UNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY
COMMISSION
REPRINTED WITH ADDITIONS
From the collection of the
7 n
«r m
Prelinger
3E
i a
JJibrary
San Francisco, California
2006
NOTICE
This printing of the USAEC Film Catalog 1966-67 contains information
on 14 films released since the publication of the 1965 edition. Descrip-
tions of the films, which are listed below, are found beginning on
page 66 .
Subject Category
Atoms for Space and
SNAP
Biology and Medicine
Education
Industrial Applications
Nuclear Reactors and
Power
Peaceful Uses of
Nuclear Explosives
(Plowshare)
Safety, Waste' Disposal
and Radiation
Hazards
Title
ATOMIC ENERGY FOR SPACE
FIRST REACTOR IN SPACE:
SNAP-lOA
SNAP -8
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING IN
MEDICINE
RETURN TO BIKINI
TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS
AT ARGONNE
FARM FRESH TO YOU
THE FRESHER THE BETTER
THE NUCLEAR WITNESS:
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
IN CRIME INVESTIGATION
ATOMIC POWER TODAY:
SERVICE WITH SAFETY
PLOWSHARE
SAFETY IN THE PLOWSHARE
PROGRAM
ATOMS ON THE MOVE:
TRANSPORTATION OF
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
R-A-P: RADIOLOGICAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Understanding Level5
(Group 2)
(Group 1, 2 and 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 3)
(Group 2 and 3)
(Group 3)
'See page.iv.
FOREWORD
USAEC motion pictures listed in this catalog are available for free
loan, without charge for public non-profit exhibition. All films, except
those described as "NOT cleared for television," may be shown on
television programs as a public service. Most films, with the few
exceptions noted in those film descriptions, are available from USAEC
headquarters and field libraries.
CONTENTS
Alphabetical Index of Popular Film Titles iv
A Word to New Borrowers x
Map: USAEC Film Library Locations and Service Areas xii
Where to Borrow xii
Who May Borrow xiv
How to Order xiv
Loan Requirements xv
Advice to Foreign Borrowers xvi
Where to Purchase Prints xvi
USAEC Stock Film Footage Program xviii
Description of Popular Films (by Subject Category)
Agriculture 1
Atoms for Space and SNAP 2
Atomic Energy Principles 7
Biology and Medicine 10
Education 13
Industrial Applications 15
International (Information Exchange and Training) 17
Nuclear Propulsion 20
Nuclear Reactors and Power 21
Nuclear Research 27
Nuclear Weapons and Testing 32
Peaceful Uses (Summary Films) 35
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Explosives (Plowshare) 39
Radioisotopes — Production and Handling 40
Safety, Waste Disposal, and Radiation Hazards 41
Uranium Prospecting, Mining, and Production 47
Series:
"Challenge" 48
"The Magic of the Atom" 53
"Understanding the Atom" 58
iii
FOREWORD
USAEC motion pictures listed in this catalog are available for free
loan, without charge for public non-profit exhibition. All films, except
those described as "NOT cleared for television," may be shown on
television programs as a public service. Most films, with the few
exceptions noted in those film descriptions, are available from USAEC
headquarters and field libraries.
CONTENTS
Alphabetical Index of Popular Film Titles iv
A Word to New Borrowers x
Map: USAEC Film Library Locations and Service Areas xii
Where to Borrow xii
Who May Borrow xiv
How to Order xiv
Loan Requirements xv
Advice to Foreign Borrowers xvi
Where to Purchase Prints xvi
USAEC Stock Film Footage Program xviii
Description of Popular Films (by Subject Category)
Agriculture 1
Atoms for Space and SNAP 2
Atomic Energy Principles 7
Biology and Medicine 10
Education 13
Industrial Applications 15
International (Information Exchange and Training) 17
Nuclear Propulsion 20
Nuclear Reactors and Power 21
Nuclear Research 27
Nuclear Weapons and Testing 32
Peaceful Uses (Summary Films) 35
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Explosives (Plowshare) 39
Radioisotopes — Production and Handling 40
Safety, Waste Disposal, and Radiation Hazards 41
Uranium Prospecting, Mining, and Production 47
Series:
"Challenge" 48
"The Magic of the Atom" 53
"Understanding the Atom" 58
Hi
ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF
POPULAR FILM TITLES
NOTE: All popular film titles are listed alphabetically for easy refer-
ence by those civic, industrial, television, professional, government,
education, youth and adult organizations interested in films on atomic
energy.
To help teachers and others select those films which will suit the un-
derstanding levels of students and audiences, all films in this index are
recommended for groups, as indicated.
(Group 1) — Elementary School
(Group 2) — Junior and Senior High School
(Group 3) — College and University
For (Group 3) audiences, also see the USAEC
Professional- Level Catalog
A IS FOR ATOM (Group 1 and 2) 7
AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, AND POWER (Group 2) 35
ALCHEMIST'S DREAM, THE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 49
ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA (Understanding the Atom
Series) (Group 2 and 3) 58
ARMY PACKAGE POWER REACTOR (Group 2 and 3) 21
ART OF SEPARATION, THE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 49
ATOM AND AGRICULTURE, THE (Group 2 and 3) 1
ATOM AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE, THE (Group 2 and 3) . . . 10
ATOM AND INDUSTRY, THE (Group 2) 15
ATOM AND THE DOCTOR, THE (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 53
ATOM AND THE WEATHER, THE (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 53
ATOM AND YOU, THE (Group 2) '. . 35
ATOM COMES TO TOWN, THE (Group 2) . . . 35
ATOM IN INDUSTRY, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 53
ATOM IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE, THE (Understanding the
Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 58
ATOM IN THE HOSPITAL, THE (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 53
ATOM SMASHERS (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) .... 54
ATOMIC AGE FARMER (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 54
ATOMIC ALCHEMIST, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 54
ATOMIC BIOLOGY FOR MEDICINE (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 54
ATOMIC CITIES (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) .... 54
ATOMIC DETECTIVE (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2). . . 55
ATOMIC ENERGY (Group 1 and 2) 8
ATOMIC ENERGY AS A FORCE FOR GOOD (Group 2) .... 35
ATOMIC ENERGY CAN BE A BLESSING (Group 2) 35
ATOMIC FINGERPRINT, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 55
ATOMIC FURNACES (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3) .... 49
ATOMIC FURNACES (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) ... 55
ATOMIC GOLD RUSH (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) ... 55
ATOMIC GREENHOUSE, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 55
ATOMIC METALLURGY (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 56
ATOMIC PHARMACY, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 56
ATOMIC PHYSICS (Group 2 and 3) 8
ATOMIC POWER AND THE UNITED STATES (Group 2) .... 22
ATOMIC POWER PRODUCTION (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 56
ATOMIC RESEARCH: AREAS AND DEVELOPMENT
(Group 1 and 2) 28
ATOMIC TESTS IN NEVADA (Group 2) 32
ATOMIC VENTURE (Group 2 and 3) 22
ATOMIC WEATHERMAN: STRONTIUM-90 ISOTOPIC
APPLICATIONS (Group 2 and 3) 13
ATOMIC ZOO, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 56
ATOMS AT WORK: THE LATIN AMERICAN EXHIBIT
(Group 2) 17
ATOMS FOR HEALTH (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) . . 56
ATOMS FOR PEACE (Group 2) 36
ATOMS FOR PEACE: GENEVA — 1958 (Group 2 and 3) .... 18
ATOMS FOR SPACE (Group 2) 2
ATOMS FOR THE AMERICAS (Group 3) 18
ATOMS ON THE FARM (Group 2) 18
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF POWER REACTORS (Group 2) .... 23
BETA RAY SPECTROMETER (Group 3) 8
BIKINI RADIOBIOLOGICAL LABORATORY (Group 2 and 3). . . 11
BORAX: CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A BOILING
WATER REACTOR (Group 2) 22
BREEDER IN THE DESERT, A (Challenge Series) (Group 2
and 3) 49
BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 49
BUILDING FOR ATOMIC ENERGY (Group 2 and 3) 47
CHALLENGE SERIES (Group 2 and 3) 48
CHEMICAL SOMERSAULT, A (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 50
CLEAN AIR IS A BREEZE (Group 3) 28
CONTROLLING ATOMIC ENERGY (Group 1) 9
DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT, A (Group 2) 36
DOWN ON THE FARM (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3) . . . 50
ENGINEERING FOR RADIOISOTOPES (Group 2) 41
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING AT SANDIA (Group 2 and 3) . . . 32
ETERNAL CYCLE, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 56
EXPERIMENTS IN CONTROLLING BRUSH FIRES WITH
DETERGENT FOAM (Group 2 and 3) 41
FIRE FIGHTING IN THE NUCLEAR AGE (Group 2 and 3) . . . 42
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 50
FUEL OF THE FUTURE, THE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 50
FULL SPEED AHEAD (Group 2) 20
GASEOUS DIFFUSION (Group 2) 47
GAUGING THICKNESS WITH RADIOISOTOPES (Group 2
and 3) 15
GIANT OF THE EARTH (Group 2) 47
GROUP SHELTER (Group 2 and 3) 33
HALLAM NUCLEAR POWER FACILITY (Group 2 and 3) . . . . 23
HANDLE WITH CARE: THE SAFE HANDLING OF
RADIOISOTOPES, PART 1 (Group 2) 42
HARNESSING THE RAINBOW (Challenge Series]
(Group 2 and 3) 50
HARVEST OF AN ATOMIC AGE (Group 2) . 1
HIGH ENERGY PEOPLE, THE (Group 2 and 3) 29
VI
HIGH ENERGY RADIATIONS FOR MANKIND (Group 2 and 3) . . 29
IMMUNE RESPONSE, THE (Challenge Series) (Group 2
and 3) 50
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR
EXPLOSIVES (Group 2 and 3) 39
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF RADIOISOTOPES
(Group 2 and 3) 16
INDUSTRIAL ATOM, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 57
INTERNATIONAL ATOM, THE (Group 2) 19
INTRODUCING ATOMS AND NUCLEAR ENERGY (Group 1
and 2) 9
INVISIBLE BULLETS (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3). ... 51
ISOTOPES (Group 2 and 3) 41
JOBS IN ATOMIC ENERGY (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2). , 57
LIVING SOLID, THE (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3) .... 51
LIVING WITH A GLOVED BOX (Group 3) 43
LIVING WITH RADIATION (Group 2 and 3) 43
LIVING WITH THE ATOM (Group 2) 44
ML-1 MOBILE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (Group 2 and 3) . . . 23
MACHINES THAT THINK (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3) . . 51
MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES (Group 2) 53
MAGNETIC BOTTLE, THE (Group 2 and 3) 29
MAN AND RADIATION (Group 2) 36
MAN AND THE ATOM (Group 2) 36
MANY FACES OF ARGONNE, THE (Group 2 and 3) 30
MASTER SLAVE, THE (Magic of the Atom Series)
(Group 2) 57
MEDICINE (Group 2). 11
METALS FRONTIER (Group 2 and 3) 30
MICROSCOPE FOR THE UNKNOWN (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 51
NEW POWER, THE (Group 2 and 3) 24
NUCLEAR ENERGY GOES RURAL (Group 2 and 3) 24
NUCLEAR POWER FOR SPACE — SNAP-9A (Group 2 and 3) . . 4
NUCLEAR REACTIONS (Understanding the Atom Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 59
NUCLEAR REACTORS FOR RESEARCH (Group 2 and 3) .... 24
NUCLEAR REACTORS FOR SPACE (Group 2 and 3) 4
NUCLEAR SHIP SAVANNAH, THE (Group 2) 20
OF MAN AND MATTER (Group 2 and 3) 31
OFFSITE MONITORING OF FALLOUT FROM NUCLEAR
TESTS (Group 2 and 3) 33
OPERATION CROSSROADS (Group 2) 33
OPERATION GREENHOUSE (Group 2) 33
OPERATION IVY (Group 2) 34
OPERATION SANDSTONE (Group 2) 34
OPPORTUNITY UNLIMITED: FRIENDLY ATOMS IN
INDUSTRY (Group 2) 16
OUR NEAREST STAR (Group 2 and 3) 5
PAX ATOMIS: SNAP- 7 TERRESTRIAL ISOTOPIC POWER
SYSTEMS (Group 2 and 3) 5
PETRIFIED RIVER, THE (Group 2) 48
PIQUA NUCLEAR POWER FACILITY, THE (Group 2 and 3). . . 25
PM-1 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (Group 2 and 3) 25
PM-3A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT— ANTARCTICA
(Group 2 and 3)
PORTSMOUTH STORY, THE (Group 2 and 3) 48
POWER AND PROMISE (Group 2 and 3) 26
POWER FOR PROPULSION (Group 2) 6
POWER UNLIMITED (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2) . . . 57
PRIMER ON MONITORING (Group 3) 44
PRINCIPLES OF THERMAL, FAST AND BREEDER
REACTORS (Group 2 and 3) 9
PRODUCTION OF URANIUM FEED MATERIALS
(Group 2 and 3) 48
PROJECT DUGOUT (Group 2 and 3) 37
PROJECT GNOME (Group 2 and 3) 39
PROJECT ROVER (Group 2 and 3) 6
PROJECT SEDAN (Group 2 and 3) 40
PROJECT SHOAL (Group 2 and 3) 38
PROPERTIES OF RADIATION (Understanding the Atom
Series) (Group 2 and 3) 59
PROTECTING THE ATOMIC WORKER (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 57
RADIATION AND MATTER (Understanding the Atom
Series) (Group 2 and 3) 60
RADIATION AND THE POPULATION (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 51
RADIATION DETECTION BY IONIZATION (Understanding
the Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 60
RADIATION DETECTION BY SCINTILLATION (Understanding
the Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 61
RADIATION IN BIOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION (Group 2) ... 11
RADIATION IN PERSPECTIVE (Group 2 and 3) 44
RADIATION PROTECTION IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE
(GroupS) 12
RADIATION SAFETY IN NUCLEAR ENERGY EXPLORATIONS
(Group 2 and 3) 45
RADIATION: SILENT SERVANT OF MANKIND (Magic of the
Atom Series) (Group 2) 57
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY (Understanding
the Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 61
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE (Understanding
the Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 61
RADIOISOTOPES IN BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE
(Understanding the Atom Series) (Group 2 and 3) 62
RADIOISOTOPES: SAFE SERVANTS OF INDUSTRY
(Group 2 and 3) 17
RADIOLOGICAL SAFETY (Understanding the Atom Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 63
REGULATION OF ATOMIC RADIATION, THE (Group 2) .... 46
RIDDLE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, THE (Magic of the Atom
Series) (Group 2) 57
ROUNDUP (Group 2 and 3) 2
SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT (Group 2) 38
SEARCH — URANIUM PROSPECTING AND MINING, THE
(Group 2 and 3) 48
SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 52
SNAP-III OPERATIONAL TESTS (Group 2 and 3) 6
SNAPSHOT (Group 2 and 3) 7
STORY OF CAMP CENTURY: CITY UNDER THE ICE, THE
(Group 2) 26
TAGGING THE ATOM (Magic of the Atom Series) (Group 2). . . 58
TALE OF TWO CITIES (Group 2) 34
TARGET NEVADA (Group 2) 34
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICES OF THE AEC
(Group 2 and 3) 14
TESTING FOR TOMORROW (Challenge Series) (Group 2
and 3) 52
TIME — THE SUREST POISON (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 52
TOMORROW'S POWER — TODAY (Group 1 and 2) 27
TRACING AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY (Challenge Series)
(Group 2 and 3) 52
TRACING LIVING CELLS (Challenge Series) (Group 2 and 3) . . 52
TRAINING MEN FOR THE ATOMIC AGE (Group 2 and 3) . . . 19
UNDER WAY (Group 2) 21
UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES (Group 2 and 3) . . . . 58
UNLOCKING THE ATOM (Group 2) 10
WORKING TOGETHER (Group 2) 19
WORKING WITH RADIATION (Challenge Series) (Group 2
and 3) 53
WORLDS WITHIN, THE (Group 2 and 3) . 31
A WORD TO NEW BORROWERS
As part of its information and education program, the United States
Atomic Energy Commission maintains motion picture libraries from
which qualified borrowers throughout the United States and Canada may
obtain 16-mm, sound-track films which explain various aspects of
atomic energy.
All of these films are loaned free, and only for educational, non-
profit, non-commercial screenings. Also, many are approved for use
in unsponsored "public service" telecasts.
In the catalog, there are 17 subject categories, which are listed in the
Table of Contents. The films and cross references are listed alpha-
betically within each category. As of September 1965, the 10 domestic
USAEC Motion Picture Libraries stocked more than 172 different popu-
lar titles covering a wide variety of atomic energy subjects. The films
listed in this "Popular Level" catalog employ a general treatment to
make them as widely understood as possible. In addition, for teacher
selection of films best suited for students, the alphabetical listing of
titles includes designations for elementary schools as (Group 1), for
junior high schools and senior high schools as (Group 2), and for col-
leges and above as (Group 3).
The USAEC also has available for loan more than 191 other technical
films which deal with specific scientific, technological, and engineering
aspects of the atomic energy program. These "Professional Level"
films are not generally suitable for students below the university level,
nor for non-students other than professional scientists, engineers, and
technologists. Persons interested in the more specialized films may
obtain a copy of the "Professional Level" catalog by writing to the
Audio- Visual Branch, Division of Public Information, U. S. Atomic En-
ergy Commission, Washington, D. C. 20545; the Educational Services
Branch, Division of Technical Information, U. S. Atomic Energy Com-
mission, Washington, D. C. 20545; or the Division of Technical Infor-
mation Extension, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, P. O. Box 62, Oak
Ridge, Tenn. 37831.
Subsequent pages of this catalog contain information and instructions
designed to make selection and use of these films as trouble-free as
possible. In ordering please refer to each film by its full title.
PLEASE NOTE: Title listings and borrowing instructions contained
in this catalog pertain directly to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's
headquarters film library, which serves Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Other USAEC film
libraries may issue slightly different title listings and instructions
tailored to their particular needs. Borrowers should therefore be guided
by the specific information supplied by the library which is servicing
their requests.
FOREIGN BORROWERS: Please refer to "Advice to Foreign Borrow-
ers," page xvi.
"**4li
USAEC
MOTION PICTURE
FILM LIBRARY
LOCATIONS AND
SERVICE AREAS
WHERE TO BORROW
Please address your loan requests to the library assigned responsibil-
ity for your area, even if another library is nearer.
Borrower,
If You Live In
Alaska, Oregon,
Washington
California, Hawaii,
Nevada
Service
Area
#1
Address Your Requests To
Film Library
Information Division
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Richland Operations Office
P. O. Box 550
Richland, Washington 99352
509-942-1111. Ext. 64846
Public Information Office
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
San Francisco Operations Office
2111 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, California 94704
Arizona, New Mexico
Oklahoma, Texas
Idaho, Montana, Utah
Colorado, Kansas,
Nebraska, Wyoming
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, North Dakota,
Ohio, South Dakota,
Wisconsin
Arkansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi,
Tennessee
Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont
Delaware, District of
Columbia, Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia,
and Canada
Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina,
South Carolina
#3 Film Librarian
Information Division
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
P. O. Box 5400
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87115
#4 Mack C. Corbett, Director
Office of Information
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Idaho Operations Office
P. O. Box 2108
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83401
#5 Neilsen B. O'Rear, Director
Information Division
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Grand Junction Office
Grand Junction, Colorado 81502
#6 Ruth Jones
Information Office
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Chicago Operations Office
9800 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, Illinois 60439
312-739-7711, Ext. 2109
#7 Peggy McConnell, Film
Librarian
Public Information Office
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Oak Ridge Operations Office
P. O. Box E
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
#8 Beatrice Martinelli
Public Information Service
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
New York Operations Office
376 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
#9 Sid L. Schwartz
Audio- Visual Branch, Division of
Public Information
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington, D. C. 20545
#10 Film Librarian
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Savannah River Operations Office
P. O. Box A
Aiken, South Carolina 29802
803-824-6331, Ext. 3267
xiii
CANADIAN BORROWERS
Residents of Canada may obtain many of the films in this catalog from
the National Science Film Library, Canadian Film Institute, 1762 Carl-
ing St., Ottawa 13, Ontario, Canada. Films not available from this
source may be ordered by writing directly to the Audio- Visual Branch,
Division of Public Information U. S. Atomic Energy Commission,
Washington, D. C. 20545.
WHO MAY BORROW
Residents of the United States and Canada who are bona fide represen-
tatives of educational, civic, industrial, professional, youth activity,
and government organizations are invited to borrow films from the
USAEC Motion Picture Library which services their area. Because of
wear and tear that results from repeated projection, films are loaned
for group showings, and not for screening before individuals or in
homes. Because custody of the films involves both legal and financial
responsibility, films cannot be loaned to minors.
Television stations may borrow and show all films except those
marked "NOT cleared for television."
Television stations desiring to program any of the 28 films produced
for the "Magic of the Atom" series by Handel Film Corporation,
6926 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Calif. 90038, should obtain the re-
quired special permission of the producer before requesting these
prints from the USAEC libraries. In some cases, telecasting rights will
be arranged by the Audio- Visual Branch, Division of Public Information,
USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545, upon request.
HOW TO ORDER
USAEC Motion Picture Libraries enjoy heavy patronage throughout the
year, so it is important that borrowers needing particular titles should
make their requests as far in advance of their scheduled showing date
as possible. Most USAEC libraries request at least 3 weeks advance
notice on all films ordered. Since some titles are booked solidly in ad-
vance for several months, borrowers should attempt to specify at least
two other acceptable titles and one other acceptable alternate showing
date. (Most USAEC libraries respond to all requests involving a con-
flict with advice on what film will be shipped, and when.)
