Evening star., 1948-10-17
The Atom for FIioht

Unless David M. Poole, an Oak Ridge
engineer, has let his enthusiasm make him
lose sight Of the fact that theories are
often extremely difficult to translate into
realities, the day of the atom-driven air.
craft may be much nearer than has
hitherto been supposed.
Up to now, many of our atomic author
tiles have held to the view that although
nuclear energy probably will be utilized
eventually as motive or propulsive fuel
for big surface vessels, submarines and
perhaps railroad engines, it will almost
certainly never be applicable to smaller
means of transportation like automobiles
or airplanes. The reason given for this is
that such vehicles are too small and light
in themselves to carry the heavy shielding
that would be needed as protection against
the intensely radioactive power driving
them.
In an address just delivered to the Balti-
more Society of Engineers, however, Mr..
Poole has made the fiat statement that
scientists now have much lighter mate
rial for effective shielding and that this
material, though still heavy, would not be
too heavy for conventional planes. More
than that, he has made the fiat statement
that the theory of the atom driven air
craft has been 80 per cent perfected and
that to make it reality "the slide-rule
men" have only to draft designs and build
the engine. This is very large order, Of
course, but Mr.. Poole strongly suggests
that it can be carried out successfully in
the relatively near future.
Coming from another source, such view
might be dismissed as lurid exaggeration
in the Buck Rogers manner. But MIR. Poole,
representative of the Fairchild Aircraft
Corporation, has been working at Oak
Ridge as member of super-secret project
organized to harness the atom as fuel for
flight, and he is head Of the thermo-
dynamics division of that project. Accord
ingly, he speaks with authority. Unless he
has given unjustified rein to his imagina-
ton and grossly underestimated the task
of "the slide-rule men" his talk IN Balti-
more adds up to news of the greatest
importance. Indeed, assuming the sound
ness of his judgment, what he foresees
may be regarded as one Of the most sig
nificant developments since the fashioning
of the first A-bomb.
For if Mr. Poole is right, If we are nearing
the day of atom-driven aircraft, then we
are on the threshold of revolution in the
age of flight A weight unit of atomic
power is as potent as 100000 weight units
of gasoline Stated another way II nuclear
energy can be used to propel planes, the
fuel load of our big bombers and Jet fight
ers will be reduced to relatively nothing,
with the result that their range and speed
will be vastly increased. Further, the in
tercontinental rocket and guided missile,
flying far faster than sound against targets
anywhere in the world, will be within reach
of man.
All this speaks pretty much for itself.
Unless Mr.. Poole is guilty Of a serious exag-
eeration, we are close to the point where
the black art of warfare will go beyond
the last limit of human endurance, where
there can be no victory for anybody, but
only death for all-total annihilation. It
is a prospect that makes Soviet policy
m the atom seem sheer madness.