Some of this week's stories

Argonne open house to show
`Science Serving Society'

More than 100 demonstrations, exhibits and presentations will showcase Argonne's scientific and engineering programs. Attractions will include:

* The Advanced Photon Source;

* Demonstrations of high-speed supercomputer networking -- the "Internet of the future";

* Magnetic levitation by superconductors;

*A nuclear reactor museum;

*Argonne's work on developing fuel-efficient, non-polluting, "smart" automobiles;

* New research on ways to protect the environment;

* Technology to break the human genetic code;

* Sets and props from the feature film "Chain Reaction," which was filmed at Argonne and other Chicago locations; and

* "Weird Science," as seen on "The Late Show" with David Letterman.

During the open house, radio station WJTW-FM (93.5) will broadcast a series of short, live interviews about Argonne research.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. Free on-site shuttle service will be available throughout the day. It is recommended that visitors park their vehicles and use the shuttle to travel between the 200, 300 and 400 areas.

Free off-site shuttle service will be available for visitors parking at the Argonne Park, on Cass Avenue.

Information centers will be located at Buildings 203 and 362. Fiftieth anniversary memorabilia will be available for purchase at the information centers.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase at Buildings 213 and 362. Refreshments will be available at Buildings 203 and 401.

The open house will conclude at 4:30 p.m. Off-site shuttle service will continue until 5 p.m.

For more information about the 50th anniversary open house call 2-6700.

Argonne at 50: Lunar surface
yields secrets to Argonne-developed alpha source

Argonne scientists helped prepare an "alpha scattering instrument" carried to the moon aboard the Surveyor 5 spacecraft and first lowered to the lunar surface on Sept. 11, 1967. The instrument conducted the first direct analysis of the lunar surface.

The Surveyor series was designed to test soft-landing techniques that would be needed later for the Apollo manned space program. As the program was being developed, the University of Chicago's Anthony Turkevich conceived the idea of analyzing the lunar surface with alpha radiation -- charged helium nuclei emitted from some radioactive materials.

Turkevich had strong ties with Argonne, and was a former member of the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, which developed the first nuclear reactor and later became Argonne National Laboratory. The instrument would require a small, extremely intense source of alpha radiation. The particles, "scattering" from the nuclei of atoms in the lunar soil, would retain characteristic energies that could be registered by a sensitive detector. The energies of the scattered alpha particles would reveal the composition of the moon's surface.

In December 1960, Turkevich began working with James Patterson of Argonne's Chemistry Division to develop a source of alpha particles. To get high-quality data, the alpha-emitter had to be both extremely pure and produce large numbers of particles. Turkevich and Patterson settled on the isotope Curium-242.

Argonne's role was the preparation of the radioactive material to be used in the instrument. The isotope was prepared by mixing the oxide of another, more common isotope, Americium-241 (commonly used in ionizing-type smoke detectors) with aluminum powder inside a capsule. The capsule was welded shut and irradiated inside a nuclear reactor for several weeks.

Inside the reactor, Americium-241 atoms captured neutrons, then decayed to the desired Curium-242. Separating the desired isotope from the many other fission products and impurities that formed during the radioactive bombardment proved to be a complex and difficult job.

The work was carried out under the direction of E. Philip Horwitz, now a senior scientist, using methods he largely developed and special containment equipment built for the project. The highly radioactive mixture had to be handled remotely in shielded "hot cells." Radiation interfered with reagents, eroded and darkened the inner surfaces of glass containers, caused streams of bubbles and other problems.

The finished pellets of Curium-242 were personally loaded into the scattering instrument aboard the Surveyor probe by Turkevich or Patterson. The five-pound instrument was about the size and shape of a toaster and contained six alpha sources.

On September 10, 1967, Surveyor 5 came to rest at a slight angle on the side of a crater in the Sea of Tranquillity -- the same area of the moon where Apollo 11 astronauts would land less than two years later. After tests of on-board equipment, the alpha analyzer was lowered to the lunar surface on Sept. 11.

The instrument revealed that the moon's surface was similar in composition to basalt, a common terrestrial volcanic rock.

Alpha scattering devices were also carried by Surveyors 6 and 7, which produced similar results.

