The Conversation

Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:

The Moon may soon be going nuclear – with nuclear power, that is. Although humans still haven’t returned to the lunar surface since 1972, China and the U.S. appear to be in a new space race to be the first to put a nuclear power plant on the Moon.

Having a reliable, non-solar power source such as a nuclear reactor could be useful for all sorts of things, from powering rovers to life-support systems, in regions where the Sun doesn’t shine. But is it legal? The short answer is yes, according to Michelle L.D. Hanlon, a space lawyer at the University of Mississippi.

“If deployed responsibly, it could allow countries to peacefully explore the Moon, fuel their economic growth and test out technologies for deeper space missions,” she writes.

Hanlon explains why nations would want to build infrastructure such as nuclear power stations on the Moon, the legal and governance issues surrounding it, and the impact of being the first country to do so.

And check out our follow-up story going up tomorrow that explores the tricky challenge of finding the right spot to build one on the lunar surface.

Bryan Keogh

Managing Editor

Readers' picks

NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon – a space lawyer explains why, and what the law has to say

Michelle L.D. Hanlon, University of Mississippi

Nuclear reactors in space may sound like something out of science fiction, but they are likely to prove important for powering long-term space missions.

San Francisco and other cities, following a Supreme Court ruling, are arresting more homeless people for living on the streets

Stephen Przybylinski, Michigan State University

More than one year after the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling, a geographer who researches homelessness finds that the ruling is leading to more places criminalizing homelessness.

Industrial pollution once ravaged the Adirondacks − decades of history captured in lake mud track their slow recovery

Sky Hooler, University at Albany, State University of New York; Aubrey Hillman, University at Albany, State University of New York

Acid rain and metals from power plants, vehicles and industries reached remote mountain lakes for years. Evidence from those lakes today shows the success of the Clean Air Act.

This isn’t how wars are ended − a veteran diplomat explains how Trump-Putin summit is amateurish and politically driven

Donald Heflin, Tufts University

A former US ambassador and career diplomat says that history indicates that the possibilities for a lasting peace coming out of the Trump-Putin summit are pretty low.

4 out of 5 US troops surveyed understand the duty to disobey illegal orders

Charli Carpenter, UMass Amherst; Geraldine Santoso, UMass Amherst

As National Guard troops head to the streets of Washington, and likely civilian encounters, a new survey reveals service members’ understanding of the distinction between legal and illegal orders.

Editors' picks

COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance

David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Abrupt policy changes and confusing public messaging have injected confusion in back-to-school vaccine protocols.

Grand Canyon’s Dragon Bravo megafire shows the growing wildfire threat to water systems

Faith Kearns, Arizona State University

Water systems are vulnerable to melting plastic components, toxic contamination and failures that can leave firefighters without flowing water.

The new NextGen Acela trains promise faster travel and more seats – but arrive as US rail faces an uncertain future

David Alff, University at Buffalo

The French-designed, American-manufactured NextGen arrives years late and in a moment when federally sponsored trains are fighting for their lives.

3 reasons Republicans’ redistricting power grab might backfire

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University

The attempt by Texas Republicans to gerrymander more GOP legislative districts could backfire and deliver the party dummymandered districts. A political scientist explains the stakes.

Why rural Coloradans feel ignored − a resentment as old as America itself

Kayla Gabehart, Michigan Technological University

Colorado’s governor declared a no-eating-meat day that sparked outrage in the state’s rural communities.

News Quiz 🧠

  • The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

    Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

    Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on gerrymandering, hoarding and unusual school volunteers.