LOAN REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements apply to all films and all borrowers, re-
gardless of which USAEC Motion Picture Library provides the service:
1. Projection must be on good motion picture sound equipment, and
by a trained operator.
2. No borrower may remove under any circumstances — even tem-
porarily— any footage from USAEC library films on loan to him, either
to delete damaged sprocket holes or to edit or digest selected scenes.
3. Films do break, and occasionally will require splicing by the bor-
rower. However, it is preferred that damaged films be returned to the
libraries for the professional repairs available there. Do not use
"scotch" tape for emergency splices. Either unrepaired damage or
splicing accomplished by the borrower should be noted on the "Report
of Screenings and Attendance" so that the film may be fully repaired
before it is shipped to the next borrower.
4. Borrowers planning to show a number of films on a protracted
schedule should request delivery of specific films on a staggered sched-
ule to facilitate maximum use by other borrowers. No borrower may
hold a film past scheduled return date without express prior permis-
sion of the issuing USAEC library.
5. No borrower may release a USAEC film from his personal posses-
sion for reloan to another individual or agency without express prior
permission of the issuing USAEC library. Except where heavy demand
requires tighter scheduling, borrowers are normally allowed to retain
films for four or five days.
6. Borrowers are obligated to complete the "Report of Screenings
and Attendance" report enclosed with each film.
7. A few of the libraries, namely New York, Chicago, and San Fran-
cisco Operations Offices, prefer that a film be returned to the can after
the last screening without rewinding. However, most of the remaining
USAEC libraries prefer to have film rewound unless they issue spe-
cific contrary instructions.
8. Films are shipped from the libraries at government expense, but
return shipment charges are borne by the borrower.
9. Films are normally shipped by par eel post, but it is the borrower's
responsibility to use any available means — including air express, air
mail, or personal delivery — to assure that films being returned shall
reach the libraries on or before the due date.
10. Borrowers must reimburse the government for any damage be-
yond normal wear and tear to USAEC library films, and for any lost
films. All libraries require that borrowers insure each reel for $50.00
during its return shipment to provide proof of mailing, to facilitate
tracing of temporarily lost films, and to permit ready replacement of
any films lost permanently.
Optimum service to the thousands of borrowers utilizing USAEC Motion
Picture Libraries is possible only when each individual borrower com-
plies fully with these requirements. Failure of a borrower to follow the
instructions of the library which has serviced his request may result in
suspension of the service to the borrower and his organization.
ADVICE TO FOREIGN BORROWERS
Because most of the titles stocked by the USAEC Motion Picture Li-
braries are in heavy demand by U. S. borrowers and because shipments
abroad would involve lengthy, nonproductive periods in transit, it is
not considered practical to extend this film library service to other
than U. S. and Canadian residents.
However, a number of the titles listed in this catalog have been ac-
quired by the U. S. Information Agency for use in various U. S. Infor-
mation Service film libraries throughout the world. Residents of each
nation should seek assistance directly from the nearest U. S. Infor-
mation Service at the American Embassy in the capital city of their
country.
In addition, prints owned by the USAEC are available for loan to the
U. S. Information Agency in Washington, which will arrange to provide
prints on a brief loan basis to the U. S. Information Service posts over-
seas.
Also, the USAEC maintains five film libraries overseas, at its liai-
son offices at the American embassies in Tokyo, Brussels, London,
Buenos Aires, and the U. S. Information Service post at Stockholm. The
films are maintained in behalf of the Commission by the U. S. Informa-
tion Service posts at those embassies. Please direct your inquiry to
the USAEC office at the embassy.
Many of the films in this catalog are in the film library of the Inter-
national Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna; and in the American Film
Library, The Hague, Holland.
Residents of Canada see page xiv, for reference to National Science
Film Library of Canada, following Listing of U. S. Service Areas.
WHERE TO PURCHASE PRINTS
Most films listed in this catalog may be purchased from private com-
mercial suppliers — NOT the USAEC. It is suggested that organizations
which have continuing requirements for repeated screenings of the
xvi
same film may find it more satisfactory, and perhaps more economical
also, to own a print than to borrow it.
In the Description of Films, wherever possible the commercial sup-
plier from whom prints may be purchased, and also the approximate
price as known is indicated. Since prices may change, it is suggested
that prospective purchasers obtain up-to-date quotations before order-
ing, by writing to the proper commercial supplier:
AEROJET- GENERAL CORPORATION
Contracts Division
Azusa, California 91703
B & O FILM SPECIALISTS
619 West 54th Street
New York, N. Y. 10001
BYRON MOTION PICTURES
1226 Wisconsin Avenue, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20007
CALVIN PRODUCTIONS, INC.
1105 Truman Road
Kansas City, Missouri 64106
CAPITAL FILM LABORATO-
RIES, INC.
470 E Street, S. W.
Washington, D. C. 20024
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF
THE UNITED STATES
Audio- Visual Services
Department
1615 H Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20006
COLBURN, GEO. W., LABORA-
TORY, INC.
164 North Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
COLOR SERVICE CO., INC.
115 West 45th Street
New York, N. Y. 10036
COLORADO MINING ASSOCIA-
TION
204 State Office Building
Denver, Colorado 80200
CONSOLIDATED FILM INDUS-
TRIES
959 Seward Street
Hollywood, California 90038
CONTEMPORARY FILMS, INC.
267 West 25th Street
New York, N. Y. 10001
CORONET INSTRUCTIONAL
FILMS
Coronet Building
Chicago, Illinois 60600
DuART FILM LABORATORIES,
INC.
245 West 55th Street
New York, N. Y. 10019
ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA
FILMS, INC.
1150 Wilmette Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
FILMSERVICE LABORATORIES
6327 Santa Monica Boulevard
Hollywood, California 90038
GENERAL ELECTRIC COM-
PANY
Film Production and Distribution
60 Washington Avenue
Schenectady, New York 12305
GENERAL FILM LABORATO-
RIES
1546 North Argyle Avenue
Hollywood, California 90028
GERALD PRODUCTIONS, INC.
421 West 54th Street
New York, N. Y. 10019
HANDEL FILM CORPORATION
6926 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, California 90038
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Film Production Unit
Alice Norton House
Ames, Iowa 50010
LANE, ANTHONY, STUDIOS, INC.
7401 Wayzata Boulevard
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AIR
FORCE STATION, USAF
8935 Wonderland Avenue
Hollywood, California 90046
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COM-
PANY
330 West 42nd Street
New York, N. Y. 10036
MPO DISTRIBUTION, INC.
15 East 53rd Street
New York, N. Y. 10022
xvii
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF
CANADA
680 Fifth Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10019
NAVAL PHOTOGRAPHIC CENTER
U. S. Navy
Anacostia, D. C. 20390
NET FILM SERVICE
Audio- Visual Center
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana 47405
ORLEANS FILM PRODUCTIONS
Ford Place
Knoxville, Tennessee 37900
PALMER, W. A., FILMS, INC.
611 Howard Street
San Francisco, California 94105
PARAMOUNT PICTURES COR-
PORATION
1501 Broadway
New York, N. Y. 10036
REED, ROLAND, PRODUCTIONS,
INC.
8822 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, California 90231
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AG-
RICULTURE
Motion Picture Service
Washington, D. C. 20250
UNITED WORLD FILMS
221 Park Avenue South
New York, N. Y. 10003
USAEC STOCK FILM FOOTAGE PROGRAM
The U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, to encourage education and in-
formation in the field of atomic energy, has made available for motion
picture and television producers 16-mm color and 35-mm or 16-mm
black-and-white stock film footage covering nearly all aspects of this
broad program.
Color stock footage in 16-mm is available from the completed color
films made by the USAEC and its national laboratories and contractors.
Producers are invited to make footage counts on films borrowed from
the film libraries and then to contact the Audio- Visual Branch, as noted
below for information on how to obtain duplicating material. Producers
are not permitted to clip films borrowed from the film libraries.
More than 120,000 feet of unedited 35-mm and 16-mm black-and-
white stock film footage without sound track is also available. The ma-
terial covers unclassified aspects of nationwide USAEC and contrac-
tor research and operations at 13 installations, including the national
laboratories.
It should be noted that these materials are NOT COMPLETED MO-
TION PICTURES FOR GENERAL SHOWING AND ARE NOT FOR LOAN.
The footage is being distributed at standard government cost rates
through a government depository. Subject matter lists and informa-
tion sheets are available.
The footage, although unedited, has been assembled in progression
to aid producers in making complete motion pictures, adding their own
film editing, narration, titles, etc. Detailed script notes are available
to qualified users of the footage in the educational motion-picture field,
television, industrial and educational organizations, government agen-
cies, etc.
Requests to search and draw from the black-and-white footage, and
any other inquiries, should be addressed to the Audio- Visual Branch,
Division of Public Information, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission,
Washington, D. C. 20545.
DESCRIPTION OF POPULAR FILMS
(by Subject Category)
AGRICULTURE
THE ATOM AND AGRICULTURE (1953). 10 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films,
at $62.15 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for
television.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, explains the use of radiation, including radioisotope tracers, for
photosynthesis research, study of fertilizer uptake and use, and to ef-
fect genetic changes in corn and other crops.
ATOMIC AGE FARMER (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 54
ATOMIC GREENHOUSE (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 55
ATOMS ON THE FARM See page 18
HARVEST OF AN ATOMIC AGE (1963). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
Produced with the technical assistance of the USAEC, Brookhaven Na-
tional Laboratory and Michigan State University, the film illustrates
the progress achieved by U. S. scientists in using radiation to create
new strains of disease- and weather- resistant food crops with higher
yields. We see both the research work at USAEC's Brookhaven Na-
tional Laboratory and the field work with new varieties of commercial
crops. The specific example shown is the development of the Sanilac
bean by Michigan State University plant geneticists. The Sanilac bean
is disease- resistant and stands upright, permitting machine-harvesting.
The film explains simply the theories of radiation-induced plant muta-
tions, the methods, and the complexity of the long-term work.
RADIATION: SILENT SERVANT OF MANKIND (Magic of the Atom
Series) See page 57
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
RADIOISOTOPES IN BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE (Understanding the
Atom Series) See page 62
RIDDLE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS (Magic of the Atom Series). . . .
See page 57
ROUNDUP (1960). 18!/4 minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, the U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture, Motion Picture Service, at $80.00 per print, including ship-
ping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This film describes the use of radiation to eradicate the screwworm
fly in the southeastern United States, an insect pest that had caused
large losses to livestock owners. The film describes how the screw-
worm fly deposits its eggs in a cut or insect bite on the skin of a warm-
blooded animal. The eggs hatch to worms that feed on live flesh and
then fall to the ground, where they burrow into the soil and change to
pupae. Ten days later the fly emerges and mates, and the cycle con-
tinues. The film shows typical cases of screwworm infestation. Ento-
mologists of the Agricultural Research Service suggested that since
screwworm flies mate only once, if a method of sexually sterilizing
flies could be found, eradication was possible. Since X ray was too ex-
pensive, radioactive cobalt (60Co) was selected to do the sterilization
job. The plan was tested on the tiny island of Curasao off the coast of
Venezuela, where sterilized male flies were released from aircraft
in patterns over the island. In six months the pest was eliminated.
Similar operations were followed in Florida and other southeastern
states. A huge screwworm factory was built in Florida, where 50 mil-
lion flies were reared and sterilized in a week, with pupae subjected to
8000 roentgens of gamma rays. Ten million sterilized male flies were
airdropped on infested areas. Eventually the screwworm fly was
brought under full control and largely eradicated. (Nontechnical: suit-
able for all audience levels.)
TRACING AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY (Challenge Series) ....
See page 52
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
ATOMIC WEATHERMAN: STRONTIUM-90 ISOTOPIC APPLICATIONS
See page 13
ATOMS FOR SPACE (1962). 28% minutes, color.
Produced by Atomics International and the Martin Company for
USAEC. For sale by General Film Laboratories, at $125.00 for
one print, including shipping case, prepaid parcel post book rate.
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
This film describes the development and use of compact nuclear power
sources for space under the Atomic Energy Commission's Systems for
Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) program. The film features the first
use of atomic power in the nation's space effort and briefly covers the
uses of SNAP devices on land and sea. By means of animation and
models, the two basic concepts of the SNAP program are shown. In one
approach the energy of decay from radioactive isotopes is used to gen-
erate electricity directly, without moving parts. This method is being
developed for the USAEC by the Martin Company, the aerospace divi-
sion of the Martin Marietta Corporation. A SNAP isotopic-power gen-
erator was launched on board the Navy's Transit navigation satellite
in June 1961, marking the first use of nuclear power in space. The
other SNAP approach uses, the heat from a compact nuclear-fission
reactor to generate electricity by a turbogenerator system or by direct
conversion. The nuclear- reactor systems being developed by Atomics
International, a division of North American Aviation, Inc., will provide
from 500 to 60,000 watts of electricity in space for one year. They can
provide power for a satellite network for worldwide communications,
weather observation, and navigation. The film briefly summarizes
the importance of the use of space in the areas of communications;
weather observation; research; navigation; astronomy and exploration;
and the consequent need, as space technology advances, for more com-
pact electrical power sources. A detailed explanation is given of the
isotopic-power source aboard the Transit-4A navigational satellite,
which produces almost 3 electrical watts — enough to power two of the
satellite's four navigational radio transmitter systems for five years
or more. The isotopic-powered navigation equipment is transmitting
precise signals that are being received all over the globe. The opera-
tional Transit satellite system will provide navigational information
from which aircraft and ships around the world will be able to fix their
positions within 0.1 mile. The film reviews the various nuclear-
reactor-powered units, including SNAP-2, which will provide 3000
watts of electricity in space for one year; SNAP-10A, which will pro-
vide 500 watts for one year; and SNAP- 8, which will generate up to
60,000 watts and will pioneer electric propulsion in the U. S. space
program. SNAP power systems in three satellites in 24-hr orbit around
the earth could provide a worldwide TV network with multilingual audio
channels. Safety factors and safety testing of both types of SNAP units
are shown. Since the fuel of the isotopic devices is radioactive itself,
the capsule has been designed to keep it sealed on the launching pad,
during launch, and in orbit. The SNAP nuclear -reactor systems are
being so designed that, after a useful long life in space, they will shut
down, cool off radioactively for a long period, and finally burn up on
reentry. The small amount of remaining activity will be widely dis-
persed safely in, the vast area of the outer atmosphere. SNAP systems
also have uses in remote areas on land and sea. An unmanned gen-
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
erator that transmits weather data to permanent Canadian and U.S.
weather stations is now in operation in the Canadian Arctic (see film
"Atomic Weatherman"). A more powerful version of this unit, with a
potential life of 10 years, is supplying power for an unmanned auto-
matic weather station in the Antarctic. Other SNAP devices will be
used for sea buoys, navigation beacons, and portable electric-power
stations. The film also briefly summarizes some of the planned space
efforts of the future which will use nuclear auxiliary power.
NUCLEAR POWER FOR SPACE — SNAP 9A (1963). 12 minutes, color.
Produced by the Martin Company. For sale by Byron Motion
Pictures, at $37.26 per print, including shipping case.
This is a semitechnical film for high-school- and college-level audi-
ences. After showing the launching of a new satellite, which is being
wholly powered by a nuclear generator, animation is used to explain
the use of its isotopic generator to create power to run electronic
equipment, recording equipment, and transmit data back to earth for
analysis. The advantages of nuclear energy are shown over the use of
chemical energy and solar energy. The principles of power generation
by isotopic decay are explained, showing how thermocouples convert
the decaying isotopes' heat directly to electricity. A comparison of the
isotopes Plutonium- 23 8 and Curium-242, both used in SNAP isotope
power systems, is made. It discusses the design features of the SNAP-
9A which are the result of 7 years of research. Safety tests of the iso-
tope capsule, including explosion tests, fire tests, impact tests, and
re-entry tests are shown.
NUCLEAR REACTORS FOR SPACE (1961). 17 minutes, color.
Produced by Atomics International for the USAEC. For sale by
Byron Motion Pictures, at $54.05 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C. Also available forfree loan from
Atomics International, P. O. Box 309, Canoga Park, Calif. 91305.
The SNAP program — Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power — is an
AEC program to develop long-lived auxiliary power from nuclear en-
ergy for use in satellites and space vehicles. Compact atomic reactors
being developed by Atomics International for use in SNAP systems are
shown in this semitechnical film. Safety characteristics of the SNAP
reactor during fabrication, testing, transport, installation, launching,
and use in space are described. Detailed sequences filmed at Atomics
International on fabrication and testing show the simplicity and com-
pactness of the reactors. Safety features are described in scenes that
illustrate shipping, launch- site activities, and launch of the reactor
into space. The burnup and dispersal of the reactor during reentry
into the atmosphere are shown in a detailed animation sequence. Many
beneficial uses of SNAP in the U. S. national space program are
illustrated.
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
OUR NEAREST STAR (1961). 12 minutes, color.
Produced by the Nuclear Division of the Martin Company. For
sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $48.26 per print, including
shipping case.
A SNAP isotopic power system has been placed in orbit aboard the
Transit-4A navigational satellite. This simple, powerful device is the
first application of nuclear power in space. The system, which powers
two of Transit's four navigational radio transmitters, is designed to
operate for five years or more. Against a background of the Transit
Program, this semitechnical film follows the development and testing
of the radioisotope fuel capsule and the thermoelectric generator that
make up this SNAP system. The film shows the Thor-Able-Star gantry
at Cape Kennedy as the SNAP unit is mounted on Transit, and, when the
system is launched, the view is from the blockhouse and the launch pad.
PAX ATOMIS: SNAP- 7 TERRESTRIAL ISOTOPIC POWER SYSTEMS
(1965). 25 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Martin Company. For sale by
Gerald Productions, at $90.64 per print, including shipping case,
F.O.B. New York City.
Useful to both educated-lay-level and technical audiences, including
high school and college groups, this film summarizes the parallel
development of a family of fully shielded thermoelectric power con-
verters and chemical processing of the radioisotope Strontium-90 fuel.
Laboratory procedures are depicted for thermoelectric couple assem-
bly into a compact operating system capable of converting heat energy
into electrical current without the need for moving parts. Compacting
of Strontium-90 raw material into ceramic titanate pellets and encap-
sulation of the fuel pellets into high strength metal containers are
illustrated.
Fully shielded Strontium-90 fueled, thermoelectric generators have
been placed into operational service at remote outposts from north of
the Arctic Circle to the South Pole. Developed by the U. S. Atomic
Energy Commission under the SNAP (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary
Power) program, they are now proving the feasibility of reliable, un-
attended electrical power production from heat generated by decay of
radioisotopes.
Installation of the SNAP -7 generator family — to power unattended
weather stations in Antarctica and the Gulf of Mexico, navigational aids
to shipping in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, deep sea acous-
tic research in the Atlantic Ocean — is depicted by means of film foot-
age obtained during actual installation and implantment at the operating
sites.
The film concludes with a description of current development work
and predictions relating to the next generation of Strontium-90 thermo-
electric power supplies for terrestrial uses.
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
POWER FOR PROPULSION (1965). 15 minutes, color.
Produced by the Aerojet-General Corporation. Queries on sale
of prints should be directed to Aerojet-General Corporation.
This film traces the history of power sources for propulsion from
Watt's tea kettle to atomic rocket engines. The major steps are cov-
ered: Goddard's 1926 rocket engine, the German V-2's, U. S. Aerobees
and Vikings, the Soviet 1957 Sputnik followed by the first astronauts and
then reactor power for ships. The importance of Robert Goddard's
liquid rocket and Enrico Fermi's atomic pile is stressed, with par-
ticular emphasis upon the inevitable fusion of these two great power
sources into one massive propulsion system. Animation sequences are
used to illustrate principles of rocketry, Newton's Law of Motion and
operation of nuclear rocket engines. Actual development of NERVA,
Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application, is shown, including its
first test firing at the AEC-NASA Nuclear Rocket Development Station
in Jackass Flats, Nevada. Finally, U. S. developments for deep space
pay-load missions to the moon, a fly-by of Mercury, then Venus,
Mars and beyond for new insights into the universe.
PROJECT ROVER (1963). 2lV2 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
For sale by the Calvin Productions, at $58.33 per print, includ-
ing shipping case, F.O.B. Kansas City.
This film is a 1962 progress report on the USAEC's Project Rover, a
program for the development of a nuclear rocket for spacecraft pro-
pulsion. An animated explanation of the principle of the nuclear rocket
is given demonstrating the advantages of the nuclear rocket system. A
survey of the work at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory follows,
showing work done in the design, fabrication and testing of a Kiwi non-
flying test reactor. This includes: core configuration studies in a
"Honeycomb," the reactor design staff at work, the test facilities, the
blending of graphite and uranium for fuel, and construction of the re-
actor components by contractors. Testing of the Kiwi at the Nuclear
Rocket Development Station in Nevada is shown.
SNAP III OPERATIONAL TESTS (1960). 18 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Martin Company, Nuclear Di-
vision. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $62.37 per print,
including shipping case.
This semitechnical film describes operational tests (vibration, shock,
acceleration, fire, explosion, land and sea impact, effects of salt wa-
ter, aerodynamic heating, etc.) on the 4-lb SNAP HI isotopic-power
unit, which uses 210Po to generate more than 3 watts as a source of
auxiliary power for space vehicles. Conclusion: SNAP HI will operate
effectively on launch and in orbit.
ATOMIC ENERGY PRINCIPLES
SNAPSHOT (1965). 29 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by Atomics International. For sale by
General Film Laboratories, at $95.00 per print, including ship-
ping case, F.O.B. Hollywood.
