Oceans, Insects, and Outer Space: The Nuclear Theme You Missed
Description
Summary: We connect three “you can’t make this up” stories: a radioactive wasp nest discovered and destroyed; a jellyfish bloom that forced a nuclear plant shutdown; and a brewing space-age plan to plant a nuclear reactor on the Moon. We unpack safety systems, media framing, and whether lunar infrastructure makes sense while grid problems persist on Earth.
Resources Mentioned:
Reports on radioactive wasp nests and remediation practices
Coverage of jellyfish intake clogs at coastal power stations
News and commentary on lunar fission reactors and space treaties
Key Takeaways (3–6)
Safety systems can work (e.g., automatic reactor scram), but ecosystems can still surprise us.
Sensational headlines don’t equal catastrophic risk; context matters.
Lunar reactors are about infrastructure & positioning, not beaming power to Earth.
“Fix Earth first” vs. “advance space now” is a policy tradeoff, not a binary.
United States
