Please enjoy this table of possible future scenarios from a 1990s paper in a peer-reviewed journal on how to deal with nuclear waste storage in underground repositories in New Mexico. I found it while doing research for an article on nuclear waste storage. "WIPP" means "Waste Isolation Pilot Plant". - ThreadSky

thomaszauner.bsky.social • 10 days ago

Please enjoy this table of possible future scenarios from a 1990s paper in a peer-reviewed journal on how to deal with nuclear waste storage in underground repositories in New Mexico. I found it while doing research for an article on nuclear waste storage. "WIPP" means "Waste Isolation Pilot Plant".

Comments

oliviafinch.bsky.social•10 days ago

Amazing

nick.aetheric-games.com•10 days ago

I feel like even as far back as space year 1990, these big thinkers should have known the difference between feminism and misandry.

bonniepatterson.bsky.social•10 days ago

Are we sure this isn't a plot exploration for future "Fallout" video games?

fortboise.org•10 days ago

Didn't take anywhere near 100 years for a cult rejecting existing scientific consensus and realities to emerge.

andrusi.bsky.social•10 days ago

Intrigued by the implication that *nobody* understands that nuclear waste is dangerous except for the people working on this list and even then only as long as they continue to be citizens of the US in its current form specifically

clairemerci.bsky.social•10 days ago

Thank you for sharing this gem. Hoping the uni library is able to supply this in time to read on the commute home...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162597000759

saeedwkhan.bsky.social•10 days ago

Can you share a link to the actual paper?

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

This is the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162597000759

grace-knight.co.uk•10 days ago

Absolutely wild. Please add alt text so I can share!

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

Yeah, I'm sorry, I forgot to add the alt text in the first post, but I added two posts in a thread with the alt text of the full table content. I hope that works for you.

grace-knight.co.uk•10 days ago

Wonderful, thank you! You know you can set Bluesky to refuse to let you post images without alt text? That what I did because I knew I'd forget!

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

ahh, great point! I'll do that right away

alnihil.bsky.social•10 days ago

I like the nod to A Canticle for Leibowitz.

alymay.bsky.social•9 days ago

Ping @nuclearanthro.bsky.social for screams

neilbanas.bsky.social•10 days ago

It is easier to imagine 10,000 years of Mickey Mouse than to imagine the end of patriarchy

rajoyce.bsky.social•10 days ago

If you haven’t seen it yet, in my 2020 book “The Future of Nuclear Waste” I discuss all of these scenarios— and more creative futurism from this project.

liwanaga.bsky.social•10 days ago

First one is so ironic RN. We are now in a world where the hyper masculine are dismissing science; and it's the women who are trying to save democracy.

animatewithdermot.bsky.social•10 days ago

Some of these are reminiscent of Judge Dredd's 'cursed earth' adventures!

easternblot.bsky.social•10 days ago

Seems like we're a bit ahead of schedule with weird cults rejecting scientific evidence...

sarahftduration.bsky.social•9 days ago

Second one definitely checks out!

https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Church_of_the_Children_of_Atom

jailoon.bsky.social•10 days ago

Ha! Wild!

leebarrx.bsky.social•10 days ago

F the man that wrote this for thinking women would not be the ones sounding the alarms over the wipp site😂 although I can't wait for the year 2091.

vakaastra.bsky.social•10 days ago

Is there a link for title for paper ? Looos wild ..

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

Here is the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162597000759

amfisher.bsky.social•10 days ago

The communicating with the far future stuff from the WIPP program are some of the best uses of taxpayer dollars in US history.

nyxlotus.bsky.social•9 days ago

absolutely wild that the only scenario in which the nuclear waste is kept fully secure is the one with an anthropomorphic warhead advertising tourist attractions

andyk250.bsky.social•10 days ago

Unrelated, but related:

luvetta.bsky.social•10 days ago

I feel like the feminists would be all over WIPP. Also, were the authors incels

bullix.bsky.social•10 days ago

What the actual fuck am I reading?! Lol

northwind.bsky.social•9 days ago

Honestly, it’s looking less and less likely we’ll need to wait 966 more years for a declining United States to fracture :(

northwind.bsky.social•9 days ago

I usually try not to post this kind of stuff. Will delete if you like.

mistomaxo.bsky.social•10 days ago

i dont think lasers would offer any speed-reducing recoil

juicyb3rry.bsky.social•10 days ago

Navigator: we need to reduce velocity
Captain: fire forward lasers
Engineer: we’re taking on too much heat from reentry
Captain: fire forward lasers
Comms: someone is hailing us
Captain: fire forward lasers

warcabbitmwm.bsky.social•10 days ago

I... mean you _can_ use lasers for all those tasks, though the first one requires either atmospheric medium or solar sails.

catssimsbooks.bsky.social•9 days ago

The captain is now Zap Brannigan in my head canon

radlein.bsky.social•10 days ago

Perhaps the expanding vapor from the exploded ground would create a cushioning updraft

mikedavis.bsky.social•10 days ago

you'll never get a job with the Space Patrol with that attitude!

jwatte.bsky.social•10 days ago

Vastly too conservative if you ask me!

waxsonic.bsky.social•10 days ago

Whoever created this … standing ovation 👏👏👏👏

Although the salt creep scenario could have been given a sci-fi direction here.

smolanalyst.bsky.social•9 days ago

TFW science is dismissed as muddled masculine thinking but also the future is full of ladies

darklaughtertdb.bsky.social•9 days ago

I feel like the Mickey Nuke one would really only last until Mickey Nuke entered the public domain.

migas1.bsky.social•10 days ago

The stupid feminist future was a clear case of projection by a misogynistic man

thebadcode.com•10 days ago

I wish one (1) other industry was forced to plan for its long-term impact as much the nuclear power folks have had to.

petersterne.com•9 days ago

I like that "a worldwide matriarchy that rejects empirical thinking" is a potential scenario in 100 years but "building high-speed underground rail" would take 1,000 years.

melsdogs.bsky.social•10 days ago

The tourist attraction on is pretty wild (and unlikely), but decline of America and Eastlandia sounds plausible right now.

desertdane.bsky.social•10 days ago

Area 51?

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

This post may be my most perfect intersection of my interests in science communication and TTRPGs. XD

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

and here with the second part of the alt-text

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

I forgot to add alt-text, I'm sorry. Here again with the first part of alt-text that does not fully fit into the 2,000 character limit.

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

Tbh, I kinda like some aspects of this one: "A feminist world - 2091 - Women dominate society partially through selection of girl babies. Twentieth century science is discredited as male arrogance. Warnings about repository are dismissed as another example of muddled masculine thinking."

docmcgraw.bsky.social•10 days ago

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

The "A Houston-to-Los Angeles tunnel" scenario sound actually pretty cool, except for the part where they dig into nuclear waste.

The scenarios 10,000 years in the future are some Dune-level stuff.

thomaszauner.bsky.social•10 days ago

And I'm doubtful that 10,000 years in the future, the copyright lawyers of the then presumably CHOAM-sized Disney Corporation would allow a "Mickey Nuke" mascot for the WIPP Worlds tourist attraction.