This film with an introduction by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of
the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission — useful for both popular-level
and technical audiences — describes the scheduled flight test in space
of the 500-watt SNAP-10A nuclear space power system. SNAP-lOAwill
be mated to the forward end of an Atlas-Agena booster system and
launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Primary ob-
jective of the SNAPSHOT flight, a cooperative effort of the Atomic
Energy Commission and the United States Air Force, is to obtain
technical information and demonstrate the utility of nuclear reactor
power systems for application in America's space programs. Atomics
International is the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission's prime contrac-
tor for SNAP-10A development. Orbital startup and operation in space
of the reactor and the thermoelectric power converter is explained by
animation. Highlighted in this film is the extensive development and
testing program which has resulted in the flight- ready SNAP-10A
power system. A series of qualification system tests, including a full-
scale nuclear system ground test in a simulated space environment, is
reviewed and summarized. This series of tests duplicated the environ-
ments the flight system will endure through factory assembly, shipping,
launch, and orbit operation. The film explains the need for SNAP re-
actor power systems in current and future space projects.
ATOMIC ENERGY PRINCIPLES
A IS FOR ATOM (Revised version, 1964). 15 minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, the General Electric Company, at
about $120.00 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared
for television.
This nontechnical, fully animated film, for elementary through high
school-level audiences, explains the structure of the atom using an
analogy to the solar system, discusses natural elements and artificially
produced elements showing how they are identified by number, de-
scribes stable and unstable atoms, and tells of the discovery of nuclear
fission. It explains how a chain reaction is produced, describes the
principles of a nuclear reactor and its application for electrical power
and propulsion, and reviews some of the many benefits of atomic ra-
diation in industry, biology, medicine, and agriculture.
ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA (Understanding the Atom Series) ....
See page 58
ATOMIC ENERGY PRINCIPLES
ATOMIC ENERGY (1950). 10 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films,
at $62.15 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for
television.
This film for intermediate and high school-level audiences offers an
introduction to atomic principles. With animation, it explains the struc-
ture of the atom and defines protons, electrons and neutrons. It de-
scribes the process of nuclear synthesis and shows how, through photo-
synthesis, the sun's energy is stored on earth and released through
combustion. The fission process and the chain reaction are also
described.
ATOMIC FURNACES (Challenge Series) See page 49
ATOMIC PHYSICS (1948). 90 minutes (2 reels), black and white.
Produced by J. Arthur Rank Organisation, Ltd. For sale by
United World Films, at $523.00 per print, including shipping
case. NOT cleared for television.
This film discusses the history and development of atomic energy,
stressing nuclear physics. Dalton's basic atomic theory, Faraday's
early experiments in electrolysis, Mendeleev's periodic table, and
early concepts and size of atoms and molecules are discussed also.
The film demonstrates how cathode rays were investigated and how
the electron was discovered; how the nature of positive rays was es-
tablished; how X rays were found and put to use. The film also pre-
sents research tools of nuclear physics, explains work of Joliot-Curie
and Chadwick in discovery of neutron, and splitting of lithium atom by
Cockcroft and Walton. Einstein tells how their work illustrates his
theory of equivalence of mass and energy. Uranium fission is explained,
as well as why it is possible to make an atomic bomb.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF POWER REACTORS .... See page 23
BETA RAY SPECTROMETER (1963). 7 minutes, 5 seconds, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Argonne National Laboratory. For
sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $22.71 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
By animation and live action, this film explains the principles and
working of the Coincidence Beta Ray Spectrometer, a device Which is
used to measure the intensity and direction of electron emissions known
as beta particles. Components of the device are shown and assembled.
A source is introduced. Masking for beam direction and size is dem-
onstrated. Detectors are shown and explained.
ATOMIC ENERGY PRINCIPLES
A BREEDER IN THE DESERT (Challenge Series) . . . See page 49
CONTROLLING ATOMIC ENERGY (1961). ISVi minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, United World Films, at $135.00
per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for television.
A basic teaching film (which uses the conversation of a young student
and a scientist who is writing a book about atomic energy) summariz-
ing, briefly, by live action and animation, the following: what is an
atom; radioactive atoms; measuring radioactivity; uranium; nuclear
fission; the chain reaction; the controlled chain reaction in reactors;
how reactors are used for production of electricity for power and
propulsion; and the production of radioisotopes for applications in
biology, medical diagnosis and therapy, agriculture, industry, and
research. (For students in the 5th to 8th grades.)
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
See page 50
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
INTRODUCING ATOMS AND NUCLEAR ENERGY (1963). 11 minutes,
black ana white or color.
Produced by, and for sale by, Coronet Instructional Films, at
$60.00 per print in black and white, and $121.50 in color, in-
cluding shipping case. NOT cleared for television.
Although this teaching film — explaining the general structure of the
atom and showing how changes in the nucleus may produce energy
used by man — was prepared for intermediate grades and junior high
school use it will also be useful for lay-level adult audiences that wish
a basic, concise primer on the subject. The film discusses: the com-
position of atoms — protons and electrons; how the nucleus releases
the energy of the atom by losing particles (decomposition); nuclear
fission, chain reaction and nuclear reactors; nuclear fusion in the sun;
and, very briefly, the uses of nuclear energy. (Suitable for students
from the 4th through 9th grades.)
INVISIBLE BULLETS (Challenge Series) See page 51
MICROSCOPE FOR THE UNKNOWN (Challenge Series) . See page 51
PRINCIPLES OF THERMAL, FAST AND BREEDER REACTORS (1963).
9 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $27.09 per print, including ship-
ping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
10 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
This animated film offers an explanation of nuclear fission, the chain
reaction, and the control of this reaction in three basic types of reac-
tors. It describes the principles of fast and thermal reactors and intro-
duces the concepts of the moderator and reflector. The breeder prin-
ciple is described, and plutonium and thorium cycles are indicated.
(This film can be used as a companion to "Basic Principles of Power
Reactors.")
PROPERTIES OF RADIATION (Understanding the Atom Series) . .
See page 59
RADIATION AND MATTER (Understanding the Atom Series) . . .
See page 60
SEARCHING FOR. THE ULTIMATE (Challenge Series)
See page 52
UNLOCKING THE ATOM (1950). 20 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, United World Films, at $120.00
per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for television.
Primarily for junior- and senior-high-school audiences, this film ex-
plains the principles that govern the atom and its uses. It describes:
chain reaction; atomic structure; properties of alpha, beta, and gamma
rays; cyclotrons; and contributions of various scientists.
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
THE ART OF SEPARATION (Challenge Series) .... See page 49
THE ATOM AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE (1953). 12 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films,
at $62.15 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for
television.
This is a technical film for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences. It identifies and illustrates uses of radioactivity in several
areas of biology; effects of radiation on growth and heredity of plants
and animals; tracer studies; photosynthesis studies; and measures to
protect the investigating scientists.
THE ATOM AND THE DOCTOR (Magic of the Atom Series) ....
See page 53
THE ATOM IN THE HOSPITAL (Magic of the Atom Series) ....
See page 53
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE ll
ATOMIC BIOLOGY FOR MEDICINE (Magic of the Atom Series)
See page 54
THE ATOMIC ZOO (Magic of the Atom Series) .... See page 56
ATOMS FOR HEALTH (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 56
BIKINI RADIQBIOLOGICAL LABORATORY (1949). 22 minutes, color.
Produced by the University of Washington and the USAEC. For
sale by Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, USAF, at $92.00
per print from master, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, explains studies of effects of radioactivity from the 1946 atomic
tests at Bikini Atoll, on plants and marine life in the area three years
later.
BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE (Challenge Series) ... See page 49
DOWN ON THE FARM (Challenge Series) See page 50
THE ETERNAL CYCLE (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 56
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
See page 50
THE IMMUNE RESPONSE (Challenge Series) .... See page 50
THE LIVING SOLID (Challenge Series) See page 51
MEDICINE (1957). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This nontechnical film gives four illustrations of the use of radioac-
tive materials in diagnosis and therapy; exact pre-operative location
of brain tumor; scanning and charting of thyroids; cancer therapy re-
search; and the study of blood diseases and hardening of the arteries.
RADIATION AND THE POPULATION (Challenge Series)
See page 51
RADIATION IN BIOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION (1962). IS1/*, minutes,
black and white or color.
Produced by, and for sale by, Coronet Instructional Films, at
$75.00 per print for black and white, and $150.00 for color. NOT
cleared for television.
12 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
The purpose of this film is to explain to junior and senior high- school
students in biology, general science, or physics the meaning of high-
energy radiation and to show how this radiation is used in biological
research. To accomplish its objective, this film briefly reviews light
from the sun (wave radiation), radio waves, X rays, etc. It also touches
on the various sources of radiation (X-ray machines, nuclear reactors,
cosmic rays, the sun, etc.). Radioisotopes are defined, and their life is
traced from production through their use as tools in the study of ra-
diation damage. The effect of radiation on living cells is demonstrated
by comparisons of plants grown from irradiated and nonirradiated
seeds and of mice that had been irradiated with those that had not been
irradiated. The film also shows the effects of radiation on bone mar-
row, on the protective lining of the intestine, and on chromosomes (mu-
tations). The use of radioisotopes to trace chemical processes in
plants (the absorption of nutrients) is also covered. Autoradiographs
are explained, and the function of a Geiger counter is outlined. The
film was made under the technical direction of Dr. Harvey Patt, Di-
vision of Biological and Medical Research at USAEC's Argonne Na-
tional Laboratory (ANL), and photographed at ANL.
RADIATION PROTECTION IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE (1962). 45 min-
utes, color.
Produced by Fordel Films, for the Bureau of Medicine and Sur-
gery of the U. S. Navy. Sales inquiries should be directed to the
Naval Photographic Center.
This semitechnical film demonstrates the procedures devised for naval
hospitals to protect against the gamma radiation emitted from mate-
rials used in radiation therapy. However, its principles are applicable
in all hospitals. The practices demonstrated are based on three prin-
ciples established at the outset. The film explains the nature of gamma
radiation relative to how time, distance, and shielding are used to pro-
vide protection from its harmful effects. Time is considered in two
ways: (1) the half life of the radioactive materials used; and, (2) the
speed in handling them. The film shows the continuous application of
these principles from the moment radioactive materials are received
at a hospital, through their storage, their preparation for use, their
therapeutic administration, the nursing care of radioactive patients,
and the disposal of radioactive human waste. The film details the spe-
cial techniques and equipment used in the handling of radium and ra-
dioactive gold, iodine, and iridium as representing the variety of such
materials that hospital personnel encounter and the consequent varia-
tions in time, distance, and shielding employed as protection against
them. The use of monitoring devices and the maintenance of records
of their readings form a recurrent theme throughout the film. It makes
the dual point that radiological- safety records are used (1) to provide
immediate protection for hospital personnel; and, (2) as a basis on
EDUCATION 13
which the staff can reevaluate and improve techniques, always with the
purpose of keeping the exposure of each person below the established
maximum permissible levels.
RADIATION: SILENT SERVANT OF MANKIND (Magic of the Atom
Series) See page 57
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE (Understanding the
Atom Series) See page 61
RADIOISOTOPES IN BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE (Understanding the
Atom Series) See page 62
TIME — THE SUREST POISON (Challenge Series) ... See page 52
TRACING AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY (Challenge Series) . . . .
See page 52
TRACING LIVING CELLS (Challenge Series) ... See page 52
EDUCATION
THE ALCHEMIST'S DREAM (Challenge Series). . . . See page 49
ATOMIC WEATHERMAN: STRONTIUM-90 ISOTOPIC APPLICATIONS
(1961). 18V2 minutes, color.
Produced by the Martin Company. For sale by Capital Film
Laboratories, at $103.90 per print, including shipping case.
This semitechnical film describes the world's first radioisotope-
powered weather station, which is operating unattended at a remote
site in the Canadian Arctic. The "atomic" weather station is powered
by a thermoelectric unit in which the heat from the decay of Strontium-
90 (90Sr) is directly converted into electricity. The film shows the
major steps in the identification, testing, and preparation of the 90Sr
titanite compound; the loading of the radioisotope source in the weather-
station generator; the principle of direct conversion of heat into elec-
tricity; the operation of the generator; the weather-station equipment
for sensing, data processing, and control and transmission; the final
testing; the 4000-mile journey north into the remote Canadian Arctic
aboard an icebreaker; the weather-station installation; and the success-
ful transmission of weather data. The film explains the principal meth-
ods of handling radioactive wastes from nuclear- reactor operations;
the techniques for recovering valuable radioisotopes, such as 90Sr; and
the development of 90Sr thermoelectric sources for unique small-scale
power applications. Brief information is also given on other applica-
14 EDUCATION
tions of 90Sr thermoelectric devices. (Semite chnical: suitable for high-
school and educated-lay audiences.)
A CHEMICAL SOMERSAULT (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
See page 50
HARNESSING THE RAINBOW (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
INVISIBLE BULLETS (Challenge Series) See page 51
MACHINES THAT THINK (Challenge Series) See page 51
MICROSCOPE FOR THE UNKNOWN (Challenge Series)
See page 51
RADIATION AND THE POPULATION (Challenge Series)
See page 51
SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE (Challenge Series)
See page 52
TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICES OF THE AEC (1961). 20 min-
utes, color.
Produced under the supervision of USAEC's Division of Techni-
cal Information by, and for sale by, the U.S. Department of Ag-
riculture Motion Picture Service, at $92.00 per print, including
shipping case.
This film, presented in nontechnical language, surveys what is avail-
able in the unclassified atomic energy literature and discusses how the
information may be located, obtained, and used. Describing in detail
the services of the USAEC Division of Technical Information, the film
holds special interest for librarians, engineering and scientific groups,
research and development organizations, and teachers and students at
the senior-high-school level and above. The film gives a brief look at
the forms in which atomic energy information becomes available: re-
search and development reports, technical progress reviews, bibliog-
raphies, technical books, translations, papers presented at professional
meetings, engineering materials, other special publications, and films.
It reviews in some detail Nuclear Science Abstracts, the only unclassi-
fied journal devoted solely to announcing and abstracting atomic energy
scientific and technical literature published throughout the world. The
viewer learns also of the various bibliographies that are prepared on
specialized subjects and of special literature searches that are pro-
vided by the USAEC at a nominal rate. The film details the wealth of
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS 15
information available at 96 domestic and 86 foreign USAEC depository
libraries located throughout the world. The availability on Microcards
and microfiche of all technical information offered by the USAEC, in-
cluding that in more than 70,000 published USAEC research and devel-
opment reports, is explained. Also described is the USAEC sponsor-
ship of a technical book-writing program, the exchange of technical
information with other nations, an active program for translating
foreign monographs, publication of quarterly Technical Progress Re-
views for the use of industry, the reproduction of engineering drawings
and related information, and the production and distribution of motion
pictures on atomic energy which are designed to serve either pro-
fessional or general audiences.
TRACING LIVING CELLS (Challenge Series) .... See page 52
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
THE ATOM AND INDUSTRY (1953). 10 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films,
at $62.15 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for
television.
This is a nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level
audiences, describing the use of radioisotope tracers in industry for
gauging thickness, testing engine wear, monitoring oil in pipelines, etc.
THE ATOM IN INDUSTRY (Magic of the Atom Series)
See page 53
A BREEDER IN THE DESERT (Challenge Series) ... See page 49
A CHEMICAL SOMERSAULT (Challenge Series) . . . See page 50
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
See page 50
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE (Challenge Series) . . . See page 50
GAUGING THICKNESS WITH RADIOISOTOP"ES (1958). 4V2 minutes,
black and white.
Produced by George Tressel Productions, for the USAEC. For
sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $5.47 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This technical film, for high school and college-level audiences, shows
briefly how beta gauges are used for precise measurement and control
16 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
of feed-back apparatus in steel, plastic, rubber, and paper manufac-
turing.
HARNESSING THE RAINBOW (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF RADIOISOTOPES (1961). 57 min-
utes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Army Pictorial Center. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $160.33 per print, including ship-
ping case.
This semitechnical film surveys the current widespread uses of radio-
isotopes throughout American industry. Three major areas of use are
described: nuclear gauging (thickness, density, and level), radiography,
and tracing — with various examples of each filmed at 26 sites nation-
wide, including the rubber industry, thin strip metal production, plas-
tics, paper mills, nylons, food canning, cement, submarine construc-
tion, oil industry, automobiles, etc. Covered briefly are luminescence,
static elimination, isotopic power, and uses of high- intensity radiation.
Basic principles are explained by animation, followed by examples of
in-plant uses. Benefits to the consumer and manufacturer are high-
lighted. The excellent safety record is noted. The film, although of
interest to a wide audience, is designed to acquaint industrial manage-
ment with the versatility, economy, and ease with which radioisotope
techniques can be adapted to plant requirements.
THE INDUSTRIAL ATOM (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 57
MACHINES THAT THINK (Challenge Series) .... See page 51
OPPORTUNITY UNLIMITED: FRIENDLY ATOMS IN INDUSTRY (1962).
28 minutes, color.
Produced by the Army Pictorial Center for USAEC's Division of
Isotope Development. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at
$81.77 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Washington,
D. C.
This popular-level film, narrated by news commentator John Daly,
surveys the widespread use of radioisotopes by American industry to
make better products — from ships to nylon hose — more efficiently and
with an impressive record of safety. By means of animation and live
action, the film explains what radioisotopes are and how they are used
to (1) measure and control the thickness of sheet materials, (2) mea-
sure densities of materials, (3) control product quality, (4) increase
flexibility and mobility of industrial radiography (taking X-ray type
pictures to assure safe construction), and (5) act as tracers to follow
physical movement and chemical reactions. Examples are given of
thickness gauges of nylon cord- rubber ply for automobile tires, sheet
plastic, and cord- rolled alloy sheets for computers and space-age
instruments, as well as examples of gauges which measure densities
without shutdown (such as gauges that measure sugar content in apple-
sauce, fat content, and moisture content in soil) and which measure the
level of liquids in cans. Industrial radiography with radioisotopes is
illustrated with the work on submarines. Uses of radioisotope tracers
are explained for engine-wear studies, product movement in oil pipe-
lines, leak detection in pipelines, etc.
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY (Understanding the
Atom Series) See page 61
RADIOISOTOPES: SAFE SERVANTS OF INDUSTRY (1963). 28 min-
utes, color.
Produced by Molesworth Associates and Orleans Film Produc-
tions for the USAEC's Division of Isotope Development. For sale
by Orleans Film Productions, at $88.80 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Knoxville, Tenn.
With emphasis on safety, this film surveys the widespread uses of
radioisotopes in industry. Animated explanations of the principles in-
volved in radioisotope gauging instruments, tracing and radiography
are given. Applications of these principles are shown in various pro-
cesses in the food industry, automotive research, road construction,
heavy industry, oil refining and shipping, and system troubleshooting.
TESTING FOR TOMORROW (Challenge Series) .... See page 52
INTERNATIONAL
(Information Exchange and Training)
ATOMS AT WORK: THE LATIN AMERICAN EXHIBIT (1961). 14 min-
utes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the U. S. Department of Agriculture
Motion Picture Service. For sale by the producer at $64.00 per
print, including shipping case.
This film describes the Commission's exhibit on the peaceful uses of
atomic energy during the Latin- American tour, including Rio de Janeiro
and Buenos Aires. After the opening-day ceremonies, there is a flash-
back showing the construction of the exhibit structure and facilities
(e.g., the concrete foundation, the shield for the nuclear-research
training reactor, the erection of steel arches, and the nature and in-
flation of the air- supported double-domed structure made of vinyl-
coated nylon). The film shows the various exhibits and facilities, in-
cluding the three-screen theater, the nuclear-power exhibit, the
18 INTERNATIONAL (INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND TRAINING)
industrial-applications exhibit, the agricultural exhibit, the medical
exhibit, the health and safety exhibit, the gamma tank, and the nuclear-
research test reactor. (Nontechnical: suitable for all audience levels.)
ATOMS FOR PEACE: GENEVA— 1958 (1959). 15 minutes, black and
white.
Produced by the USAEC and the U. S. Department of Agriculture
Motion Picture Service. For sale by the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, at $24.19 per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, reports on U. S. participation in the Second International Con-
ference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held at Geneva in Sep-
tember 1958 under UN auspices and attended by 6000 scientists and
technicians of 69 nations and 9 international agencies. It points to the
technical papers program and the 722 papers contributed by the United
States; provides a quick look at the Atoms For Peace Commercial
Exposition held concurrently in Geneva; then devotes coverage to the
U. S. Technical Exhibit — made up of 64 sections, many with full-scale
scientific devices in operation — which covered four major areas:
Physical Sciences, Reactor Sciences and Technology, Life Sciences,
and Controlled Thermonuclear Research.
ATOMS FOR THE AMERICAS (1963). 28 minutes, color.
Produced for USAEC 's Oak Ridge Operations Office by Orleans
Film Productions. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $76.66
per print, including shipping case.
This semitechnical film offers an extensive tour of the facilities of the
Puerto Rico Nuclear Center (operated for the USAEC by the University
of Puerto Rico) and a study of the Center's curricula and research pro-
grams. The Center was conceived primarily to aid the Latin American
nations in developing skills essential to nuclear energy activity, by
providing graduate- and post graduate-level education and research
opportunities. At the Center's Bio-Medical building, work is shown
involving radioisotopes and their clinical applications, and other nu-
clear work related to biology, chemistry, and medicine is reviewed.
Study and research in nuclear engineering and technology, health phys-
ics, agriculture and marine biology are shown at the Center's reactor
and laboratories located on the campus of the University of Puerto
Rico's College of Agriculture and Engineering, and aboard the Center's
oceanographic ship.
ATOMS ON THE FARM (The USAEC at the World Agricultural Fair,
India) (1961). 12 minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, the U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture Motion Picture Service, at $56.00 per print, including ship-
ping case.
INTERNATIONAL (INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND TRAINING) 19
This nontechnical film, suitable for all audience levels, summarizes
the nature of the USAEC exhibit on atomic energy in agriculture at the
first World Agricultural Fair, New Delhi, during the winter 1959-60.
