Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Seems like a decent opportunity to use a nuclear reactor .. something like what you would find on a submarine.



I wonder what it'd take to adapt NuScale's SMR design. Probably a lot, given the unusual rigors of the Antarctic environment, but for basically the same reasons it seems like something that'd be worth funding.


We already tried that 60 years ago in Greenland, it didn’t end well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Iceworm


That didn’t fail because of the nuclear reactor, it failed because the ice sheet movement deformed the tunnels over time and collapsed ceilings. Nothing to do with the feasibility of sitting a portable nuclear reactor on top of the ice like the settlements in Antarctica.


There is a fascinating film about that reactor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlmOQJW5Xis




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: