Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

No, it has nothing to do with tribbles. The K-25 gaseous diffusion plant in Oak Ridge, TN is on its way out. The heart of "The Secret City," this over forty acre structure enriched the U-235 needed for the Manhattan project. Of course it was also the forerunner of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant near my childhood home.

It is no secret I am a big nerd. In high school, I loved Science Bowl and the Science Olympiad. Our big rival in Tennessee was always Oak Ridge HS -- the team of radioactive super-brains. :) Going out to visit K-25 and ORNL was one of the cooler things I remember doing in school. K-25 itself is a gigantic structure. The forest of pipes in the cascade is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.

I certainly hope the people in Knoxville are successful in saving this facility. It is both an important part of our national history, but as a Southerner, I would say it is a big part of our regional history and an important reminder of the national nature of the effort to win the Second World War.