Nuclear technology is many things. It is electricity. It is medicine. It is research tool. It is friend of the farmer. It is detective, and much more.
But how many people really know this? Or for that matter, who were the pioneers and what were their contributions to the advancement of this field? How is electricity generated in a nuclear power plant? Are there different types of nuclear power reactors? What comes out of that huge cooling tower? Are nuclear power plants safe? How is safety ensured? What makes nuclear power plants friendly to the environment? How do they help mankind in the fight against global warming? How will we get our electricity in the future?
The aim of the ‘Hall of Nuclear Power’ is to string together facts about nuclear energy and present them to the gallery visitor in an easy and enjoyable way.
The ‘Hall of Nuclear Power’ gallery at the National Science Centre, New Delhi, spread over an area of nearly 700 square meters, showcases myriad applications of nuclear energy and radiation in the service of mankind.
The gallery has a fascinating audio-visual and interactive feast in store for the visitors, with an array of over 60 permanent exhibits depicting the various aspects of nuclear energy and applications of radiation for the betterment of human life and the environment. The gallery also focuses on several salient aspects of nuclear power generation, from mining and processing of uranium ore, to fabrication of nuclear fuel, and from the innards of a nuclear power plant, to the actual principles and mechanisms that form the basis of nuclear power generation. The gallery also explains to the visitor the vital aspects of nuclear safety – right from the environment monitoring that begins even before a nuclear power plant comes into existence, to the various stages involved in the setting up and operating a nuclear power plant, as well as the safe and professional manner in which nuclear waste is managed.
At one of the exhibits, you can even try your hand at controlling a nuclear power plant. Visitors can undertake a fascinating but effortless journey from their theatre seats, embarking on a virtual walk-through of a nuclear power plant.
Also, you can learn many facts directly from ‘Nuclear Experts’, who magically appear right in front of you in the form of a pepper-ghost holographic projection to answer the questions. At the ‘Ask Budhiya’ exhibit, the popular comic figure ‘Budhiya’ – a well- informed common man – addresses the generally prevalent misconceptions and myths about nuclear power and radiation.
The final goal of the gallery as well as the biggest satisfaction for us is when a visitor says: Wow! Now I know better!