Friday, January 25, 2008

Baltimore Light


I found this image on the Library of Congress website. It shows the Baltimore Light undergoing a upgrade. The box that's being hoisted is a nuclear reactor. Here's some more information;
The Baltimore Lighthouse became the world’s first nuclear powered lighthouse in 1964, when a 60-watt isotopic power generator was installed. According to a local newspaper, this generator was “smaller than a 55-gallon oil drum,” and was reputed to be capable of supplying an uninterrupted ten-year flow of electricity without any maintenance or refueling. The installation of the generator is shown in the photograph to the right, but it was removed two years later as the Coast Guard was concerned with “cost and environmental considerations.”

1 comment:

Spank That Donkey said...

so much for progress