Various views show the crowds examining the research reactor,
master- slave manipulator, the gamma pool, the technical information
center, and exhibits featuring radioactive tracers in agricultural re-
search, plant mutations by gamma irradiation, atomic energy work in
medicine, screwworm fly eradication, food sterilization by irradiation,
etc.
THE INTERNATIONAL ATOM (1961). 27 minutes, color.
Produced by the United Nations Office of Public Information and
the International Atomic Energy Agency, for the UN Visual In-
formation Board. For sale by Contemporary Films at $152.00
per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for television,
except by special permission of the UN Office of Public Informa-
tion in New York.
This film, which summarizes and explains the peaceful uses of atomic
energy, was produced with the assistance of the government atomic
energy establishments and private industry of the following countries:
the United States, Canada, West Germany, France, India, Japan,
Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and
the USSR. The film defines fission and chain reaction, introduces the
idea of heat generation by a nuclear reactor, mentions the use of nu-
clear power for ship propulsion, stresses the need for international
cooperation in the atomic field, explains what radioisotopes are and
how they are packed and shipped, explains how radioisotopes and ra-
diation are used in agriculture (rice fields, fertilizer studies, develop-
ment of stronger strains of weather- and disease-resistant food crops,
eradication of the screwworm fly, etc.).
TRAINING MEN FOR THE ATOMIC AGE (1957). 20 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, shows young scientists from many nations undergoing training
at the International School for Nuclear Science and Engineering at
USAEC Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. It includes ex-
amples of preliminary training courses at Pennsylvania State Univer-
sity and the University of North Carolina, and briefly explains the
radioisotopes training courses at the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear
Studies.
WORKING TOGETHER (1957). 20 minutes, black and white.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
20 NUCLEAR PROPULSION
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, summarizes regional and international cooperation by scientists
and government in advancing peaceful applications of atomic energy.
It describes: U. S. shipments abroad of radioisotopes; formation of the
European Council for Nuclear Research; former President Dwight D.
Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" announcement to the UN; first interna-
tional conference on atomic energy at the University of Michigan; first
shipment abroad by U. S. Atomic Energy libraries; UN General As-
sembly debate on the international agency; the joint Norwegian-Dutch
atomic energy laboratory; atomic energy work of India, Brazil and
others; U. S. training of foreign scientists; U. S. agreements with
other nations for information and materials; Geneva— 1955 international
conference; the approval of the Charter of the International Atomic
Energy Agency.
NUCLEAR PROPULSION
ATOMS FOR PEACE See page 36
A DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT See page 36
FULL SPEED AHEAD (1958). 15 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC and the U. S. Maritime Administration,
by, and for sale by, Orleans Film Productions, at $52.50 per
print, including shipping case.
A nontechnical film for intermediate through college-level audiences.
It depicts the initial stages in the development of the first U. S. nuclear-
powered merchant ship, the N.S. Savannah. Included are the industrial
and technical procedures in building and testing the reactor, surveying
harbors, and laying the keel.
THE NEW POWER See page 24
THE NUCLEAR SHIP SAVANNAH (1964) (Long Documentary Version).
28V2 minutes, color.
Produced by Orleans Film Productions for the U. S. Maritime
Administration and the USAEC. For sale by DuArt Film Lab-
oratories, at $71.10 per print including shipping case, F.O.B.
New York. Ask for Long Documentary Version.
This nontechnical, documentary film, for junior-high-school- through
college-level audiences, covers the historical background, and the de-
sign, construction, sea trials, and initial port calls of the N.S. Savannah,
the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship. The film begins with
a brief review of America's maritime growth, starting with May 22,
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER 21
1819, and the story of the S.S. Savannah, the first ship to cross the
ocean under steam power. The design of the N.S. Savannah and its
atomic reactor and propulsion system are explained with animation
and live action photography. After keel laying, various phases of the
ship's construction are covered, and the assembling and testing of the
reactor are explained. The ceremonies involving the launching of the
ship are shown, followed by impressive scenes showing the loading of
the reactor with its nuclear fuel under surgically clean conditions. The
special training of the crew is reviewed. The film then shows the sea
trials of the ship, during which time the reactor is slowly brought up
to full power. After sea trials, the trip of the N.S. Savannah to her first
port of call, Savannah, Georgia, is covered, followed by her voyage
through the Panama Canal and visits to Hawaii and West Coast ports.
As the ship leaves for foreign ports, the film ends with a statement by
President Lyndon B. Johnson on the significance of the Nuclear Ship
Savannah as a pioneer in the use of nuclear power for world trade to
benefit all mankind.
UNDER WAY (1960). 20 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC and the U. S. Maritime Administration,
and for sale by, Orleans Film Productions, at $85.00 per print,
including shipping case.
This is a nontechnical film for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences. It traces the design and construction of the first U. S. nuclear-
powered merchant ship, the N.S. Savannah; its hull design and assem-
bly; the design, testing, and fabrication of the nuclear power plant;
critical assembly used in core design; fuel element fabrication; erec-
tion of the reactor system's containment vessel; safety features;
christening and launching.
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER
ARMY PACKAGE POWER REACTOR (1957). 25V2 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Army and the USAEC. For sale by Byron
Motion Pictures, at $65.67 per print, including shipping case.
For high- school- and college-level audiences, this semitechnical film
documents the inception, design, construction, initial operation, and
dedication of the APPR-1, a prototype reactor utilizing components
all transportable by air. Animation is used to illustrate its operation.
THE ATOM COMES TO TOWN See page 35
ATOMIC FURNACES (Challenge Series) See page 49
ATOMIC FURNACES (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 55
22 NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER
ATOMIC POWER AND THE UNITED STATES (1959). 25 minutes,
black and white.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from the USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This is a nontechnical film for intermediate through college-level
audiences. It summarizes activities of both the government and private
industry in the program for the development of economic production
of electric power with atomic energy. It compares conventional and
nuclear approaches, and by animation and live action explains six
important nuclear power projects. It outlines industry's contributions
and the sharing of technical know-how overseas through the Atoms for
Peace Program.
ATOMIC POWER PRODUCTION (Magic of the Atom Series) . . .
See page 56
ATOMIC VENTURE (1961). 23V2 minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, the General Electric Company, at
$142.96 per print including shipping case.
This semitechnical film, which is a sequel to the 1958 film "Dresden
Nuclear Power Station," covers the design and development of a large
dual-cycle boiling-water reactor — the 180,000-kw Dresden Nuclear
Power Station — built by General Electric Company (GE) for the Com-
monwealth Edison Company, Chicago, and the Nuclear Power Group,
Inc., and the history of the project from its beginning in 1955 to its
completion in 1959. The film shows major stages of development, in-
cluding clearance of the site 47 miles southwest of Chicago; ground-
breaking; construction of foundations, sphere, and other buildings;
manufacture of the containment vessel and fuel; shipment and arrival
of major components; installation of the reactor core, reactor vessel,
and turbine-generator; testing of completed installations; and the
station's "going critical." The film also includes scenes relating to
development work for Dresden carried out at GE's Vallecitos Atomic
Laboratory near Pleasanton, Calif.
ATOMS FOR PEACE See page 36
ATOMS FOR SPACE Seepage 2
BORAX: CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A BOILING WATER
REACTOR (1955). 14 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Lookout Mountain Air Force Sta-
tion, USAF, at approximately $18.00 per print, including ship-
ping case.
This nontechnical film for intermediate- through college-level audi-
ences, shows the equipping of a reactor with an electrical generating
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER 23
system, and the operating of the nuclear power plant to light and power
Arco, Idaho, the U. S. community first served exclusively by nuclear
power, for an hour on July 17, 1955.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF POWER REACTORS (1962). 8!/2 minutes,
color.
Produced by, and for sale by, Lookout Mountain Air Force
Station, USAF, at $39.51 per print, including shipping case.
This film is an excerpt from the 35-min Commission film entitled
"The New Power," produced by the USAEC's Idaho Operations Office.
This animated film, produced to facilitate the under standing of nuclear-
power reactors and how they produce steam for the generation of elec-
tricity, briefly describes fission, controlled chain reaction, and the
function of basic reactor components (e.g., core, reactor vessel, shield-
ing, moderators, coolants, and control rods). The boiling-water and
pressurized-water reactor concepts are explained. Various types of
fuel elements are described, such as rods, plates, and pellets. (Non-
technical: suitable for all audience levels above elementary school.)
A BREEDER IN THE DESERT (Challenge Series) ... See page 49
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
HALLAM NUCLEAR POWER FACILITY (1963). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Chicago Operations Office. For sale by
the Calvin Productions, at $63.36 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Kansas City.
This film shows the setting and location of the reactor built jointly by
USAEC and the Consumers' Public Power District of Nebraska. An ex-
planation of this type of reactor, using a liquid metal coolant, is given
stressing its advantages. The working of the plant is shown in anima-
tion. Live footage shows construction of the reactor containment ves-
sel, its transportation from Philadelphia to Hallam, moderator fabrica-
tion and installation, installation and operation of safety rods, use of
an intermediate heat exchanger, installation of steam piping and the
installation of the turbine and generator. Also shown is fuel handling,
cleaning and storage cells, fuel fabrication, and testing.
ML-1 MOBILE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (1963). 26 minutes, color.
Produced for the U. S. Army and the USAEC (under the tech-
nical direction of the Idaho Operations Office) by Lookout Moun-
tain Air Force Station, USAF. For sale by the producer, at $99.15
per single print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Hollywood.
This semitechnical film states the Army's logistical need for mobile
power, and shows how that need is partially filled by the design, con-
struction, testing and field operation of a new transportable power re-
24 NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER
actor plant, the ML-1. An explanation of the design of this gas-cooled,
water- moderated reactor is given. Development of the reactor at the
USAEC's National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho, is shown. The design
and testing of the turbomachinery takes place at the Army Engineer
Research and Development Laboratory at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. The
film also covers the training of the operating crews, assembly of the
ML-1, checkout and test run, testing of the transportability of the
system using mock-ups, simulated transportation of the ML-1 to the
field and its start-up and criticality.
THE NEW POWER (Revised Version, 1965). 45 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC's Idaho Operations Office, and for sale
by, Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, USAF, at about $150.00
per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, tells how the National
Reactor Testing Station in Idaho is furthering the USAEC's quest for
economic nuclear power. Most of the more than 40 experimental nu-
clear reactors built, being built, or planned there are described either
historically or currently, including the Navy's prototypes for the sub-
marine Nautilus and aircraft carrier Enterprise; the internationally
known testing reactor complex (MTR, ETR, ATR); the Idaho Chemical
Processing Plant, the Army's mobile low power nuclear plant (ML-1);
and the importance of breeding nuclear fuel as authorized by the two
Experimental Breeder Reactor complexes, EBR-I and EBR-II. Also
discussed are the USAEC's leading reactor safety programs — SPERT
and STEP (Special Power Excursion Reactor Test and Safety Test
Engineering Program). The film also explains the basic principles of
power reactor construction and operation in an animated sequence that
is also available as a separate film titled, "Basic Principles of Power
Reactor Operation."
NUCLEAR ENERGY GOES RURAL (1963). Ul/2 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Chicago Operations Office. For sale by
Anthony Lane Studios, at $57.00 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Minneapolis.
This film presents the background, planning, and construction of the
Elk River Reactor for Minnesota's Rural Cooperative Power Associa-
tion. After the rural background and setting are established, the plan-
ning of the reactor is shown. Animation is used to explain the principle
of the boiling water reactor with conventional superheated steam. A
comparison is made with the hot air heating system used in the home,
and the reactor's control rods are compared with a thermostat. The
reactor control room is shown. A "Scram" is explained. Fuel opera-
tions are also explained, as well as the air monitoring system.
NUCLEAR REACTORS FOR RESEARCH (1955). 15 minutes, color.
Produced by Atomics International. Not for sale.
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER 25
This film explains the basic design of the small homogeneous water-
boiler reactor type and describes the components and the various steps
in the construction of a small homogeneous reactor. Operation of the
reactor is described, and research uses are illustrated.
THE PIQUA NUCLEAR POWER FACILITY (1963). 23 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Chicago Operations Office. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $64.18 per print, including ship-
ping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
The Piqua Nuclear Power Facility is the first municipally owned
power plant using steam produced by a USAEC nuclear reactor. This
film gives an animated explanation of Piqua' s reactor — an organic
moderated reactor — and compares it with the liquid metal sodium
graphite type reactor at Hallam, Nebraska, and the pressurized water
reactor at Shippingport, Pa. Live action footage of the Organic Mod-
erated Reactor Experiment at the National Reactor Test Station in
Idaho is shown, as well as of the design and construction of the Piqua
facility.
PM-1 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (1962). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by the Nuclear Division, Martin Company. For sale by
the Calvin Productions, at $55.28 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Kansas City.
A filmed story of the PM-1 nuclear power plant (a pressurized water
system), a joint project of the USAEC and the U. S. Air Force, which
supplies the power for the radar and space heating of a remote Air
Defense Command radar station in Wyoming. The film breaks down the
types and contents of 16 air transportable packages, a total weight of
about 30,000 pounds: reactor, steam generator, waste tank, heat-
transfer apparatus, control room, turbogenerator, etc. Details are
given on major components and the design and operation of the system
by information on: 741 nuclear fuel tubes in 7 fuel bundles, the "flow"
of primary water, the secondary water, details on the makeup of the
fuel element tubes, criticality testing, nature of the control rods, tests
to determine heat transfer and flow characteristics. The film recounts
the airlift of the packages, erection and assembly of the power plant,
the work to achieve criticality, and the varied safety controls.
PM-3A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT — ANTARCTICA (1963). 20 min-
utes, color.
Produced by the Martin Company for the USAEC. For sale by
Byron Motion Pictures, at $64.11 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This is the semitechnical film-story of the 1500-kilowatt nuclear
power station built, under contract to USAEC, for operation by the
Navy at McMurdo Station, Antarctic headquarters for the joint Navy —
26 NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER
National Science Foundation Antarctic Research Project. PM-3A, the
first atomic power station in the bleak Antarctic, supplies electric
power and space heating for the isolated station. Use of nuclear power
reduces the massive amounts of fuel oil for generating electricity that
must be brought 11,000 miles by American tankers. PM-3A was de-
signed, fabricated, and tested in 14 months. Details are given on the
plant's pressure vessel, coolant, nuclear fuel, control rods, switch-
gear, heat-transfer equipment, turbogenerator, and many other major
components. We see shots of the erection and testing of the reactor in
the States, site preparation by Seabees in the Antarctic, erection and
testing of the reactor at McMurdo, safety aspects, and achievement of
criticality.
POWER AND PROMISE (1959). 29 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC. For sale by Consolidated Film In-
dustries, at $99.97 per print, including shipping case.
This is a semitechnical film for high-school- and college-level audi-
ences. It describes the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Penn-
sylvania, built to advance power reactor technology and demonstrate
the practicability of operating a central station atomic power plant in
a utility network. Included is an explanation of the production and con-
trol of heat and radioactivity produced by nuclear fission; manufacture
of fuel elements; major components such as pumps, heat exchangers,
and the pressure vessel; construction of the station; installation of
components; and the erection and installation of the reactor core.
POWER UNLIMITED (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 57
PRINCIPLES OF THERMAL, FAST AND BREEDER REACTORS . .
See page 9
SNAPSHOT See page 7
THE STORY OF CAMP CENTURY: CITY UNDER THE ICE (1961).
32 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Army Pictorial Center. Not for sale.
This film concerns the construction by Army Engineers of Camp
Century, a nuclear-powered U. S. Army Arctic research laboratory
buried below the Greenland ice cap. Although the film tells the entire
story of the planning and construction of Camp Century, it contains a
significant section devoted to the nuclear power plant for electricity
and space heating. The film shows the selection of the isolated camp
site, 150 miles from Thule; delivery of supplies and equipment by
motorized bobsleds; digging and construction of 23 tunnels in the ice
(trenches covered with steel arches and snow); construction of founda-
tions for prefabricated buildings; erection of prefabricated buildings;
NUCLEAR RESEARCH 27
procurement of water supplies; installation of insulated piping and
sewage lines; and how the men eat and sleep. Also shown are the dig-
ging of four deep trenches for the nuclear power plant, the construc-
tion of the frame for the reactor buildings, arrival of the power plant
(400 tons of piping, machinery, and components) by sea, delivery of
the heavy components (including a 21 -ton vapor container) by sled
over the ice cap, unloading of the power plant, opening of labeled
boxes of piping and wiring, reassembly of major components, and
movement of the 15-ton condenser into the tunnel. The power plant
is described, and the assembly of the shells to contain the nuclear
section, the work to activate the power plant, the subcritical tests,
the careful loading of the reactor core with fuel elements after in-
spection and cleaning, the gradual activation of the reactor, and the
achievement of criticality are shown. Today, powered by its nuclear
reactor, the Arctic research center is in full operation. (Nontechnical:
suitable for high school and above.)
TESTING FOR TOMORROW (Challenge Series) ... See page 52
TOMORROW'S POWER — TODAY (1964). 5V2 minutes, color.
Produced for USAEC by Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory, at $15.84 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Chicago.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, briefly explains the
principle of atomic power production, states the need for its continued
development while showing that it is already in use in many locations
across the country. The film explains why the energy of the atom is
needed to supplement that of conventional fossil fuels. Animation is
used to explain how nuclear fission creates heat and how that heat is
converted to electrical power. A comparison is given between the
energy released from the uranium atom and coal, gas, and oil. The
film concludes with a brief survey of representative atomic power
plants in the United States, noting location and kilowatts of electrical
power.
NUCLEAR RESEARCH
THE ALCHEMIST'S DREAM (Challenge Series). . . . See page 49
THE ART OF SEPARATION (Challenge Series) .... See page 49
THE ATOM IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE (Understanding the Atom Series)
See page 58
28 NUCLEAR RESEARCH
ATOM SMASHERS (Magic of the Atom Series) .... See page 54
ATOMIC ALCHEMIST (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 54
THE ATOMIC FINGERPRINT (Magic of the Atom Series) ....
See page 55
ATOMIC FURNACES (Challenge Series) See page 49
ATOMIC METALLURGY (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 56
ATOMIC RESEARCH: AREAS AND DEVELOPMENT (1953). 12V2 min-
utes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Coronet Films, at $77.00 per
print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film illustrates three lines of research: energy,
atomic structure, and by-products. It shows how reactors harness
energy; how science explores the structure and particles of atoms with
particle accelerators; and how radioisotopes are employed as tracers
for research in biology, medicine, agriculture and industry.
ATOMS FOR THE AMERICAS See page 18
BETA RAY SPECTROMETER See page 8
A BREEDER IN THE DESERT (Challenge Series) ... See page 49
A CHEMICAL SOMERSAULT (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
CLEAN AIR IS A BREEZE (Airborne Contamination Control Through
Laminar Air Flow) (1965). 16 minutes, color.
Produced by the Sandia Corporation for the USAEC. For sale by
Calvin Productions, at $43.52 per print including shipping case,
F.O.B. Kansas City, Mo.
Common sources of airborne contamination are illustrated to show
that our world is contaminated by a variety of airborne particles. The
difficulties of manufacturing precision devices in such a "dirty" world
are shown. The tiny sizes of particles which cause problems in deli-
cate assembly work and critical industrial processes are illustrated
through animated photography. Earlier attempts to clean air for in-
dustrial processes by means of clean rooms are shown. The reasons
for less than complete success with standard clean rooms are ex-
plained through animation, and the theory and basic operating prin-
ciples of laminar airflow systems are shown. The variety of laminar
airflow devices (various clean rooms and clean benches) now avail-
able is shown. Application of such devices to industrial processes, re-
NUCLEAR RESEARCH 29
search and development problems, and to the field of medical care and
medical research are illustrated. A short recapitulation points out that
laminar flow devices make possible the clean work which must continue
in spite of the contamination present in the world.
DOWN ON THE FARM (Challenge Series) See page 50
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series) . See page 50
HARNESSING THE RAINBOW (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
THE HIGH ENERGY PEOPLE (1963). S1/* minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $17.30 per print, including ship-
ping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This film offers a brief description of the problems and tools of high
energy physics, illustrated by some of the work being done with Zero
Gradient Synchrotron. Scientists and technicians who work with this
giant atom smasher describe various phases of their work. Aside from
the Synchrotron itself, the Spark Chamber is shown and explained, as
are the automatic cameras which photograph the tracks of sub- atomic
particles. Examination and analysis of the photographs are also de-
scribed.
HIGH ENERGY RADIATIONS FOR MANKIND (1958). 16 minutes,
color.
Produced by the Public Relations Office, High Voltage Engineer-
ing Corporation, Burlington, Mass. For sale by Orleans Film
Productions, at $150.00 per print, including shipping case.
This semitechnical film, for high school and college-level audiences,
describes the principles, assembly and uses of the Van de Graaff
particle accelerator to produce intense, stable, controlled beams of
all basic radiation for basic and applied research, industrial process-
ing, chemistry, metallurgy, and biology and medicine. It shows stages
of assembly, testing and use of vertical and horizontal machines rang-
ing from 1 to 6 million electron volts; the Microwave Linear Accelera-
tor; and the 10-Mev Tandem Van de Graaff for exploring the binding
energy of heavier elements. Examples include use for basic research,
nuclear engineering, petrochemistry, drug sterilization, food preser-
vation, radiography, and cancer treatment.
MACHINES THAT THINK (Challenge Series) See page 51
THE MAGNETIC BOTTLE (1958). 10 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
30 NUCLEAR RESEARCH
This film is a concise summary, for the informed layman, of the United
States Sherwood Program, for research into controlled nuclear fusion.