Surveyor 6 was launched Nov. 7, 1967, and landed Nov. 10 in Sinus Medii, a region in the center of the Moon's visible hemisphere. The alpha scattering instrument was toppled when the spacecraft was moved a short distance after landing for stereoscopic viewing and photogrammetric mapping of the surrounding terrain. Making the best of a bad situation, the scientists operated the instrument anyway for about a week afterward to measure cosmic radiation.

Surveyor 7 launched Jan. 7, 1968, and landed Jan. 10 north of the crater Tycho in the lunar highlands. A robot arm aboard Surveyor 7 was used to move the analyzer around the lunar surface near the probe.

Three miles of security fence recycled

In April 1996, PFS-Grounds completed dismantling and removing a chain link fence located around the New Brunswick Laboratory (Building 350) complex. The security fencing comprised about three miles of 10-foot-high chain link fencing containing sections of barbed wire. Almost all of the 340 tons of material from the project was recycled or reused.

PFS-Grounds, in cooperation with EMO-WM and the Procurement Department, was able to secure a vendor (Smash Contracting Corp.) that could manage the type and quantity of scrap metal generated from the fence demolition.

In addition, 262 tons of unsalvageable concrete from the fencing demolition was used as clean fill material for an off-site construction project. Rather than disposing of the material in a sanitary landfill, USA Waste Services (an Argonne subcontractor) was able to use this material as clean fill at no additional cost to Argonne.

HR schedules September classes

*HR166 - The Internet - Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR180 - Word 6.0 Advanced Format/Editing - Sept. 12, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

*HR172 - Microsoft Tools Integration - Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR178 - Word 6.0, Wizards, Styles/Forms/Templates - Sept. 17, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

*HR179 - Word 6.0 Mail Merge - Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR162 - Access 2.0 Fundamentals - Sept. 18, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR163 - Access 2.0 Intermediate - Sept. 26, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR176 - Introduction to Windows 95, Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

*HR157 - Excel 5.0 Managing Workbooks for Macintosh, Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

*HR154 - Word 6.0 Formatting and Editing for Macintosh, Sept. 25, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

All classes are in Argonne-East's Building 362, room E188. Register with your TMS representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan at 2-3410.

Institute educates Korean teachers

At the Korean International Institute, conducted at Argonne-East from July 22 to Aug. 16, the teachers completed hands-on experiments in the Division of Educational Programs' instructional laboratory and participated in field trips and discussions on physics, chemistry, earth science and biology.

"The institute helped the teachers to increase their scientific capabilities and to see how the U.S. educational system works," said Harold Myron (DEP).

The group toured various Argonne facilities, Fermilab and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora. The teachers, chosen for the institute by the Korean Minister of Education, also attended a physics of baseball lecture and a physics day at an amusement park to help develop fun assignments for their students.

Newcomers host monthly coffee

Spouses of visiting scientists as well as those new to Argonne are encouraged to come and bring their questions about the area. Small children are welcome too.

For more information, call the Newcomers Office at 2-8647 or Susan Berger at (630) 963-3735.

Running Club plans `Open House Run'

The run will start at 7:30 a.m. near Argonne-East's old credit union building (Building 33).

Registration for the run is $13 before Sept. 16, and includes a long-sleeved shirt. Late registration is $8, but does not include the shirt. There will be a raffle for all participants after the run.

For more information, see the Running Club's World Wide Web page at http://www.anl.gov/OPA/local/clubs/runclub/runclub.html.

Pool league seeks players

Previous team captains and anyone else interested in joining the league should call Kathy Vanoskey at 2-7071 to sign-up. No experience is necessary.

Service Awards for September include:

40 Years

John P. Schiffer (PHY) and Donald G. Steger (PFS-VM).

35 Years

Donald J. Jankowski (HEP) and Anthony J. Kras (RE).

30 Years

Lee E. Deering (PFS-US); Joe Dell Heileson (OD); J. Steve Molen (RPS).

25 Years

Thomas E. Bingham (RPS); Raymond C. Charles (OD); James M. Cruz (PFS-US); Roger A. Evans (OD); Charles D. Jonah (CHM); Steven F. Keller (OD); Jack Robinson Jr. (OPS); Gopal K. Shenoy (XFD); David Spence (TD); Arthur Zilberstein (OPS).

