Why atomicplaygirl?

Whilst making a statement during Operation Crossroads, Admiral Blandy, (USN), made a comment to the effect, "I am not an atomic playboy, as some critics have labeled me...". Operation Crossroads was a series of underwater nuclear tests conducted in the Bikini Atoll in 1946. The first 'shot' (or test), was named Able; the purpose was to test the effectiveness of nuclear weapons on ships and material. To that end, dozens of ships from the war (representing a wide array of classes), were anchored in the atoll prior to the air burst of Able.

I am interested in nuclear technology - as a power source primarily, although the development of the atomic bomb by the U.S. through the Manhattan District programme is a fascinating and amazing story of ingenuity and hard work. Few people know that up until the early 1970s the United States had a nuclear rocket programme, and that the second stage of the Saturn V rocket (the one that took men to the moon), was nearly nuclear. NERVA accomplished a great deal and paved the way for a lot of the breakthroughs in materials science and nuclear reactor design that we benefit from to-day.

I am also a huge fan of space exploration, and the solar system simply cannot be explored using conventional chemical based rockets. A nuclear propulsion system is the only technology that will allow us to adequately explore the solar system and develop follow-on technology that will lead us beyond its reaches.

I have a few small nuclear related pieces of memorabilia, in addition to several books on NERVA, the development of the atomic bomb and attendant technologies, so it didn't seem like too much of a stretch to adopt the moniker, 'atomicplaygirl'.