » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 1:50 PM UTC

billy99k wrote: post #20

jandrewrogers wrote: post #17

When I studied chemistry at university, only a handful of select students were introduced to the nuclear science lab in the basement. It had a lot of spicy isotopes, neutron sources, etc. Even as a chemistry student with free run of the place for years I had no idea it was in the building until the department head pulled a few of us aside. The reason for the informal secrecy, as it was explained to me, is that every…

These public freak outs is also why we don't have abundant nuclear energy. The climate activists of the 60s-90s stopped us from building more reactors, one of the cleanest sources of energy ever known.

Climate activists backed and propagandized by the fossil fuel industry and the KGB.

And now that there are a number of barriers to creating new nuclear, the propaganda has flipped with fossil fuel companies supporting nuclear because they know it'll be decades before anything real can happen.

I have nothing against nuclear and if it can be built I'm for it. But at the moment, solar + battery is quick to deploy and about as cheap as you can get.

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#23

Post by IshKebab » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 1:53 PM UTC

Yokolos wrote: post #14

wkat4242 wrote: post #10

It wasn't a secret like the article admits later on.

Seems like a distinction without a difference to me? > And aside from a license renewal snafu in 1980, the device made no waves until its existence was shared with the local newspaper—it wasn’t a secret, just unpublicized.

In this context "secret" implies they didn't tell the government. Merely not publicising an internal project is totally normal and doesn't warrant "secret project!!"

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#24

Post by ThatMedicIsASpy » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 1:56 PM UTC

billy99k wrote: post #20

jandrewrogers wrote: post #17

When I studied chemistry at university, only a handful of select students were introduced to the nuclear science lab in the basement. It had a lot of spicy isotopes, neutron sources, etc. Even as a chemistry student with free run of the place for years I had no idea it was in the building until the department head pulled a few of us aside. The reason for the informal secrecy, as it was explained to me, is that every…

These public freak outs is also why we don't have abundant nuclear energy. The climate activists of the 60s-90s stopped us from building more reactors, one of the cleanest sources of energy ever known.

I also really enjoy privatizing profits and let the public deal with the aftermath.

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#25

Post by dtgriscom » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:00 PM UTC

OK, HN physicists: how did this work?

My first guess was that the beam of Cf252-emitted neutrons, when it hits the U235, triggers new neutrons moving in the same direction, rather than in random directions. This would ensure that any tertiary neutrons would join the crowd and help the amplification while not just heating the system up.

Or, maybe that's the point? It's a not-quite-critical collection of U235 that is pushed even closer to criticality by the Cf252, multiplying the Cf232's neutron flux by "up to 30 times". But, if the U235 neutrons trigger the same emissions as the Cf252 neutrons, then wouldn't that require a razor's edge of criticality?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium_neutron_flux_multi...

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#26

Post by SonOfKyuss » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:02 PM UTC

billy99k wrote: post #20

jandrewrogers wrote: post #17

When I studied chemistry at university, only a handful of select students were introduced to the nuclear science lab in the basement. It had a lot of spicy isotopes, neutron sources, etc. Even as a chemistry student with free run of the place for years I had no idea it was in the building until the department head pulled a few of us aside. The reason for the informal secrecy, as it was explained to me, is that every…

These public freak outs is also why we don't have abundant nuclear energy. The climate activists of the 60s-90s stopped us from building more reactors, one of the cleanest sources of energy ever known.

The activists of the 60s-90s were witnesses to the nuclear bombing of Japan, domestic nuclear accidents, as well as a nuclear arms race that threatened to wipe out all of humanity. It is unfortunate that we threw the baby out with the bathwater when it came to nuclear power generation, but the people who had issues with nuclear in that era did have good reasons to be afraid.

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#27

Post by simianparrot » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:04 PM UTC

cogman10 wrote: post #22

billy99k wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These public freak outs is also why we don't have abundant nuclear energy. The climate activists of the 60s-90s stopped us from building more reactors, one of the cleanest sources of energy ever known.

Climate activists backed and propagandized by the fossil fuel industry and the KGB. And now that there are a number of barriers to creating new nuclear, the propaganda has flipped with fossil fuel companies supporting nuclear because they know it'll be decades before anything real can happen. I have nothing against nuclear and if it can be built I'm for it. But at the moment, solar + battery is quick to deploy and ab…

Ok but what about when it’s night time or cloudy?

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#28

Post by goodcanadian » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:08 PM UTC

simianparrot wrote: post #27

cogman10 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Climate activists backed and propagandized by the fossil fuel industry and the KGB. And now that there are a number of barriers to creating new nuclear, the propaganda has flipped with fossil fuel companies supporting nuclear because they know it'll be decades before anything real can happen. I have nothing against nuclear and if it can be built I'm for it. But at the moment, solar + battery is quick to deploy and ab…

Ok but what about when it’s night time or cloudy?

That's where the battery comes in.

Yes, I am over-simplifying the very complex problem of grid management, but so are you.

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#29

Post by alpinisme » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:10 PM UTC

IshKebab wrote: post #23

Yokolos wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like a distinction without a difference to me? > And aside from a license renewal snafu in 1980, the device made no waves until its existence was shared with the local newspaper—it wasn’t a secret, just unpublicized.

In this context "secret" implies they didn't tell the government. Merely not publicising an internal project is totally normal and doesn't warrant "secret project!!"

I guess that depends on how hysterically you read the word secret (including projecting hysterics on others using it). But we at work have a lot of secret projects. Basically everything is given a project code name until it’s public and if you work in R&D you are told not to discuss your work on such projects either outside the company with friends or inside the company with people who don’t work in R&D. That is the closest to the definition of secret I can imagine. And it sounds like this nuclear lab was in a similar category.

If someone freaks out about it, it’s because they think you’re abusing normal, run of the mill product development secrecy, whether to develop a product that shouldn’t exist or to hide a practice that is never intended to be public and is just called secret to avoid scrutiny from an interested public (who, in this hypothetical scenario, feel that they have a right to be interested — think research into dangerous pathogens next to an unprotected public aquifer).

Re: Kodak ran a nuclear device in its basement for decades

#30

Post by mauvehaus » Sat, Nov 22, 2025, 2:12 PM UTC

As a reminder: MIT has a research reactor smack-dab in the middle of Cambridge. It's like a block or two off of Mass Ave near Central.

They give tours, and if you're in the area, it's highly recommended. A great Boston-area date for the right kind of person.

https://nrl.mit.edu/reactor/