It shows various operating experimental devices, explains their prin-
ciples and the many complex problems involved in possible future de-
velopment of full-scale machines to create unlimited industrial power
by controlling a continuous fusion process at millions of degrees of
temperature.
THE MANY FACES OF ARGONNE (1963). 60 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC'S Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $176.10 per print, including
double-shipping-case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C. Also available
for free loan from Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South
Cass Ave., Argonne, Illinois 60440.
Although the film is about Argonne National Laboratory, it will be
useful to both technical and nontechnical audiences who wish an in-
teresting survey of the objectives, methods, and hardware of the broad
range of nuclear research conducted by a typical national laboratory
of the USAEC.
With both artistry and clarity, the ANL narrator shows the CP-5 and
the range of work accomplished with this powerful research reactor.
In an ANL chemistry laboratory, investigation of atomic forces with
"color center" studies of the structure of crystals is shown. Informa-
tion is given on methods of protecting atomic scientists from radiation:
film badges and dosimeters; the checking of air, water, walls, dust; the
remote- control devices involving periscopes and television in order
to see and work despite massive shielding.
Argonne's efforts in the power reactor field are summarized, using
the Experimental Breeder Reactor H as an example, with detailed ex-
planation of its components, purposes, methods, etc.
Experiments to learn the effects of radiation on human beings are
explained — studies of the effects of radiation received continually
over a lifetime (bone-tumor studies); studies of the mutation-producing
effects of radiation (fruitfly studies, work with dogs, etc.); studies of
neonatal rates; life-span studies; studies of leukemia; effects of ra-
diation on cells, etc.
The film shows in detail the giant Zero Gradient Synchrotron accel-
erator— or "atom-smasher" — used to tear apart subatomic particles
to study the basic nature of matter. Argonne's relation to American
universities is outlined, with views of the training of foreign students.
METALS FRONTIER (1961). 22 minutes, color.
Produced by Iowa State University Film Production for the Iowa
State Institute of Atomic Research and the Ames Laboratory of
the USAEC. For sale by Iowa State University, at $75.48 per
print, including shipping case.
NUCLEAR RESEARCH 31
This semitechnical documentary film, a story of teamwork in research,
is designed for an audience with an appreciable degree of scientific
sophistication, primarily seniors and graduate students in the physical
sciences and engineering. Highlights in the operations of the Ames
Laboratory, a major installation of the USAEC, are shown by illustrat-
ing the steps in the development of the process for the production of
yttrium metal. The film also gives insight into the facilities and the
pioneering tradition of Ames Laboratory in the investigation of the rare
earths. The film is panoramic in style, showing how basic research,
development, and production go along together. The following steps in
metal processing are shown: separation of yttrium from rare earths,
conversion to fluoride, reduction, and arc melting. Special emphasis is
given to purity and to the need for careful analytical control. The film
also shows how the graduate student fits into the laboratory's research
program.
MICROSCOPE FOR THE UNKNOWN (Challenge Series)
See page 51
OF MAN AND MATTER (1963). 29 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC 's Brookhaven Laboratory. For sale by
B & O Film Specialists, at $110.00 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. New York City.
This film describes the design, development and operation of the alter-
nating gradient synchrotron (ACS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory,
shows the various major components of this 33 billion- electron- volt
particle accelerator, and explains how the high energy protons pro-
duced in the machine are used in physical research. An actual experi-
ment is seen, in which the particle beam is guided into a bubble chamber
and the resultant interactions with the target nuclei are photographed.
The methods adopted in scanning and analyzing the photographs are
also shown. By means of a brief lecture, a Brookhaven physicist ex-
plains that such gigantic and complex machines as the ACS are nec-
essary in order to study the fundamental particles and the forces
within the atomic nucleus that are the basic components of all existing
matter.
SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE (Challenge Series)
See page 52
TESTING FOR TOMORROW (Challenge Series) . . . See page 52
WORKING WITH RADIATION (Challenge Series) ... See page 53
THE WORLDS WITHIN (1963). 29 minutes, color.
Produced by Stanford University. For sale by Filmservice Lab-
oratories, at $65.25 per print, including shipping case.
32 NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TESTING
This nontechnical film, for high school through college-level audi-
ences, describes the design, construction and use of SLAC, the new
Stanford Linear Accelerator. A comparison is made of the various
methods man uses to "see" particles of smaller and smaller dimen-
sion— using the magnifying glass, the microscope, the electron mi-
croscope, and the electron linear accelerator. Some historical back-
ground is given on the development of the linear accelerator. Scientists
and engineers involved in the SLAC project discuss the theory of its
operation and some of the problems related to building and operating
this huge instrument to explore the structure of the atom and discover
new particles. The fabrication of the 2-mile long copper tube, with a
bore of only one inch in diameter, through which atomic particles will
be fired, is shown and explained in some detail. The high power radio
tubes, called klystrons, which are used to project electrons down the
tube at tremendous velocities, are shown being fabricated, set into the
accelerator, and tested. The plans and construction of the housing of
SLAC are shown and discussed from both the architectural and safety
standpoints.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TESTING
ATOMIC TESTS IN NEVADA (1955). 25 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC, and for sale by, Lookout Mountain Air
Force Station, USAF, at $130.00 per color print from original,
and $30.00 for black and white print; or Byron Motion Pictures,
at $70.00 per color print from master, and $24.00 per black and
white print.
This nontechnical film for all audience levels explains the reasons (in
1955) for continental testing of nuclear weapons and describes testing
procedures at the USAEC Nevada Test Site, with detailed information
on measures taken to protect the public.
BIKINI RADIOBIOLOGICAL LABORATORY See page 11
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING AT SANDIA (1964). 28 minutes, color.
Produced by the Sandia Corporation for the USAEC. For sale by
Calvin Productions, at $73.07 per print including shipping case,
F.O.B. Kansas City, Mo.
This semitechnical motion picture discusses the environments, both
natural and induced, which weapon components and systems may ex-
perience between manufacture and use. The film shows how environ-
mental testing is used to ensure reliability. A series of test sequences
enables the audience to see some of the facilities at USAEC's Sandia
Laboratory — giant centrifuge, electrodynamic shaker, rocker sled, air
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TESTING 33
gun, climatic chamber, etc. — which are used to produce varying en-
vironments. The film will be of interest to military and civilian en-
gineers, as well as scientists and technicians associated with the
weapons program. It will also be of interest to general nontechnical
audiences of high school level and above.
GROUP SHELTER (1960). 10 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC, and for sale by, the U. S. Department
of Agriculture Motion Picture Service, at $40.00 per print, in-
cluding shipping case.
A film of interest to both technical and nontechnical personnel con-
cerned with the protection of large groups from the effects of nuclear
weapons. It describes an underground corrugated- metal arch shelter
design for the protection of 100 persons for two weeks or more. A
model shows the above-ground entryway and below-ground compart-
ments for sleeping, living, services, and utilities. The design is based
on experience gained during 1957 effects tests at the Nevada Test Site
and subsequent engineering studies, and is described in detail in Civil
Effects Test Operations Report "CEX 58.7 AEC Group Shelter."
OFFSITE MONITORING OF FALLOUT FROM NUCLEAR TESTS (1958).
29 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Public Health Service. For sale by DuArt
Film Laboratories, at $116.11 per print, including shipping case.
Also available for loan from the U. S. Public Health Service,
Audio-Visual Facility, Communicable Disease Center, Atlanta,
Ga. 30322.
This technical film, for high school and college-level audiences, ex-
plains radiological safety activities of the U. S. Public Health Service
in the area surrounding the Nevada Test Site. It describes the training
of PHS Commissioned Reservists from state health departments, uni-
versities, and industry; monitoring and public information responsibil-
ities of PHS zone commanders; methods of collection and laboratory
analysis of environmental samples.
OPERATION CROSSROADS (1948). 27 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Navy. For sale by DuArt Film Labora-
tories, at $85.98 per print.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, documents the 1946 effects tests at Bikini Atoll.
OPERATION GREENHOUSE (1952). 25 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC and the Lookout Mountain Air Force
Station, USAF. For sale by DuArt Film Laboratories, at $79.67
per print.
34 NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TESTING
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, describes joint USAEC and Department of Defense scientific and
technical operations during proof-testing of weapons at the USAEC
Pacific Proving Grounds during spring 1951. It shows the effects of
blast and heat on structures, aircraft, and various other items used by
the Department of Defense and Federal Civil Defense Administration.
OPERATION IVY (1954). 28 minutes, color.
Produced for the Office of Civil Defense and USAEC, and for
sale by, the Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, USAF, at
$128.81 per print.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, documents the "Mike" thermonuclear test at the USAEC Pacific
Proving Grounds in 1952. It includes introductory remarks by former
President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
OPERATION SANDSTONE (1950). 18 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by Lookout Mountain Air Force Station,
USAF. For sale by DuArt Film Laboratories, at $57.58 per
print.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, explains the intricate and extensive preparations for the first
USAEC developmental test at the Pacific Proving Grounds during spring
1948. The three test detonations are also shown.
RADIATION SAFETY IN NUCLEAR ENERGY EXPLORATIONS
See page 45
TALE OF TWO CITIES (1947). 14 minutes, black and white.
Produced by the U. S. Army. For sale by DuArt Film Labora-
tories, at $16.00 per print. Also available from the Signal Of-
ficers of: First Army, Governors Island, New York, N. Y. 10004;
Second Army, Fort George Meade, Md. 20755; Third Army, Fort
McPherson, Ga. 30330; Fourth Army, San Antonio, Texas 76841;
Fifth Army, Chicago, 111. 60035; Sixth Army, San Francisco,
Calif. 94118.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, shows the destructive results of atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, with close-ups of effects on buildings and materials.
TARGET NEVADA (1953). 16 minutes, color.
Produced by the Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, USAF.
For sale by DuArt Film Laboratories, at $44.87 per print.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, describes Air Force
interest and participation in tests at the USAEC Nevada Test Site.
PEACEFUL USES (SUMMARY FILMS) 35
PEACEFUL USES (Summary Films)
A IS FOR ATOM See page 7
AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, AND POWER (1955). 20 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, explains the use of
radiation to develop better crop plants, use of radioactive tracers to
study fertilizer uptake in plants and food element uptake in animals.
It shows industrial radiography, engine wear studies, and petroleum
research using radiation, and illustrates the nature of nuclear reac-
tors and their use to produce heat for power.
THE ATOM AND YOU (1953). 16 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Paramount Pictures Corporation,
at $55.75 per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, consolidates three
newsreels covering the use of radioisotopes in biology, medicine, agri-
culture, and industry, and also the development of atomic power.
THE ATOM COMES TO TOWN (1957). 29 minutes, color.
Produced by, and for sale by, the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States, at $160.00 per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, surveys the entire
range of the peacetime uses of atomic energy. It illustrates principles
and examples of nuclear power plants, and production and use of ra-
dioisotopes in medicine, agriculture and industry.
ATOMIC ENERGY AS A FORCE FOR GOOD (1955). 25 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by The Christophers, New York. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This is a theatrical feature, for all audience levels, which tells how a
small town reacts to the impending construction of an atomic energy
plant, and how understanding by the citizenry of the peacetime applica-
tions of atomic energy influences their attitude.
ATOMIC ENERGY CAN BE A BLESSING (1953). 25 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by The Christophers, New York. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, covers peaceful uses
and research, and emphasizes career opportunities in the atomic en-
ergy field.
36 PEACEFUL USES (SUMMARY FILMS)
ATOMS FOR PEACE (1955). 17 minutes, black and white.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency and the USAEC. Not
for sale.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, ties together film foot-
age from various sources to cover the entire range of peaceful appli-
cations of atomic energy in industry, biology, medicine, and agricul-
ture. It outlines the potential of nuclear power.
A DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT (1955). 40 minutes, color.
Produced by Westinghouse Electric Corp. For sale by Roland
Reed Productions, at $211.46 per print, including shipping case.
NOT cleared for television.
In this nontechnical film, for all audience levels, Fred McMurray,
playing a nuclear scientist, explains to his teen-age son, concerned
over the destructive uses of the atom, the various peaceful applications
of atomic energy. It also contains a section describing the develop-
ment of nuclear power for submarine propulsion.
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (Challenge Series)
See page 50
MAN AND RADIATION (1963). 28V2 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Army Pictorial Center under
the supervision of the USAEC' s Division of Isotopes Develop-
ment. For sale by Calvin Productions, at $77.99 per print, in-
cluding shipping case, F.O.B. Kansas City, Missouri.
This popular-level film, suitable for audiences from junior high school
through college, discusses many aspects of radiation and offers a sur-
vey of their widespread beneficial applications in medicine, industry,
agriculture, power, and research. A historical survey of the discovery
of radiation is followed by an animated explanation of different types of
radiation, including alpha, beta, and gamma. A brief explanation of
radioisotopes and how they are produced is given, followed by scenes
depicting some of their uses, including the use of Calcium-47 to diag-
nose bone cancer. The detection and study of radiation by sensitive
instruments is explained. The study of radiation in the laboratory is
demonstrated with work in photosynthesis using radiochromatography.
Several important industrial uses of radiation are shown. The use of
irradiation for prolonged food preservation, particularly of such highly
perishable food as fresh fish, is demonstrated. The production of a new
material, a wood-plastic alloy, is also shown as one example of cur-
rent research in the beneficial uses of radiation.
MAN AND THE ATOM (1965). 59 minutes, color.
Produced by National Educational Television, Inc. with the tech-
nical assistance of the USAEC. For sale by DuArt Film Labor a-
PEACEFUL USES (SUMMARY FILMS) 37
tories, at $146.62 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B.
New York City. Cleared for non-sponsored commercial tele-
vision. Educational TV stations obtain film directly from NET
Film Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Designed for high school through college-level audiences, this film
surveys the role of the USAEC in guiding and supporting the nation's
atomic energy programs. It reviews many of those programs, includ-
ing both the peaceful applications of nuclear energy and those involved
in national defense.
The film opens with a visit to the community of Buchanan, New York,
site of Consolidated Edison's Indian Point atomic power station. The
enlightened attitude of the community toward the atomic plant is re-
vealed as the camera visits the mayor of the town, teachers and school
children, housewives, businessmen and plant personnel. Following a
review of the atom's place in national defense, the film goes into the
mining of uranium and processing into fissionable materials.
It then explores the broad role of the USAEC, briefly discussing the
make-up of the Commission and showing an actual Commission meet-
ing in session, as the Commissioners, General Manager and Director
of Regulation engage in an important discussion involving aerospace
safety. The USAEC 's responsibility in all facets of atomic safety is
covered as the film shows the testing of a nuclear power source for a
space satellite and the design and testing of a power reactor. The pro-
cessing and storage of radioactive waste is discussed.
After reviewing some aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear ex-
plosives, including Projects Sedan and Gnome, the film next turns to a
survey of radioisotopes and their many applications. Isotope produc-
tion at Oak Ridge is shown. Some of the uses of radioisotopes in medi-
cine are demonstrated at the hospital at USAEC's Brookhaven National
Laboratory. Some agricultural applications of radioisotopes are shown,
including the irradiation of the screwworm fly and the use of radiation
for food preservation.
The radioisotope as a source of power is covered during a brief re-
view of the SNAP (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power) program.
After a visit to Brookhaven National Laboratory to explore some as-
pects of high energy physics at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron,
the film concludes with some statements by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg,
Chairman of the USAEC, concerning the important future of the na-
tion's atomic energy program and the role the atom will play in
benefiting all mankind.
THE PETRIFIED RIVER See page 48
PROJECT DUGOUT (1964). 8V2 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at
the University of California. For sale by W. A. Palmer Films,
38 PEACEFUL USES (SUMMARY FILMS)
at $53.52 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. San Fran-
cisco. Also available for free loan from the Graphic Arts De-
partment, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, P. O. Box 808, Liver-
more.
This semitechnical film reports on Project Dugout, a chemical high
explosive experiment conducted June 24, 1964, at the Nevada Test Site
in the Commission's Plowshare program. The experiment involved the
simultaneous detonation of five 20-ton charges of nitromethane em-
placed underground in a row. The principal purpose of the experiment
was to advance fundamental knowledge of nuclear excavation technol-
ogy and row cratering effects in a hard rock medium. The film de-
scribes the purpose and objectives of the experiment, previous work
with single- charge underground explosions, preparations for the deto-
nation, the detonation and resulting row crater. The moment of deto-
nation is shown in regular and slow motion and from several vantage
points.
PROJECT SHOAL (1964). 17V2 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Nevada Operations Office for the USAEC
and the Department of Defense. For sale by Consolidated Film
Industries, at $52.90 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B.
Hollywood.
This film, suitable for high school through college-level audiences,
describes the preparation for, and firing of, an underground nuclear
detonation, one of a planned series of experiments in a Department of
Defense research program conducted with USAEC participation. The
purpose of the experiments is to improve means of detecting, locating,
and identifying underground nuclear explosions. The Project Shoal
detonation on October 26, 1963, with an explosive force equal to about
12,000 tons of TNT, was intentionally located in an area subject to
natural earthquakes, 28 miles from Fallen, Nevada, to gain informa-
tion to help distinguish between earthquakes and underground tests.
Technical direction for Shoal was by the Sandia Laboratory under the
overall management of the USAEC's Nevada Operations Office. The film
describes: selection of the site, pre-shot preparations — including a
comprehensive program to ensure public safety and to inform the
citizens of Fallen of the proposed shot — various citizens' and city
officials' reactions to the test, the seismic station program, instru-
mentation, and the detonation and some of its valuable results.
SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT (1957). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency. Available for loan
(free) from USAEC headquarters and field libraries.
This nontechnical film, for all audience levels, describes the use of
atomic energy for electrical power production; the use of radiation in
plant breeding experiments; the study of food preservation by irradia-
PEACEFUL USES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES (PLOWSHARE) 39
tion; the use of radioisotopes in industry for thickness gauging of sheet
materials, and in medicine for cancer diagnosis and therapy. It shows
medical reactors and explains photosynthesis research.
FUELS AND PROCESSING
THE ALCHEMIST'S DREAM (Challenge Series). . . . See page 49
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES (1958). 11
minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the
University of California. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures,
at $34.54 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Washington,
D. C.
This semitechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, presents potential industrial applications of nuclear explosives.
It suggests that nuclear explosives can be used as safely as chemical
explosives, but with greater effect and less cost. Examples include
harbor development, economical recovery of low-grade ore bodies,
release of petroleum from oil shale, underground production of steam
to generate power, and development of large underground reservoirs
in arid areas.
PROJECT GNOME (1963). 29 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the
University of California. For sale by W. A. Palmer Films, at
$139.83 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. San Fran-
cisco.
This film covers Project Gnome — the first nuclear detonation con-
ducted under the USAEC's Plowshare Program for development of
peaceful uses of nuclear explosives — from its planning stage through
the early months of the post-detonation period when scientists en-
tered the man-created cavern. Project Gnome was an experiment under
the technical direction of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory involving
the detonation on December 10, 1961, of a 3.1 kiloton nuclear explosive
in a chamber about 1200 feet below the earth's surface in the Salado
Salt Basin, a thick subsurface salt bed about 25 miles southeast of
Carlsbad, New Mexico. The force of the explosion created an under-
ground cavern which today measures about 170 feet across and almost
90 feet high. Animation is used to explain the scope of Project Gnome
and its integrated scientific and technical programs. Project Gnome,
one of the most heavily instrumented nuclear detonations ever con-
ducted, was designed to provide scientific and technical information on
40 RADIOISOTOPES-PRODUCTION AND HANDLING
five objectives: (1) To determine characteristics and physical effects
of underground detonations in a salt medium; (2) to explore feasibility
of converting energy produced into electricity; (3) to make neutron
cross-measurements which would contribute to scientific knowledge;
(4) to provide information on design of nuclear explosives for peaceful
purposes; and, (5) to investigate the practicability of recovering useful
radioisotopes. Topics covered: geological and safety considerations ex-
plored in selection of the Gnome site; drilling and construction of the
shaft, underground access tunnel and shot chamber; the surface in-
stallations; special monitoring and other programs conducted to afford
safety to the public; the seismic and radiological monitoring programs;
principal equipment and instrumentation installation in support of the
complex scientific experiments; the pre-shot news media tour; the
surface movement above ground zero at the moment of detonation; the
escape of vapor from the shaft; recovery of scientific data and equip-
ment; and entry into the underground cavity in May 1962. Dr. Edward
Teller, University of California nuclear physicist, discusses the ob-
jectives of the Plowshare Program and the preliminary results of
Project Gnome in the opening and closing scenes.
PROJECT SEDAN (1962). 8 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the
University of California. For sale by W. A. Palmer Films, at
$39.10 per print, including shipping case.
This semitechnical motion picture reports on the July 6, 1962, nuclear
crate ring detonation at the Nevada Test Site. This was the first of a
series of experiments under the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission's
Plowshare Program to determine the feasibility of nuclear excavatipns.
The specific objective was to determine the cratering of radioactivity
entrapment effects of detonating a 100-kiloton nuclear device buried
635 feet in desert alluvium. The film discusses the relationships be-
tween depth of explosion and crater size, and depth of explosion and
containment of radioactivity. It shows the location, slow- motion shots
of the detonation, the area covered by the base surge, the crater (1200
feet in diameter, 320 feet in depth), the fallout pattern, and relates the
experiment to possible large-scale excavation projects such as har-
bors and canals.
RADIOISOTOPES-PRODUCTION
AND HANDLING
THE ART OF SEPARATION (Challenge Series) .... See page 49
THE ATOMIC PHARMACY (Magic of the Atom Series) . . See page 56
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS 41
ENGINEERING FOR RADIOISOTOPES (1951). 21% minutes, black and
white.
Produced by USAEC's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Not for
sale.
This film, for high school and college-level audiences, describes the
chemical, mechanical, electrical and construction engineering skills
required to produce and process radioisotopes on an efficient, indus-
trial basis.
