American Jobs Act

Obama went before a captious Congress this Thursday, unveiling his plan to 'jolt' the economy. With the unemployment rate at 9.1 percent, Obama proposed an ambitious package that calls for dramatic cuts in payroll taxes that both taxpayers and business pay to fund the U.S  Social Security pension program. 

"The question is whether: in the face of an on-going national crisis...", Obama said in his proposal, "we can stop the  political circus and actually do something to help the economy." However, with a House of Representatives controlled by bitter Republicans, much opposition lies before Obama and his plans; moreover so, because it is a plan that could possibly help him get re-elected next year.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, "there should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislature - everything in here is the kind of proposal supported by both Democrats and Republicans", stated Obama. "You should pass this bill", encouraged Obama, under a frenzy of applause by Democrats and the silence of the Republicans.

The American Jobs Act is a $447 billion plan, of which approximately $240 billion accounts for the payroll tax cuts. "Everything is paid for", he said. In addition, the plan also includes:

• $105 billion for public works spending (improving school systems, roads and bridges)
• $49 billion to continue unemployment assistance to those who require benefits
• $35 billion for local governments to avoid layoffs of emergency personnel and teachers
• $8 billion to fund a $4,000 tax credit for businesses that hire workers who have been unemployed for more than six months

President Obama is expected to send the American Jobs Act to Congress Monday evening. However, Obama has received much scrutiny since Thursday as many believe the plan will only benefit the economy in the short term. Under the continuing rise of unemployment and the never ending "political circus" (as Obama stated so accurately) that plagues the White House, 80% of the American people believe the economy is heading in the wrong direction. Obama plans to layout another and more broader deficit plan on September 19. In coalescence with his current bill, the two plans will provide an estimated $2 trillion in deficit savings.

Obama's Plan for Jobs

Politicians seem to be more concerned with the upcoming Presidential elections in 2012 rather than staying focused on this economic crisis (which many analysts believe could become another recession). Barack Obama remains as the bleak glimmer of hope, and Americans now look back at that night in Denver during the Democratic presidential nomination - when "the planet began to heal".

The U.S economy is now at a stand still. Most economists predict that, at most, the U.S economy will increase only 2 percent. The high unemployment rate (stuck now at 9.1 percent, after exactly zero net jobs were created in August) is what Obama now plans to tackle head on as the nation lost nearly 2.5 million jobs in the last three years.

He is expected to discuss the new plan to revive the economy with a joint session of Congress this Thursday: a mix of tax credits and targeted spending increases for school renovation and job training amounting to about $300 billion. Obama's hope is for a sensible proposal that even the Republicans could endorse. If rejected by Congress, Obama's aides believe it will shift the political scale in their favour. As a defeated plan they hope it could become a political trap for Republicans - allowing Obama to portray it as sabotage of economic progress.

"The president will present a meaningful, responsible set of ideas to create jobs and grow the economy," a senior White House advisor said. That is precisely what the American people, and much of the world are hoping for as the economic outlook across much of the world is looking dim.

The nation now anxiously waits for Obama, as he is expected to speak Thursday.

Sources: LA Times and Bloomberg

Space - The next frontier for Nuclear Power?

DENVER, Aug. 28, 2011 — The first nuclear power plant being considered for production of electricity for manned or unmanned bases on the Moon, Mars and other planets may really look like it came from outer space, according to a leader of the project who spoke here today at the 242^nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

James E. Werner said that innovative fission technology for surface power applications is far different from the familiar terrestrial nuclear power stations, which sprawl over huge tracts of land and have large structures such as cooling towers.

“People would never recognize the fission power system as a nuclear power reactor,” said Werner. “The reactor itself may be about 1 ½ feet wide by 2 ½ feet high, about the size of a carry-on suitcase. There are no cooling towers. A fission power system is a compact, reliable, safe system that may be critical to the establishment of outposts or habitats on other planets. Fission power technology can be applied on Earth’s Moon, on Mars, or wherever NASA sees the need for continuous power.”

The team is scheduled to build a technology demonstration unit in 2012. This is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Werner leads the DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory involvement in this effort, which includes participation in the reactor design and modeling teams, fuel development and fabrication and development of a small electrical pump for the liquid metal cooled system.

An artist's concept of a fission power system on the moon

Sunlight and fuel cells were the mainstays for generating electricity for space missions in the past, but engineers realized that solar energy has limitations. Solar cells do a great job supplying electricity in near-Earth orbits and for satellite-borne equipment, but nuclear power offers some unique capabilities that could support manned outposts on other planets or moons.

“The biggest difference between solar and nuclear reactors is that nuclear reactors can produce power in any environment,” Werner explained. “Fission power technology doesn’t rely on sunlight, making it able to produce large, steady amounts of power at night or in harsh environments like those found on the Moon or Mars. A fission power system on the Moon could generate 40 kilowatts or more of electric power, approximately the same amount of energy needed to power eight houses on Earth.” In addition, he said that a fission power system could operate in a variety of locations such as in craters, canyons or caves.

“The main point is that nuclear power has the ability to provide a power-rich environment to the astronauts or science packages anywhere in our solar system and that this technology is mature, affordable and safe to use,” Werner said.

Fission power systems rely on energy generated from nuclear fission. Nuclear fission works by splitting uranium atoms to generate heat that is then converted into electric power. The primary components of a fission power system are similar to those found in the commercial reactors currently in use: a heat source, power conversion, heat rejection and power conditioning and distribution.

Werner added that despite the similarities in components, fission power systems for space applications feature a number of differences compared with commercial reactors.

“While the physics are the same, the low power levels, control of the reactor and the material used for neutron reflection back into the core are completely different,” Werner said. “Weight is also a significant factor that must be minimized in a space reactor that is not considered in a commercial reactor.”

Werner contends that once the technology is developed and validated, it may prove to be one of the most affordable and versatile options for providing long-term base power for the space exploration programs.

Source: American Chemical Society