Ep. 45 - Nuclear Reactors & CubeSats ft. Mitchell Kurnell

<p>Our guest this week, <strong>Mitchell Kurnell</strong>, just started his <strong>PhD </strong>in <strong>Mechanical Engineering</strong> in the <strong>Aerospace Mechatronics</strong> lab (yeah you know the one, he's worked alongisde Eitan Bulka (Ep.11) and Ali Safaei (Ep.39)). Our discussion is split between his master's research on nuclear physics, and his PhD research on cube sats.</p> <p><strong>Questions Answered</strong><br> Is nuclear energy a safe energy alternative and can we entrust our future in these fission reactors?<br> How can we use lasers to learn about a material's composition?<br> How big and how small are the satellites in orbit above our heads? What are they doing up there?<br> What is space junk and does it pose a problem to other satellites in orbit around the earth?<br> and many, many, <em>many </em>more!</p> <p><strong>Topics &amp; Concepts</strong><br> Nuclear Safety<br> Fission vs. Fusion<br> LIBS: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy<br> Plasmas<br> Infrared &amp; Ultraviolet Light<br> Observation Window<br> Deuterium &amp; Heavy Water<br> Neutron Absorption<br> Zirconium Alloys<br> Pressure Tubes &amp; Nuclear Reactor Malfunction<br> Mass Spectroscopy<br> Transtioning Research Fields<br> Cube Sats<br> Satellite Tracking &nbsp;&amp; Orbital Decay<br> Space Junk &amp; Deadly Debris<br> Altitude &amp; Attitude<br> Magnetic Fields &amp; Magnet Torquers</p> <p><strong>Fundraiser Info </strong>From March 8th - April 8th 2021, $0.40 will be donated to the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST: https://www.scwist.ca) every time an Abstract episode with a female guest gets a listen. $4,00 will be donated to the same cause for every new review of the podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/abstract-the-future-of-science/id1510997356">Apple Podcasts</a>!</p> <p><strong>Does free will exist? </strong>Maybe. Regardless, please share your cherished feedback with me at abstractcast@gmail.com!</p> <p><strong>Liking the show? </strong>Drop us a juicy 5-star