ISOTOPES (1959). 20 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. For sale
by Capital Film Laboratories, at $76.85 per print, including
shipping case.
This semitechnical film explains radioactivity, half life, and the three
methods of producing radioisotopes. Live photography and animation
depict radioisotopes production at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The
film describes in detail the large-scale separation of long-life fission
products from waste derived from processing of spent reactor fuels.
TAGGING THE ATOM (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 58
TRACING LIVING CELLS (Challenge Series) .... See page 52
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL,
AND RADIATION HAZARDS
THE ATOM AND THE WEATHER (Magic of the Atom Series) . . .
See page 53
ATOMIC CITIES (Magic of the Atom Series) See page 54
ATOMIC DETECTIVE (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 55
EXPERIMENTS IN CONTROLLING BRUSH FIRES WITH DETERGENT
FOAM (1965). 6V2 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Color Service at $14.79 per print, including shipping case,
F.O.B. New York. Also available for free loan from field li-
braries and Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Ave.,
Argonne, Illinois. Cleared for television.
Grass, brush, and forest fires cause an annual loss in the United States
close to a quarter billion dollars. This film describes a series of tests
by Argonne National Laboratory to explore the use of detergent foam as
a fire break. Experiments were conducted with the Fire Protection
42 SAFETY WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS
Department's forestry jeep, which has a 265-gallon water tank and
rotary gear pump. A detergent and water solution is sprayed on a nylon
mesh while air is forced through the openings in the mesh by a large
fan. This produces a detergent foam which has been expanded approxi-
mately 1000 times. The foam is delivered through a canvas tube at the
rate of 5000 cubic feet of foam per minute. In three tests detergent
foam appeared to be effective.
FIRE FIGHTING IN THE NUCLEAR AGE (1960). 14 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Office of Information, Idaho Op-
erations Office, USAEC, and Calvin Productions. For sale by the
Calvin Productions, at $68.50 per print, including shipping case,
F.O.B. Kansas City, Mo.
This film (produced primarily for fire departments, health officials,
and industrial personnel, under the supervision of the Health and
Safety Division of the Idaho Operations Office) points out that radia-
tion is just another hazard in fire fighting which can be handled with
proper training. The film uses the USAEC Fire Department at the Na-
tional Reactor Testing Station in Idaho as the example, showing its
training. Techniques and procedures are illustrated in the fighting of a
mock fire created for this film: A constant air monitor automatically
rings the alarm when the fire reaches stored radioactive materials and
radiation is released; the fire headquarters check the building inspec-
tion report to find out where radioactive materials are stored in the
burning building; fire trucks approach the building upwind to avoid
possible airborne radiation; firemen don special protective clothing
(i.e., shoe covers, gloves, and self-contained respiratory masks) in
addition to standard protective gear; the entrance-way to the burning
building is monitored before firemen enter, and frequent radiation
checks are made during the fire-fighting period; firemen observe
time-distance-shielding plan to protect themselves (remain in radia-
tion area shortest possible time, stay as far away from burning radio-
active materials as possible, place available shielding material between
themselves and the fire); each fireman is checked with a monitor as he
leaves the fire; all protective clothing is removed and stacked for mon-
itoring and decontamination; each man checks his film dosimeter to
see if he was exposed to radiation; fire-fighting equipment is checked
for contamination; personnel are rechecked for radiation after re-
moval of protective gear; film badges are checked; and all personnel
scrub down.
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE (Challenge Series) ... See page 50
HANDLE WITH CARE: THE SAFE HANDLING OF RADIOISOTOPES,
PART 1. (1963). 2lV2 minutes, black and white.
Produced for the International Atomic Energy Agency. Produced
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS 43
by, and for sale by, the National Film Board of Canada, at $90.00
per print, without shipping case, F.O.B. New York. NOT cleared
for television.
This semitechnical training film, for audiences of high school level and
above, covers some of the methods of safe handling of radioisotopes in
a laboratory and points out the procedures followed by laboratory
personnel to avoid contamination. While the film is instructional in
nature, its content is presented in the form of a story of an unlikely,
but possible, contamination incident. Told via the flashback technique,
the story involves the happenings of one afternoon in a laboratory as a
scientist goes about his work in an apparently methodical and routine
manner. As he recalls the happenings of the day, the audience sees in
detail all the procedures used in the safe handling of radioisotopes.
The mystery of the contamination is solved at the end of the film. The
film shows the use of protective clothing, radiation measuring devices
such as film badges, dosimeters and counters, the handling of the ra-
dioisotopes in an experiment using a fume hood, and clean-up proce-
dures following an experiment.
LIVING WITH A GLOVED BOX (1964). 15 minutes, color.
Produced by the USAEC's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at the
University of California. For sale by W. A. Palmer Films, at
$66.02 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. San Francisco.
Also available for free loan from USAEC headquarters and field
libraries, as well as the Graphic Arts Dept., Lawrence Radiation
Laboratory, P. O. Box 808, Livermore, Calif.
This semitechnical film explains the principles and techniques of work-
ing with a gloved box- an enclosure designed for handling radioactive
materials of low activity which present a hazard primarily through
inhalation and ingestion. The film opens with an explanation of how air
currents and turbulences carry various substances, some of which may
be hazardous. It shows why highly toxic materials like plutonium can
best be handled in a gloved box. The principles of the gloved box are
then explained in detail. Such items are covered as: the air flow and
pressures within the box; the "bagging in" and "bagging out" of ma-
terials; the procedures for changing gloves on the box; the changing of
the filter, and a method for handling a fire within the box.
LIVING WITH RADIATION (1958). 28 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC's Idaho Operations Office by Lookout
Mountain Air Force Station. Prints available (from master)
from Byron Motion Pictures, at $92.59 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C. Prints available (from
original) from Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, USAF, at
$172.40 per print.
This semitechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, documents in detail the radiation-safety program of the U. S.
44 SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS
atomic energy program, using procedures at the National Reactor
Testing Station in Idaho as typical, illustrative examples. It explains:
separation-distance factor; storage and/or disposal of radioactive
waste; protection of populations, water, crops, and livestock by moni-
toring of air and environment; and protection of workers by film
badges, protective clothing, shielding, re mote -control devices, ra-
diation counters, decontamination procedures, and bio-medical studies.
LIVING WITH THE ATOM (1960). 18 minutes, color.
Produced by the U. S. Information Agency.
This nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, explains the radiation safety devices and procedures used to
protect workers in the atomic industry, which is among the safest of
U. S. heavy industries. Through the viewpoint of a community repre-
sentative talking with the health physicist of a nearby atomic installa-
tion, the film also details the precaution taken for the protection of the
communities.
THE MASTER SLAVE (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 57
PRIMER ON MONITORING (1953). 30 minutes, color.
Produced, by the Film Department of the University of California
at Los Angeles. For sale by Consolidated Film Industries, at
$131.00 per print, including shipping case.
This semitechnical film, for high school and college-level audiences,
describes the different types of radiation, various devices for moni-
toring each type, and the basic principles of health monitoring pro-
cedures.
PROTECTING THE ATOMIC WORKER (Magic of the Atom Series)
See page 57
RADIATION AND THE POPULATION (Challenge Series)
See page 51
RADIATION DETECTION BY IONIZATION (Understanding the Atom
Series) See page 60
RADIATION DETECTION BY SCINTILLATION (Understanding the Atom
Series) See page 61
RADIATION IN PERSPECTIVE (1963). 43 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC under the supervision of the Division
of Operational Safety, and for sale by U. S. Department of Ag-
riculture Motion Picture Service, at $194.00 per print, including
shipping case.
The film, in the form of a lecture by Commission Safety Engineer
Francis L. Brannieran. presents the salient points of an approach to the
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS 45
understanding of the radiation problem which has been found useful for
persons requiring a layman's understanding of the nature of radiation-
such as teachers groups, public safety officials, transportation execu-
tives, insurance executives, service clubs, colleges, and universities,
etc. The film will also be useful to those technically qualified, since it
demonstrates proven techniques for explaining the radiation hazard to
the layman. Since it is basic to the acceptance of any hazard that we
expect to get some benefit from it, the lecture-film briefly summarizes
some of the beneficial uses of radioactive materials — in medicine,
agriculture, industry, systems for nuclear auxiliary power, food ster-
ilization— that justify acceptance of the hazard. The lecturer then
explains briefly the internal radiation problem, and in detail the ex-
ternal radiation problem. Information is given on ionization, background
levels of radiation, the roentgen, the various radiation levels required
to produce immediate injury and low-level radiation exposures over
long periods of time. The lecturer discusses the somatic effects (on
the individual) and genetic effects (on future generations), and makes a
comparison of the acceptable-versus-dangerous levels for radiation
with that of the levels for carbon monoxide, to show the conservative
nature of radiation regulations. An explanation is given of time, dis-
tance and shielding and how they are used to control external radiation
exposure. The lecturer points out that the question is not radiation
versus no radiation, but rather how much more radiation exposure
people can accept consistent with the other hazards of our environ-
ment— all balanced against the tremendous industrial, medical, and
research benefits of the nuclear age. He summarizes and concludes:
"Radiation is another of the hazards with which we must deal as we
make progress in our industrial age. Radiation energy in quantity can
damage living tissue. However, within limits we can live with this
problem so that we can obtain the benefits of the atomic age. This
parallels our acceptance of other hazards. There is a tremendous
spread between the routinely acceptable operating radiation levels and
the dangerous levels — many thousands of times greater than the cor-
responding spread for other hazards. All radiation contributes to but
is not the sole cause of mankind's genetic problems. The proportion
due to atomic energy is very small. The conclusion is clear: we can
enjoy the benefits of the nuclear age with safety to employees and the
public. "
RADIATION PROTECTION IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE . . See page 12
RADIATION SAFETY IN NUCLEAR ENERGY EXPLORATIONS (1962).
24 minutes, color.
Produced by the Communicable Disease Center, U. S. Public
Health Service, for the Division of Radiological Health, U. S.
Public Health Service, in cooperation with the USAEC's Albu-
46 SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS
querque Operations Office. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures,
at $100.49 per print, including shipping case. Also available for
free loan from the Audio- Visual Section, Communicable Disease
Center, USPHS, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
This film describes radiation- safety activities of the U. S. Public
Health Service (USPHS) Division of Radiological Health in the environ-
mental surveillance of radiation and the protection of public health dur-
ing certain USAEC nuclear-energy experiments on the peaceful uses of
atomic energy [nuclear explosives (Operation PLOWSHARE), aero-
space program, and seismic research in the detection of underground
nuclear detonations]. A brief review of major accomplishments in
medical, industrial power and propulsion, and agricultural research
applications of nuclear energy is presented, together with a summary
of areas of further experimentation in the peaceful applications of
atomic energy. These include experiments in the underground storage
and recovery of heat, the economic feasibility of using nuclear explo-
sives for excavation and earth-moving operations, the potential for
producing isotopes underground, and the development of a nuclear-
powered rocket and ram-jet engine. The USPHS radiological health-
safety program provides assurance that the health and safety of the
public are protected during the operational phases of these nuclear-
energy explorations. It includes the collection and laboratory analyses
of air, water, milk, and food samples; ground and aerial monitoring
with Geiger counters and continuous recorders; a film-badge program
to measure accumulated gamma exposure, if any; use of fallout trays;
liaison with state health agencies; a public information program; a
veterinary program and animal studies; epidemiological studies to
evaluate the dose-effect relations of radiation; and a medical liaison
officer network for consultation with local physicians and medical
societies. Also featured are the cooperative efforts of the USAEC,
USPHS, Weather Bureau, U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, U. S. Geo-
logical Survey, Bureau of Mines, and the Department of Defense in
program implementation and the federal- state complex of health agen-
cies to ensure the protection of public health and safety during the ex-
periments. (Nontechnical: suitable for all audience levels.)
RADIOISOTOPES: SAFE SERVANTS OF INDUSTRY . . See page 17
RADIOLOGICAL SAFETY (Understanding the Atom Series) ....
See page 63
THE REGULATION OF ATOMIC RADIATION (1963). 28V2 minutes,
color.
Produced by the USAEC. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at
$105.73 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Washington,
D. C.
URANIUM PROSPECTING, MINING, AND PRODUCTION 47
This film surveys the work of USAEC's Division of Licensing and
Regulation, Compliance, and Radiation Protection Standards in licens-
ing and regulating the uses of nuclear materials so that the many bene-
fits of atomic energy and man-made radiation can be achieved in
safety. It details how the USAEC effectively controls radiation from
radioactive materials and radiation-producing sources during their
handling, shipment, and many uses in power, research, industry, ag-
riculture and medicine. The close control of radioactive materials is
shown, from the time they leave the mines to be processed until they
are once again returned to the earth or the sea as waste materials.
TRACING AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY (Challenge Series) ....
See page 52
WORKING WITH RADIATION (Challenge Series) ... See page 53
URANIUM PROSPECTING, MINING,
AND PRODUCTION
ATOMIC GOLD RUSH (Magic of the Atom Series) ... See page 55
BUILDING FOR ATOMIC ENERGY (1958). 21 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Savannah River Operations Office. For
sale by the Calvin Productions at $71.00 per print, including
shipping case.
This semitechnical film, for high school and college-level audiences,
documents the construction of the Savannah River Plant, the largest
single construction project ever undertaken by the USAEC.
GASEOUS DIFFUSION (1958). 3 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, Lookout Mountain Air Force Sta-
tion, USAF, at $6.00 per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical animation-film illustrates the gaseous diffusion
method for separating Uranium-235 from Uranium-238, as accom-
plished at U. S. Atomic Energy Commission gaseous diffusion plants
at Portsmouth, Ohio; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Paducah, Kentucky.
GIANT OF THE EARTH (1955). 26 minutes, black and white.
Produced by, and for sale by, the Colorado Mining Association,
at $100.00 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared for
television.
This film explains exploration, prospecting, and mining of uranium
48 CHALLENGE SERIES
ores on the Colorado Plateau, and explains USAEC activities at Grand
Junction, Colorado.
THE PETRIFIED RIVER (1956). 28 minutes, color.
Produced by the Union Carbide Corporation and the U. S. Bureau
of Mines under the technical direction of USAEC. For sale by
MPO Distribution, at $135.00 per print, including shipping case.
This nontechnical film for all audience levels describes how uranium
was deposited during prehistoric, geologic ages; prospecting on the
Colorado Plateau; mining and milling of uranium ores; and the use of
the atom's energy for power and to produce radioisotopes for medical
diagnosis and therapy, agriculture, industry and research.
THE PORTSMOUTH STORY (1957). 23 minutes, black and white.
Produced for USAEC's Oak Ridge Operations, and for sale by,
Lookout Mountain Laboratory, USAF, at $44.00 per print, in-
cluding shipping case.
This semitechnical film, for intermediate through college-level audi-
ences, describes the construction of the USAEC gaseous diffusion
uranium processing plant at Portsmouth, Ohio.
PRODUCTION OF URANIUM FEED MATERIALS (1959). 28 minutes,
color.
Produced by USAEC Oak Ridge Operations. For sale by Capital
Film Laboratories, at $87.31 per print, including shipping case.
This is a semitechnical film, for the high-school- and college-level au-
diences, describing the step-by-step processing of uranium ore concen-
trates to metal reduction and fabrication, in the USAEC feed materials
plants at Fernald, Ohio, and Weldon Spring, Missouri.
THE SEARCH — URANIUM PROSPECTING AND MINING (1955). 23
minutes, black and white.
Produced by Columbia Broadcasting System-Television and the
Colorado Mining Association. For sale by McGraw-Hill Book
Co., at $145.00 per print, including shipping case. NOT cleared
for television.
This is a nontechnical film, for intermediate through college-level
audiences, telling the story of the exploration, prospecting, and min-
ing of uranium ores on the Colorado Plateau.
CHALLENGE Series. 29 minutes each, black and white.
This series of films, each of which is described below, provides
an in-depth description of basic research in the nuclear sciences
at the USAEC Argonne National Laboratory. The films visit var-
ious facilities in presenting explanations, demonstrations, and
CHALLENGE SERIES 49
discussions of nuclear-science principles, research tools and
methods, and the projects to which they apply. Leading scientists
provide narration. Produced by Ross-McElroy Productions,
Chicago, Illinois, for the National Educational Television and
Radio Center, under a grant from Argonne National Laboratory.
For sale by NET Film Service, at $125.00 per print, including
shipping case.
THE ALCHEMIST'S DREAM (1965).
Transmutation of metals, the dream of the alchemists in the
Middle Ages, is shown and explained in its nuclear science con-
text by members of the Argonne Chemistry Division. A minute
quantity of berkelium is produced by bombarding curium with
deuterons from a cyclotron. The berkelium is separated and
purified behind the thick walls of a newly constructed hot labora-
tory for research with man-made elements.
THE ART OF SEPARATION (1962).
This film deals with the separation of chemical compounds into
basic substances in the purest form possible by the process
known as chromatography and with the importance of that pro-
cess in chemistry work. Using radiation, the chemist is able to
work with much greater speed and ease in the field of chroma-
tography. The basic principles and various methods of modern
chromatography are explained and demonstrated. Actual separa-
tion of a chemical compound is shown.
ATOMIC FURNACES (1962).
The operation, principles, and scientific applications of nuclear
reactors, used as research tools in various projects, are briefly
described. Types of research that reactors and associated equip-
ment make possible are shown at length. The Gamma Ray Spec-
trometer, the Neutron Chopper, and a new reactor designed
specifically for high- and low- radiation experiments in biology
are also described.
A BREEDER IN THE DESERT (1965).
Argonne's Experimental Breeder Reactor II at the National Re-
actor Testing Station in Idaho is shown in detail, and many of the
features and operating characteristics of a large-scale fast
breeder reactor are described. The EBR-II Fuel Cycle Facility,
first nuclear fuel reprocessing plant completely integrated with
a reactor, is shown in operation.
BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE (1962).
Unique fragments of molecules caused by radiation in living sys-
50 CHALLENGE SERIES
terns, which are known as free radicals, either kill or seriously
damage living cells. The how and why of both the particles and
the damage they cause is the topic of this film.
A CHEMICAL SOMERSAULT (1965).
A commonly accepted scientific maxim, that the inert gases will
not form chemical compounds, is shown to be false in this film
depicting some of the research of the Argonne fluorine chemis-
try group. The making of xenon-fluorine compounds is illustrated
with laboratory equipment. Research into structures of mole-
cules of these compounds is shown and explained.
DOWN ON THE FARM (1965).
Algae are grown in heavy water in a unique "farm" at Argonne
to obtain organic compounds in which the atoms of ordinary hy-
drogen are replaced by atoms of deuterium. Scientists show how
these deuterated compounds are employed in studies of photo-
synthesis and other metabolic processes. The presence of deu-
terium in place of ordinary hydrogen is shown to have a slowing -
down effect on many life processes.
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (1962).
Problems that are still to be solved by nuclear scientists are
discussed in this film. Areas of particular interest to the scien-
tist in his work now and in the future are identified as being the
effects of radiation, the peaceful uses of radiation, and the dan-
gers of radiation.
THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE (1965).
Special precautions and techniques employed in working with
Plutonium are shown in a unique engineering laboratory, the
Argonne Fuel Fabrication Facility, where work is performed
within sealed glove boxes under an inert atmosphere. The man-
ufacture of experimental reactor fuel pins containing plutonium
is illustrated step-by-step.
HARNESSING THE RAINBOW (1965).
Uses of spectroscopy in a nuclear laboratory are illustrated with
instruments ranging in complexity from a simple prism to one of
the world's largest and most complex light spectrographs. Ar-
gonne scientists describe the identification of line spectra as a
means of studying atomic structure.
THE IMMUNE RESPONSE (1962).
This film is concerned with the mechanism by which the body
CHALLENGE SERIES 51
builds antibodies against disease and other foreign substances
and with the effects of radiation on this immunizing response.
In a demonstration the experimental procedures of the irradia-
tion of rabbits with X-rays is shown and conclusions are dis-
cussed.
INVISIBLE BULLETS (1962).
This film introduces the series and establishes the basic knowl-
edge about radiation necessary for an understanding of the other
films in the series. The meaning of radiation, its natural sources,
the various forms it takes, and how it is used in research are
explained. The difference between alpha and beta particles and
between gamma rays and X-rays is described.
THE LIVING SOLID (1962).
This film shows that bone is not a fairly stable substance but is
active, living matter, constantly remodeling and reforming it-
self. The importance of bone to the entire body as a supplier of
calcium is emphasized, and the systems by which this calcium
gets from bone to blood and vice versa are illustrated. Effects
of radiation are illustrated in photographs of bone cross-sections.
MACHINES THAT THINK (1965).
Research at Argonne into the future scientific uses of electronic
computers is shown in this presentation which stresses non-
numerical manipulations of symbols. Computers are taught to
make qualitative judgments, to interpret the significance of
patterns such as spark chamber photographs, and to control
laboratory experimental apparatus.
MICROSCOPE FOR THE UNKNOWN (1965).
The Zero Gradient Proton Synchrotron at Argonne National Lab-
oratory is the scene of this presentation depicting types of ex-
perimental apparatus used in high energy physics research.
Principles of "track detectors" such as the bubble chamber and
the spark chamber are described, and the interpretation of track
photographs is explained. A large spark chamber facility for
detecting neutrinos and the 30 -inch MURA bubble chamber are
illustrated in detail.
RADIATION AND THE POPULATION (1962).
Because genetic damage is one of tne most serious effects of
radiation, the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission genetics pro-
gram is designed to learn how radiation damages cells and what
the long term effects of such damage might be. The film ex-
plains how radiation causes mutations and how these mutations
52 CHALLENGE SERIES
are passed on to succeeding generations. Mutation research is
illustrated with results of experimentation on generations of
mice and includes discussion of work with fruit flies and induced
mutations. Fallout and its implications are also discussed.
SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE (1962).
Atomic structure, one of the most basic forms of nuclear re-
search, permits the scientist to discover the nature of the uni-
verse through the use of atom smashers or particle accelerators.
The machines produce intense beams of radiation which enable
study of the structure of the atom, the nucleus, and the basic
components of the nucleus. This film explains how accelerators
operate and shows one of the world's largest particle accelera-
tors being constructed. Sub-nuclear particles and the concept of
matter and anti-matter are also explained.
TESTING FOR TOMORROW (1965).
Aspects of nondestructive testing as employed in a nuclear lab-
oratory, are depicted. Among the techniques, many of them newly
developed, are neutron radiography, eddy current testing, ultra-
sonic detection of voids, and ultrasonic television scanning.
TIME — THE SUREST POISON (1962).
This film explores the natural process of aging and the methods
used in its study. Aging might be considered one of the deleteri-
ous side effects of radiation since radiation injury resembles
natural aging in so many ways. Results of study of the aging
process involving the use of radiation are presented. The con-
duct of research on animals using low- level gamma irradiation
is illustrated.
TRACING AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY (1962).
The principle of air being able to cleanse itself of poisonous
substances, including those which are radioactive, is covered in
this film. Atmospheric fallout and methods now being used to
determine and study such fallout are examined. Fallout studies
are discussed which relate man and his environment.
TRACING LIVING CELLS (1962).
Radioactivity is often mankind's servant. In recent years, the use
of radioactive isotopes in the study of cell division and in medi-
cal therapy has helped man overcome disease. This film demon-
strates some of the many helpful and healthful uses of atomic
energy, including use of radioactive tracers in blood and cancer
research.
THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES 53
WORKING WITH RADIATION (1962).
When properly handled in the laboratory, radioactive materials
constitute little danger. This film shows precautions used in
working with radiation as well as research effort being made to
gain more knowledge about handling radiation. "Hot caves" (ra-
diation chambers) using remote- control mechanical manipula-
tors, caves using electronic type manipulators, and giant caves
using heavy-duty manipulators illustrate the safety methods
mentioned. Methods used to dispose of radioactive waste ma-
terials are also shown.
THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM Series.
This non-technical series was produced by, and is for sale by,
The Handel Film Corporation. Most of the films in the series are
12^/2 minutes, black and white, and for sale at $65.00, except
where indicated. These films are NOT cleared for television
except with the express permission of the producer. In some
cases, Audio-Visual Branch, Division of Public Information,
USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545, will arrange for television
clearance, on request.
THE ATOM AND THE DOCTOR (1954).
Shows three applications of radioisotopes in medicine; testing for
leukemia and other blood disorders with radioiron; diagnosis of
thyroid conditions with radioiodine "cocktails," and cancer re-
search and therapy with radiogallium.
THE ATOM AND THE WEATHER (1956).
Shows weather installations used at atomic energy plants to
protect residents of neighboring communities; how colored
smoke is used at Brookhaven to verify safe wind patterns be-
fore radioactive stack gases are released to the atmosphere;
why nuclear test explosions have no effect on the weather; how
patterns of radioactive fallout from tests are predicted and
traced to protect the public; and how radioactivity serves as a
tool in meteorological research.
THE ATOM IN INDUSTRY (1954).
Describes conversion of nuclear heat to electricity; heat-transfer
experiments; use of radiation sources in thickness gauging, and
in "X-ray" inspection of casting flaws. Suggests other industrial
uses.
THE ATOM IN THE HOSPITAL (1961).
Also available in color at $130.00 per print.
54 THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES
At the City of Hope Medical Center, the following facilities are shown:
(1) the stationary cobalt source that uses radioactive cobalt to treat
various forms of malignancies; (2) a rotational therapy unit called the
"cesium ring," which revolves around the patient and focuses its beam
on the diseased area; and (3) the total-body irradiation chamber for
studying the effects of radiation on living things. Studies can be car-
ried out to determine the effects of massive doses of radiation. Data
from these studies will be used for civil defense purposes, for inves-
tigating skin grafts and organ transplants, etc. At the UCLA Medical
Center the total-body counter facility, which measures the slight ra-
dioactivity normally present in the animal or human body, is shown.
The counting facility makes it possible to employ new diagnostic pro-
cedures requiring much smaller amounts of radioactive materials by
eliminating practically all background radiation.
ATOM SMASHERS (1954).
Explains purposes, principles and methods of particle accelera-
tors. Shows how swift atomic projectiles "smash" atomic nuclei
apart for scientific examination of subatomic particles. Views of
various particle accelerators, including the first 4-inch Cyclo-
tron, the giant Bevatron, the Cosmotron, and of photographic
trails left by smashed atoms.
ATOMIC AGE FARMER (1955).
Shows three examples of use of the atom in agricultural re-
search; irradiation of corn at Brookhaven for development of
stronger strains; studies at Oak Ridge to learn more about
growth processes of domestic animals; and "Atomic Tracer
Farm" at Argonne, where plants grown in a radioactive atmo-
sphere produce radioactive drugs.
THE ATOMIC ALCHEMIST (1954)
Illustrates role of chemistry in nuclear development, how atomic
energy products are opening new fields in chemistry, effects
of radiation on liquids and on solids, and the search for new
elements.
ATOMIC BIOLOGY FOR MEDICINE (1956).
Explains experiments to discover effects of radiation on mam-
mals, including effects on lungs, eyes, bones and other tissues,
cell division, and tumors.
ATOMIC CITIES (1956).
Shows precautions taken to assure that residents of communities
near atomic energy installations are not endangered by the plant's
use of radioactive materials. Describes routine checks of sur-
THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES 55
rounding soil, vegetation, and air for radioactivity; explains
problems of disposing of radioactive wastes and methods of
solution in use or under study.
ATOMIC DETECTIVE (1956).
Explains the different basic types of radiation and the various
detection and monitoring devices developed to handle each type.
Illustrates how the devices are used in industry, hospitals, re-
search laboratories, and uranium prospecting. Shows assembly
of a small unit.
THE ATOMIC FINGERPRINT (1964).
Produced under the technical supervision of the USAEC and
Dr. Vincent P. Guinn, General Atomic Division, General Dy-
namics; and for sale at $67.50 in black and white, and $135.00
per print in color.
This film explains neutron activation analysis, a highly sensitive and
powerful analytical technique with wide applications in the basic and
applied sciences, which involves the use of neutrons to make sub-
stances radioactive, followed by analysis of the radiations emitted, to
determine which elements are present and their amounts. The film
demonstrates some of the many applications of neutron activation
analysis in crime detection, geology and soil science, analysis of art
and archeological objects, oil refining, agriculture, electronics, biol-
ogy and medicine, and space sciences. Various techniques of neutron
activation — making a sample radioactive — are explained, as well as
the instruments and methods used in analyzing the activated samples.
These include the use of the gamma- ray spectrometer and the technique
of "spectrum stripping" — the electronic subtraction of the gamma-ray
spectra of one or more known elements from that of a multi-element
sample.
ATOMIC FURNACES (1955).
Explains purposes and principles of nuclear reactors and shows
several in action at Brookhaven, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos;
the first atomic pile at Chicago; cutaway views of a typical re-
actor; and irradiation of material in a reactor.
ATOMIC GOLD RUSH (1956).
Shows prospecting for uranium by airplane and on foot, staking
a claim, sample core drilling, core analysis, and mining.
THE ATOMIC GREENHOUSE (1954).
Shows step by step the use of radioisotopes to trace a plant's
absorption of agricultural lime from the soil. Explains how ef-
fectiveness of plant's utilization is determined, and why such
56 THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES
tests can improve crops by pointing to most efficient use of
fertilizers.
ATOMIC METALLURGY (1955).
Shows development, testing, and use of new metals needed to
withstand powerful radiation and unprecedented heat produced
by nuclear reactions. Includes work at Knolls, Argonne, Han-
ford, and New Brunswick.
THE ATOMIC PHARMACY (1954).
Describes the storage and handling of radioiso topes, and illus-
trates remote- control devices for safe manipulation of radioac-
tive liquids. Explains use of radioisotopes in hospitals, research
laboratories, and industrial facilities.
ATOMIC POWER PRODUCTION (1964). 14 minutes, color and black
and white.
Available in color at $150.00 per print, and in black and white at
$75.00 per print.
Opening with an explanation of the growing demand for electrical power,
produced today primarily through hydro-electric means and the burning
of fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil), the film tells of the need for har-
nessing nuclear energy. With animation, an explanation is given of how
the heat created by the controlled chain reaction of atomic fuel in a
reactor is converted to electrical power. Several types of power reac-
tors and their basic differences are discussed: the boiling water reac-
tor, the pressurized water reactor, one using a liquid sodium coolant,
and one using an organic coolant. The principle of the "breeder" reac-
tor is explained and its importance stressed. The film also discusses
the care and safety of design, construction, maintenance and operation
of atomic power plants.
THE ATOMIC ZOO (1954).
Shows experiments with sheep, fowl, and fish to determine how
radioactivity affects basic food products.
ATOMS FOR HEALTH (1956).
Illustrates two methods of diagnosis and treatment possible with
radiations: a new diagnostic test of the liver, and cancer therapy
with a new radioactive cobalt device, the "Theratron." Presents
the case histories step by step.
THE ETERNAL CYCLE (1954).
Illustrates use of radioisotope tracers in biological research.
Includes study of iron absorption by the blood cells; use of sug-
ars by the body; and biological cycling studies in which "tagged"
THE MAGIC OF THE ATOM SERIES 57
materials are traced throughout their movement from the soil to
plants and animals, and the amounts of absorption during each
stage are determined.
THE INDUSTRIAL ATOM (1956).
Shows use of radioisotopes to detect hidden leaks, locate stuck
scrapers in oil pipelines, and for piston ring wear studies to test
quality of lubricating oils.
JOBS IN ATOMIC ENERGY (1956).
Shows the diversity of the many jobs created by the rapid devel-
opment of atomic energy. Includes scientists, engineers, tech-
nicians, production, and clerical workers employed in research,
power production, industrial applications, agriculture, medicine,
and raw materials.
THE MASTER SLAVE (1954).
Demonstrates some of the remote -control devices and methods
which make it possible to manipulate highly radioactive mate-
rials from a safe distance.
POWER UNLIMITED (1955).
Explains how electricity is produced by atomic energy and shows
the first generation of usable electric power in the USAEC's Ex-
perimental Breeder Reactor in Idaho.
PROTECTING THE ATOMIC WORKER (1954).
Explains safeguards used to protect men and women working
closely with radiation: film badges, ionization pencils, shielding,
decontamination, laundry, health monitors, blood counts, breath
testing, and health records.
RADIATION: SILENT SERVANT OF MANKIND (1956).
Depicts four uses of controlled radiation to benefit mankind:
bombardment of plants from a radioactive cobalt source, to in-
duce genetic changes for study and crop improvement; irradia-
tion of deep-seated tumors with a beam from a particle ac-
celerator; therapy of thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine; and
possibilities for treating brain tumors.
THE RIDDLE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS (1965 version). l^/2 minutes,
color and black and white.
Available in color at $160.00 per print, and in black and white at
$ 80.00 per print.
Shows role of photosynthesis in growth of food, and use of radiocarbon
58 UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES
to explore the process. Describes, with animation, key steps in one of
the experiments designed to help solve the riddle.
TAGGING THE ATOM (1954).
Describes the use of radioisotope "tracers" as scientific re-
search tools. Shows details of radioisotope production, methods
of handling, purification, and packaging.
UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM Series.
This series of semitechnical lecture films is designed for in-
clusion in a high school senior-level chemistry or physics
course, or it could be used as an introductional unit in nuclear
science at the college level. The lecture -demonstration is pre-
sented by Dr. Ralph T. Overman, Chairman, Special Training
Division of the USAEC's Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies.
ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA (1962). 44 minutes.
Produced by the former New York University Television Center
under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Isotope Develop-
ment. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $47.12 per print,
including shipping case.
The film gives some insight into the origin and nature of alpha, beta,
and gamma radiation. After a short discussion of the methods of de-
scribing atoms and the introduction of the energy-level concept, the
lecturer introduces the potential- energy well model of the nucleus.
This, together with the barrier model, is used as the frame of refer-
ence for a variety of other nuclear concepts. The energetics in alpha
emission and the Gamow tunneling effect are used to describe alpha-
ray emission and the energy levels in the nucleus. The lecturer dis-
cusses neutron absorption leading to the formation of nuclei having
neutron— proton ratios differing from stable or naturally occurring nu-
clei. The transformation of excess neutrons into negative beta radiation
and the return to stability are considered in some detail. Similarly,
gamma radiation arising from a nuclear cooling process is described.
The nuclear well model is then used to introduce decay schemes.
THE ATOM IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE (1964). 26 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Nu-
clear Education and Training and the Oak Ridge Institute of
Nuclear Studies. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $33.75
per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This film is a lecture by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of the U. S.
Atomic Energy Commission, who is introduced by Dr. Ralph T. Over-
man, Chairman, Special Training Division of the USAEC's Oak Ridge
UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES 59
Institute of Nuclear Studies and regular lecturer of the series. Dr. Sea-
borg outlines briefly the types of experiments which were used in the
production of transuranium elements. These have been discovered using
exceedingly ingenious approaches involving quite complex electronics
and highly refined chemical techniques. Various sources have been
employed in producing the new elements. These have included various
types of accelerators, uranium reactors, and in several cases the first
production of elements was in weapons testing experiments. The higher
atomic number elements have been produced by the bombardment of
targets with nuclei such as boron and nitrogen. Dr. Seaborg points out
that elements not yet discovered will be characterized by very short
half lives and will require electronic means for their testing rather
than chemical techniques.
The film discusses applications to other chemical problems such as
the mechanism of photosynthesis and the use of special techniques such
as isotope dilution analysis. Of considerable interest also is the de-
scription of Carbon- 14 dating.
The lecturer closes with a strong statement regarding the need for
scientists and the importance of good scientific training in schools.
NUCLEAR REACTIONS (1963). 29 1/2 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Nu-
clear Education and Training. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures,
at $33.06 per print, including shipping case.
This segment of the series continues the discussion of the film "Alpha,
Beta, and Gamma," and involves some of the basic concepts of nuclear
reactions. Neutron capture processes are described with the gamma
emission and particle ejection reactions being studied. Nuclear fission
is also discussed. As an example of the calculations involved in nu-
clear reactions, the film describes the activation of a gold sample in a
nuclear reactor. Emphasis is placed on the minute quantities which can
be detected with the subsequent applications to the technique of activa-
tion analysis. It is shown that hundredths of a part per billion of certain
materials can be detected by nuclear techniques.
PROPERTIES OF RADIATION (1962). 30 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Iso-
tope Development. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $32.06
per print, including shipping case.
This film includes a discussion of general problems of radiation de-
cay, such as the laws of radioactive decay, including the concept of half
life. Statistical considerations are introduced, and the basic notion of
the standard deviation in counts expected in various experiments is
described. The energy spectrum from alpha and beta emitters is con-
60 UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES
sidered, and the use of absorption curves to study the energy distribu-
tion of beta radiation is introduced. The density thickness expressed
in milligrams per square centimeter is introduced as a useful term.
The film also considers problems of self- absorption, special activity,
and backs catte ring of radiation.
RADIATION AND MATTER (1962). 44 minutes.
Produced by the former New York University Television Center
under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Isotope Develop-
ment. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures at $ 45.95 per print,
including shipping case.
The film, which considers the interaction of radiation with matter, de-
velops the various processes by which alpha, beta, and gamma radia-
tion give up energy to their surroundings. The similarities and differ-
ences of alpha and beta particles are considered, with emphasis on the
methods by which ionization occurs. It is pointed out that, since the in-
teraction of radiations in the absorption process takes place essentially
only with orbital electrons on the atoms, the density of electrons in
matter is the determining factor. The relation between energy of a par-
ticle and the number of ion pairs formed is also explained. The lec-
turer follows with a discussion of gamma, or electromagnetic radia-
tion, which is described as a nonionizing event in terms of the initial
interaction between photons and atoms. Four possibilities of gamma-
ray absorption (excitation, photoelectric effect, Compton effect, and
pair production) are discussed. The viewer, however, is alerted to the
fact that there is only a certain probability that one particular process
may take place rather than another, depending upon the energy of the
gamma ray. This probability, expressed as absorption coefficient, is
then related to each of the four absorption processes.
RADIATION DETECTION BY IONIZATION (1962). 30 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Iso-
tope Development. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $32.53
per print, including shipping case.
The basic principles of ionization detectors are described, particularly
in relation to the pulse height as a function of voltage curves. Brief
descriptions of ionization chambers, proportional counters, and Geiger
counters are included, and examples of instruments operating in these
regions are shown. Special consideration is given to Geiger counters,
including the mechanism of gas quenching and the determination of a
counting-rate plateau. The resolving time of a counter is discussed, as
well as various components of a practical instrument, including am-
plifiers and sealers.
UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES 61
RADIATION DETECTION BY SCINTILLATION (1962). 30 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of the USAEC's Division of Iso-
tope Development. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at $31.77
per print, including shipping case.
A short review of gamma interactions with matter is shown, with par-
ticular reference to useful scintillation crystals. The scintillation pro-
cess is described, and the efficiency of the conversion of gamma ra-
diation to visible light in the scintillator is discussed. Solid and liquid
scintillators are shown along with special detection devices using this
principle. A description of the operation of a photo multiplier tube is
given, and the concept of pulse height is developed. The principle of
operation of a pulse-height analyzer is shown, and the spectrum ob-
tained with such an instrument is shown and discussed. Brief mention
is made of solid-state radiation detectors.
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY (1964). 2&/2 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the joint direction of USAEC's Divisions of Iso-
tope Development and Nuclear Education and Training. For sale
by Byron Motion Pictures, at $28.98 per print, including shipping
case, F.O.B. Washington, D. C.
This film discusses some of the practical, simple, and easily under-
stood methods of putting radioisotopes to work in industry. The pro-
gram features Dr. Paul C. Aebersold, Director, Division of Isotope
Development, USAEC, who is introduced by Dr. Ralph T. Overman,
Chairman, Special Training Division of the USAEC's Oak Ridge Insti-
tute of Nuclear Studies and regular lecturer of the series. Using actual
radioisotope sources, Dr. Aebersold gives various demonstrations of
the degree of their penetrating radiations, the extent to which several
types of materials can reduce them and the sensitive methods of de-
tecting them. He explains how the principles involved in the demonstra-
tions are applied to practical uses in industry. Narrating the film, he
tells of the actual use of radioisotope gauges in tire plants and steel
mills, of radioisotope tracers used in the petroleum and chemical in-
dustries, of radioisotope density gauges used in food plants and of other
uses of radioisotopes in industry which improve the efficiency of pro-
duction and the quality of the product.
RADIOISOTOPE APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE (1964). 26 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New York
City, under the joint direction of the USAEC's Divisions of Iso-
tope Development and Nuclear Education and Training, and the
Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies. For sale by Byron Motion
Pictures, at $31.50 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B.
Washington, D. C.
62 UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES
This film traces the development of the use of radioisotopes and radia-
tion in the field of medicine from the early work by Hevesy to the pres-
ent. The program is presented by Dr. John Cooper of Northwestern
University, who is introduced by Dr. Ralph T. Overman, Chairman,
Special Training Division of the USAEC's Oak Ridge Institute of Nu-
clear Studies and regular lecturer of the series. Dr. Cooper's discus-
sion includes the area of medical research, diagnosis and therapy. The
source of cholesterol in the human body and the applications of this
basic information to clinical studies of atherosclerosis is described.
Similarly, studies with cobalt- labeled vitamin B-12, used to study
pernicious anemia, are also discussed. Most of the information now
known about thyroid physiology and pathology has been determined with
the aid of various iodine radioisotopes, and standard diagnostic mea-
surements and scanning are described in the film. Brain tumor local-
ization is also covered. A very important area of radioisotope use is
the determination of a variety of body fluid volumes such as blood and
plasma. Red cell volume and lifetime can also be measured using
labeled cells. The film explains how radioisotopes are used for the
treatment of various diseases, including hyperthyroidism and cancer.
RADIOISOTOPES IN BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE (1964). 26 min-
utes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New York
City, under the joint direction of USAEC ' s Divisions of Isotope
Development and Nuclear Education and Training, and the Oak
Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies. For sale by Bryon Motion
Pictures, at $32.54 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B.
Washington, D. C.
This film is a lecture by Dr. Howard Curtis of Brookhaven National
Laboratory, who is introduced by Dr. Ralph T. Overman, Chairman,
Special Training Division of the USAEC's Oak Ridge Institute of Nu-
clear Studies and regular lecturer of the series. Dr. Curtis touches on
some of the up-to-date applications of atomic energy to biology and
agriculture. Reference is made to the importance of radioisotopic
tracers in the determination of the structure and role of nucleic acids
and other cellular components. This work is done either with various
types of counters or autoradiography. For example, the position of
DNA in the cell has been determined quite specifically. This informa-
tion has been exceedingly important in the breaking of the genetic code
by determining the area of the sub units on the backbone of the geneti-
cally important molecules. Similarly, the structure of proteins has
been determined using radioactive tracers. In addition to tracer appli-
cations, a great deal of information has been gained by studying radia-
tion effects. This has been important both from the standpoint of fun-
damental knowledge about growth and also the practical applications of
economically important mutations. Interesting examples of plantbreed-
UNDERSTANDING THE ATOM SERIES 63
ing projects are shown. In the animal sciences, important information
on the study of aging has come out of the use of radiation as a stress.