20 Years

Richard L. Batten (OD); Marylou Bluth (EST); Miriam E. Bretscher (IPD-MIS); Elsie Brown (RE); Douglas B. Erickson (OD); Alex Hamilton (PFS-US); Kimberly A. Lindgren (EMO); Sharon L. Meacham (OD); James F. Miller (CMT); Eugene P. Reynolds (RPS); David G. Underwood (HEP); James L. Walton (ED); Marvin E. Winter (OD).

15 Years

Robert E. Botto (CHM) and Michael H. Hendricks (OD).

10 Years

Robert E. Blair (HEP); Laura L. Chromizky (CMT); Robert W. Dunford (PHY); Mary Ann Forys (IPD-MED); Wei Gai (HEP); Les B. Hendrickson (RPS); Edward J. Kohout (DIS); Keng H. Leong (TD); Sai-Chi Mo (TD); Cynthia Powell (PFS-CU); Christine T. Snyder (CMT).

5 Years

Dorothy Andrews (PFS-BM); Kent G. Beck (OD); Peter R. Belko (ASD); Daniel Brick (PFS-VM); Frederick Brunner (SPO); Regina Buckley (PFS-FPE); Rafael Coll (ESH); Leslie Davis (PFS-FPE); Michael Douell (ASD); Elizabeth V. Earl (DIS); Robert Flores (RPS); Kenneth M. Goff (TD-AW); Itacil Gomes (TD); Gregory A. Hathaway (RPS); David K. Kahn (OD); Sean McDeavitt (CMT); Anne Wyand Owens (OTD); Daniel C. Pancake (EMO); Montez L. Poe (PFS-CU); Lorene M. Redmon (PFS-CU); Robert Rust (PFS-BM).

Monday, Sept. 9

Energy Technology Division Seminar: "Passive Safety Systems in the Innovative Boiling Water Reactor SWR1000" by Martin Fethke, Institute for Safety Research & Reactor Technology, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (KFA), Juelich, Germany. 9:45 a.m., Bldg. 212, Conference Room A157.

Chemistry Division Monday Morning Seminar Series: "Supramolecular Aspects of Nanoscopic Dendrimers" by George R. Newkome, Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa. 11 a.m., Bldg. 200 Auditorium.

High Energy Physics Division Theoretical Physics Seminar: "Construction of Realistic Superstring Models" by Alon Faraggi, University of Florida, Gainesville. 2 p.m., Bldg. 362, Conference Room E188.

Physics Division Seminar: "Nuclear and Color Transparency" by Tom O'Neill, (PHY). 3:30 p.m., Bldg. 203, Conference Room R150.

Wednesday, Sept. 11

High Energy Physics Division Seminar: "Current Status of the Development of Electromagnets Wound with High-Temperature Superconductor Wire" by Roger Poeppel, (ET). 11 a.m., Bldg. 362, Conference Room F108.

Friday, Sept. 13

Argonne-West Technical Seminar: "FCF Electrorefiner Materials Control and Accountability" by Dee Vaden, (TD-AW). 9 a.m., Bldg. 752, Conference Room L&O.

Monday, Sept. 16

Chemistry Division Monday Morning Seminar Series: "Rational Design of Nonlinear Optical Material" by Seth Marder, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. 11 a.m., Bldg. 200 Auditorium.

Tuesday, Sept. 17

Chemical Technology Division Seminar: "Molecular Simulations and NMR Measurements of Diffusion in Zeolites" by Randall Snurr, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. 10:30 a.m., Bldg. 205 Y-Auditorium.

Thursday, Sept. 19

Materials Science Division Special Colloquium: "Computation and Recognition with DNA" by Albert Libchaber, Center for Studies in Physics & Biology, Rockefeller University, New York City. 1:30 p.m., Bldg. 212, Conference Room A157.

Tuesday, Sept. 24

Argonne Chapter of Professional Secretaries International Lunch (brown bag) Seminar: "Estate Planning" by Kathleen Zellner, Kathleen T. Zellner & Associates, P.C., Naperville, Ill. 11:30 a.m., Bldg. 203 Auditorium.

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Story ideas, comments and suggestions are welcome. The Argonne News office is in Building 201, room 2Q-02 (OPA-201). The fax number is ext. 2-5274. Send E-mail to Argonne News editor Dave Jacque.

Seminar listings: Send by inter-office mail to Evie Fagan, Building 201, room 2U-09 (OPA-201). Fax to ext. 2-5274, or send by E-mail.

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