Various theories of aging have been tested, and it appears that aging is
primarily associated with the damage to chromosomes. If the DNA is
damaged, animals grow older because of basic instability of DNA. Other
examples of the importance of radiation to molecular biology are shown.
RADIOLOGICAL SAFETY (1963). 30 minutes.
Produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, New
York City, under the direction of USAEC's Division of Nuclear
Education and Training. For sale by Byron Motion Pictures, at
$33.06 per print, including shipping case.
This film examines the field of radiological safety or health physics,
and tries to give a basis for a perspective on potential biological ra-
diation damage. It first considers background radiation and the nature
of the difference in this radiation. Larger doses of radiation can be a
potential cause of both somatic (direct bodily) damage and genetic
(hereditary) damage, and consideration is given to the maximum per-
missible limits or radiation guide levels which have been established
by various radiological protection committees and the Federal Radia-
tion Council. Various units are described, with these including the
roentgen, the rad, and the rem. The latter unit is a measure of the
biological dose equivalent and considers the relative biological effec-
tiveness (RBE) of the radiation. Consideration is also given to the max-
imum permissible concentration of radioisotopes in water or air, and
the problems involved in the localization of radioactive materials in the
body. Various factors that must be controlled in reducing the radiation
hazard include the quantity of radioactive material, the distance, the
time of exposure, and shielding. Internal exposure must be minimized
by the use of special laboratory facilities and techniques which are re-
quired to minimize the admission of radioactive isotopes into the body.
The importance of having calibrated instruments available is stressed
in any program involving the use of radiation sources.
ADDITIONAL TITLES
This section contains detailed information and full
descriptions on films released since the publication
of the 1965 edition.
65
66 ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP
ATOMIC ENERGY FOR SPACE (1966). 17 minutes, color.
Produced by the Handel Film Corporation with the cooperation
of the USAEC and the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration. For sale by Handel Film Corporation at $195.00 per
print, F.O.B. Los Angeles. Available for loan (free) from AEC
Headquarters and field libraries. Permission for use of AEC
library prints for public service or educational telecasting must
be obtained from the Chief, Audio- Visual Branch, Division of
Public Information, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washing-
ton, D. C. 20545.
The film explains why only atomic energy can satisfy some of the fu-
ture power needs for the exploration of deep space. Nuclear energy for
space is being developed through two basic applications: the nuclear
rocket for space propulsion, and in isotopic or reactor power plants
which can produce the electricity essential for spacecraft operations.
It is explained that the nuclear rocket being developed jointly by the
AEC and NASA in the Rover program, which will be essential for
manned flights to the planets of our solar system and beyond, will use
a nuclear reactor, or "atomic furnace," to heat, vaporize and expand
liquid hydrogen, and expel it from a nozzle to produce thrust.
The efficiency of nuclear and chemical rockets is compared, and it
is noted that there will be a great reduction in the weight of the nuclear
propulsion system as opposed to chemical rockets. The "fission"
process — to produce nuclear heat — is explained with animation, as
well as how this heat is used to produce thrust in the versatile nuclear
engine. Shown also are the KIWI and NERVA nuclear reactor systems
during "nozzle-up" ground tests. Scientists look forward to nuclear
engines of the Phoebus series that will develop about 275,000 pounds of
thrust for deep space probes.
The film then turns to the SNAP devices — Systems for Nuclear Aux-
iliary Power: devices that supply electricity for all the various house-
keeping and operational sub-systems of spacecraft and satellites (radio,
TV, transmitters, computers, etc.). There are two types: isotopic gen-
erators (atomic batteries) and the nuclear power reactor. The film
shows the first isotopic space generator which went into orbit in a
satellite in 1961. By animation, it is illustrated how the decay of radio-
isotopic materials produces heat which is converted directly to elec-
tricity by thermocouples. Also explained and illustrated is the nuclear
reactor for auxiliary power, with scenes of the 1965 launch of the first
reactor into orbit. This SNAP-10A reactor produced a half million
watt-hours of electricity during operation. Future astronauts will
travel in spacecraft propelled by nuclear rockets. The huge array of
instruments and control devices in their spacecraft and those they will
ATOMS FOR SPACE AND SNAP 67
leave on the moon and planets will receive electricity from nuclear
power generators.
FIRST REACTOR IN SPACE: SNAP-10A (1966). 14V2 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by Atomics International. For sale by
Hollywood Film Enterprises, Inc., 6060 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood,
Calif. 90028, at $40.40 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B.
Hollywood. Also available for loan from the Library, Atomics
International, P. O. Box 309, Canoga Park, Calif. 91304.
Development, launch and results of the world's first nuclear reactor
power system to operate in space are described in this semi-technical
film, which will be of interest to a wide range of audiences, including
high schools. The SNAP-10A unit, consisting of a nuclear reactor and
power conversion unit, was thrust into a 700 nautical mile, nearly cir-
cular orbit in April 1965 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Following
remote start-up, the power plant was operated successfully for 43 days
and produced more than 500,000 watt-hours of electricity.
SNAP-10A, a compact reactor, is coupled to a thermoelectric con-
verter-radiator unit which converts heat from fission in the reactor
directly into electricity. The heat is transferred to the power conver-
sion unit by a liquid metal coolant, an alloy of sodium and potassium.
The SNAP-10A system generates approximately 500 electrical watts.
The motion picture also describes safety of the SNAP reactor during
fabrication, testing, transport, installation, launch and use in space, as
well as data obtained from the flight. Detailed sequences filmed at
Atomics International on fabrication and testing show the simplicity
and compactness of the reactor.
See also "SNAPSHOT," a film which describes pre-flight prepara-
tions, development, testing and qualification system tests in greater
detail.
SNAP- 8: SYSTEM FOR NUCLEAR AUXILIARY POWER (1966). 10
minutes, color.
Produced by the Aerojet-General Corporation. Queries on sale
of prints should be directed to Aerojet General Corporation, Von
Karman Center, Azusa, California.
In order to travel in space, man must take his own environment with
him. This requires power to supply oxygen, drinking water, air condi-
tioning, lighting and to operate communication systems; in short: power
to maintain equipment and sustain life itself. Simulating the earth's
environment is by no means a new idea. Crews of nuclear submarines
live in health and comfort for months at a time while submerged in a
hostile environment. This is possible because nuclear energy provides
a source of continuous, uninterrupted power. Space voyagers too, need
this same kind of power, and this is where SNAP- 8 comes in — using a
mercury- vapor turbo -generator system to convert heat from a nuclear
reactor into useful electricity.
68 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
The film shows the principal components and, in animation, illus-
trates and explains the operation of the system. Actual fabrication of
components and subsystems is also shown, as well as the extensive
testing programs currently underway. Thus, SNAP- 8 is not a drawing
on a drafting table, but a technological reality. Animation sequences
are used to depict potential missions of the SNAP- 8 system, including
power for: TV satellites to broadcast all over the earth, orbiting space
stations to support earth observation and space research, maintenance
of permanent lunar bases, and manned explorations beyond the moon.
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING IN MEDICINE (1965). 16 minutes, color.
Produced by the Handel Film Corporation with the cooperation
of the USAEC and the Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Ra-
diation Biology at UCLA. For sale by Handel Film Corporation,
at $180.00 per print, F.O.B. Los Angeles. Permission for use of
AEC library prints for public service or educational telecasting
must be obtained from the Audio Visual Branch, Division of
Public Information, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washing-
ton, D. C. 20545.
Development of scanning equipment in combination with new radioac-
tive drugs has produced important advances in medical diagnosis. Ra-
dioactive tracers give off signals that can be converted into an image.
Administered to patients, these radioactive materials, in effect, make
pictures revealing valuable information about the size, shape, position
and functioning of lungs, thyroid glands, bones, liver, kidneys, heart,
spleen, and brain. The signals emitted from the organ -selective atomic
tracers are registered by a scintillation detector which moves over the
test area on the patient. This motion picture explains the methods of
organ scanning, and gives examples: thyroid and lung scanning with ra-
dioactive iodine. Scans are also shown of the chest, brain, liver, and
kidneys. Visualization of the malfunctioning of human organs is pro-
duced in black and white or in color on paper and/or on photographic
film. The radiation detection and printout devices are described.
RETURN TO BIKINI (1966). 23y2 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC by the Laboratory of Radiation Biology,
University of Washington. For sale by the Motion Picture Ser-
vice, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 20250,
at $97.00 per print, including shipping case.
Describes the latest scientific survey by a team from the Laboratory of
Radiation Biology of the University of Washington to determine the con-
dition of Bikini and Eniwetok atolls six years after the last nuclear test
nr rt_ivx« i
detonations, and how it is found that there has been tremendous re-
covery to the biological processes that form the life chain linking man
with the tiniest plants, fish and animals in the atolls.
Under the AEC contract, scientists of the University have been study-
ing the biological after-effects of nuclear tests at the mid- Pacific
atolls intermittently since 1946. Returning in August 1964, the team of
biologists sets out to determine how much radiation remains, what
changes have occurred on the reefs, what has happened to birds, land
animals and to fish in the lagoons, and what kinds of plants have come
back.
The scientists find that: the islands are once again lush with vegeta-
tion, external radiation levels have dropped to levels safe for people
and the radioactive burdens in animals and plants are low, rainwater in
the soil is safe for drinking, coconut trees are increasing again, all the
expected species of fish and sea life are to be found, birds are thriving,
and that the sea — surging through the coral reefs — has cleaned, re-
stored and nourished the atolls. The scientists conclude that the gross
results of nuclear testing are fading, and what little biological damage
remains is rapidly healing.
EDUCATION
TOMORROW'S SCIENTISTS AT ARGONNE (1965). 13V2 minutes, black
and white.
Produced by USAEC's Argonne National Laboratory. For sale
by Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory, Inc., at $42.14 per print, in-
cluding shipping case, F.O.B. Chicago.
Shows USAEC Special Award Winners, selected at the 16th National
Science Fair -International at St. Louis, experiencing their "Nuclear
Research Orientation Week" at Argonne National Laboratory near
Chicago. After brief discussion of the science fair program and the
St. Louis fair, the film includes highlights of science projects ex-
hibited by the winners, and the student's inspection of some of Argonne's
many research and development facilities. It concludes with a round-
table discussion with a distinguished senior scientist, in which the young
scientists consider the challenges awaiting them and the steps to be
taken toward meeting those challenges. Suitable for high school stu-
dents, for educators and parent groups, for educational television, and
for advanced junior high school students.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
FARM FRESH TO YOU (1966). 13V2 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC's Division of Isotopes Development by
70 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
the Army Pictorial Center. For information about sale of prints,
inquire at the Audio Visual Branch, Division of Public Informa-
tion, USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545.
Preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables by radiation pasteurization
is described in this semi -technical film. After touching briefly on the
high spoilage losses presently encountered in the marketing of fresh
produce, the film presents graphic visual evidence of the reduced spoil-
age and extension of shelf life which can be obtained through the use of
nuclear energy. The process of exposing foods to the energy of the
atom in radiation research facilities is described, together with a
simple animated version of what happens during exposure. Emphasis
is placed on the fact that foods processed in this way are safe for hu-
man consumption, and that each radiation pasteurized food item will
be approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration before it is
offered for sale to the public.
THE FRESHER THE BETTER (1966). 13l/2 minutes, color.
Produced for the USAEC's Division of Isotopes Development by
the Army Pictorial Center. For information about sale of prints,
inquire at the Audio Visual Branch, Division of Public Informa-
tion, USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545.
Preservation of fresh seafoods by radiation pasteurization, to extend
refrigerated shelf life up to three times that of unirradiated fresh sea-
food, is described in this semi-technical film. The concept of using
energy from atomic particles to kill or destroy microorganisms and
other food spoilage bacteria is described in animated form, followed
by sequences of actual research being performed. The Marine Prod-
ucts Development Irradiator, a semi -commercial scale food irradiation
facility, is shown as products are being processed. The purpose of the
film is to introduce the concept of radiation preservation of food, and
to explain the process and its results. Emphasis is placed on the fact
that foods processed in this way are safe for human consumption, and
that each radiation pasteurized food item will be approved by the U. S.
Food and Drug Administration before it is offered for sale to the public.
THE NUCLEAR WITNESS: ACTIVATION ANALYSIS IN CRIME INVES-
TIGATION (1966). 28 minutes, color.
Produced by the General Atomic Division of General Dynamics
Corporation for the USAEC's Division of Isotope Development.
For sale by McNamara Productions, Gateway West, Century
City, Los Angeles, Calif. 90067, at $79.55 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Los Angeles.
The scientific crime investigator is ever searching for new and better
techniques for the examination of physical evidence involved in crime
investigations. This film describes, in a fascinating and non-technical
manner, one of the most exciting new techniques in this field — a nu-
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER 71
clear technique called, "Activation Analysis." As is shown in the film,
this method is some 100 to 1,000 times more powerful (more sensitive)
for the detection of most elements than methods currently available in
the usual crime laboratory. This means that evidence -samples too
small to be analyzed by other methods (even microscopic samples) can
often be analyzed successfully by this new technique, and tell-tale bare
trace concentrations can be measured. Frequently, the analysis can be
done nondestructively — thus preserving the samples.
This highly sensitive and powerful analytical technique that has
grown out of the study of peaceful uses of nuclear energy is a method
of analyzing samples for various elements by bombarding them with
neutrons, to make some of the elements radioactive, and then identify-
ing and measuring the induced radioactivities to complete the quan-
titative analysis.
The film shows the application of activation analysis to the investi-
gation of several illustrative types of criminal cases; murder, bur-
glary, and narcotics peddling. The cases described are based on actual
cases. One case is described all the way from the commission of the
crime through the trial in court; the others from the crime through the
laboratory investigation. The film is designed to be of particular in-
terest to law enforcement people, members of the legal profession,
university students, service organizations, and the educated layman.
NUCLEAR REACTORS AND POWER
ATOMIC POWER TODAY: SERVICE WITH SAFETY. 28V2 minutes,
color.
Produced for the Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc., and the USAEC
by Seneca Productions, Inc. For information about the sale of
prints, inquire at the Audio Visual Branch, Division of Public
Information, USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545.
Tells the story of central station atomic power plants and how they
serve the country now and will continue to do so in the future. Starting
with basic information on how electricity is produced from water power
and fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, the film introduces atomic
fuel as a vast new energy resource that helps keep down the cost of
electricity. The film shows atomic fuel being fabricated and, through
animation, how it is put to work in a nuclear reactor to produce heat
which will ultimately be used to produce electricity.
The safety aspects of atomic power, including both natural and en-
gineered safeguards, as well as the demand for dependability by the
operating utility and by the customer, are discussed. We see utility
conferences relating to a proposed atomic power plant and the care
that goes into design and planning.
72 PEACEFUL USES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES (PLOWSHARE)
Since a permit from the AEC is needed before a nuclear power plant
may be built, we follow the utility's application through the AEC regu-
latory review process: public documentation, review by the AEC Regu-
latory Staff, another review by the AEC's Advisory Committee on Re-
actor Safeguards and, finally, a public hearing conducted by an AEC
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. With the approval of the Board and
the AEC, construction begins. We see the components of the reactor
and associated equipment begin to take shape. Finally, as we see the
completed structure, we learn that special operating teams are trained
and licensed, and that another AEC review is necessary before an op-
erating license is granted the utility.
Further safety considerations are explored, showing some of the
relevant equipment and systems. We learn why it is impossible for a
nuclear reactor to blow up like an atomic bomb. The main safety con-
sideration is in maintaining the isolation of the radioactive fission
products formed during normal operation. We learn that 99.99 percent
of these ashes remain tightly locked within the fuel, and the fuel is re-
moved about once a year from the plant site. The film also deals with
handling of wastes and controlled release of material to the envrion-
ment on a planned basis, according to Federal safety regulations.
When the plant finally goes "on the line," it joins other atomic power
plants across the nation providing dependable electricity for our many
needs. We see a sampling of these plants and the communities they
serve, demonstrating that atomic power is here today, providing for
our present and future electrical power needs.
PEACEFUL USES OF NUCLEAR
EXPLOSIVES (PLOWSHARE)
PLOWSHARE (1965). 28 minutes, color.
Produced by US AEC's San Francisco Operations Office. For
sale by W. A. Palmer Films, Inc., at $167.46 per print, includ-
ing shipping case, F.O.B. San Francisco.
By using motion pictures and animation to describe the Commission's
program for the safe use of nuclear explosives for civilian applica-
tions, this film introduces the Plowshare Program, presents the status
of its development, and illustrates its ultimate research and develop-
ment. The film explains the various potential uses of this enormous
force of energy to perform tasks for the benefit of mankind, and ex-
plores the scope and range of the possible applications of nuclear ex-
plosives for mining and petroleum applications, for performing massive
earth-moving and excavation projects, and, for utilization in scientific
investigations. Safety problems are briefly discussed. The main theme
of the film is that the United States, through its Plowshare Program,
PEACEFUL USES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES (PLOWSHARE) 73
is offering all nations the potential of harnessing the energy of nuclear
explosions for accomplishing peaceful tasks that would otherwise be
impossible or impractical.
SAFETY IN THE PLOWSHARE PROGRAM (1966). 22 minutes, color.
Produced by USAEC's Nevada Operations Office. For sale by
Consolidated Film Inudstries, at $67.83 per print, including
shipping case, F.O.B. Hollywood.
This motion picture, which is a companion piece to the U3AEC film
"Plowshare," documents the means taken to insure the safety of the
public during experiments or projects in the U. S. program to develop
peaceful uses of nuclear explosives. The film relates the effects of
underground explosions to the varying purposes for the explosions and
to public safety.
Nuclear explosives, precisely controlled, are powerful, compact and
relatively inexpensive sources of energy which may help produce oil
and gas, mine minerals, dig harbors, canals, and mountain passes, and
provide important scientific knowledge. Each of these applications
uses one or more of the effects of nuclear explosions: heat, explosive
force and radiation. The film explains that to allow for the safe and
dependable use of nuclear explosives, each of these effects must be
thoroughly understood. The effects, their safety implications, and the
precautions taken for public safety are demonstrated.
The film explains that technical advances in the design of Plowshare
explosives make it possible to reduce to a very small amount the ra-
dioactivity produced by an explosion. In cratering explosions, methods
of emplacing the explosive underground result in the release to the
atmosphere of only a small part of the radioactivity produced. In these
explosions, as well as in explosions which are contained completely
under the earth's surface, contamination of underground water supplies
does not appear to be a major problem.
Other effects of nuclear explosions — ground shock, air blast, and
dust clouds — require safety procedures similar to those taken in
many large-scale conventional construction projects. Site choice,
weather selection, and, in certain cases, temporary relocation of in-
habitants are precautions taken to insure the public safety.
The motion picture goes through the steps that would be taken in any
Plowshare project to protect the public and its property. The film shows
the care and planning exercised in a particular project — from the ini-
tial safety analysis, to advisory opinions from other government and
independent scientists, to final review and approval.
74 SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL,
AND RADIATION HAZARDS
ATOMS ON THE MOVE: TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE
TERIALS (1966). 24 minutes, color.
Produced by Bennie Korzen Productions for the USAEC. For in-
formation about print sales, inquire at the Audio Visual Branch,
Division of Public Information, USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545.
This non-technical film surveys the various means of transporting ra-
dioactive materials and the safety aspects underlying their packaging
and handling. Using animation and live action photography, the film
illustrates that by their very nature, radioactive materials are varied
and so are the potential hazards associated with shipping and using
them. By evaluating the form of the material and the kind and the quan-
tity of radioactivity, one may determine how the materials are properly
packaged for shipment. Most radioactive materials are safely shipped
by common carrier. The film shows typical shipments enroute: atoms
on the move everyday, everywhere by train, truck, aircraft and ship.
Varied items are dealt with: ores; atomic fuel for reactors; spent fuel
being returned for processing; atomic weapons; radioisotopes for
medicine, research and industry; and atomic wastes being shipped for
disposal. The film discusses responsibilities of agencies such as the
AEC, the ICC, Bureau of Explosives, Federal Aviation Agency, Coast
Guard and state and local offices. Also shown are some aspects of
safety research and development designed to limit the consequences of
an accident involving these materials. An accident situation and clean-
up are shown. We learn that radioactive materials are invaluable tools
and products in today's industry and in our daily lives, and how modern
transportation moves these materials quickly, quietly, and safely.
R-A-P: RADIOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (1965). 26V2 minutes,
color.
Produced for the USAEC by J. L. Feierbacher, with the techni-
cal assistance of AEC's Division of Operational Safety and AEC's
Idaho Operations Office. For sale by Consolidated Film Indus-
tries at $79.93 per print, including shipping case, F.O.B. Holly-
wood.
Shows the readiness and proficiency of radiological assistance teams
in various re-enacted instances of emergencies. This documentary film
is aimed at the level of the educated laymen — audiences in state and
local government, AEC and state licensees, the transportation industry,
military and Civil Defense units, and others concerned with problems
in dealing with radioactive materials.
The R-A-P team's effectiveness is shown to be dependent on the co-
operation of other groups and individuals at different levels of govern-
SAFETY, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND RADIATION HAZARDS 75
ment and business. To illustrate this, there are three main stories in
the film: The first traces the hunt for a radioactive source lost from a
small industrial plant. The trail, via helicopter and police cars, takes
the R-A-P team to a municipal dump. The second case is the problem
of leaking radioactive vapor from a sealed system in a research labo-
ratory. The third is the story of a fire in a uranium products plant that
gives a R-A-P team the additional public information job of coping with
a community which mistakenly assumes it is threatened with a disaster.
Since, despite every safeguard, accidents do happen — detailed re-
enactments in this film of the steps and measures taken to deal with
these radiological emergencies show the operations of R-A-P teams
as they put to work their specialized professional skills and equipment.
USAEC Division of Technical Information Extension, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11