JASON reactor, Nuclear research reactor at Royal Naval College, United Kingdom
The JASON reactor is a decommissioned nuclear research reactor that was located at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. It belonged to the Argonaut class, a design built specifically for education and research rather than power generation.
The JASON reactor began operating on 30 September 1959, making it one of the first teaching reactors in the United Kingdom. After nearly four decades of use, it was permanently shut down in July 1996.
The JASON reactor served as a teaching reactor for Royal Navy officers receiving training in nuclear engineering. The site at Greenwich brought together military education and applied science in a way that was rare in Europe.
The JASON reactor is no longer in operation, and the former Royal Naval College site, now part of the University of Greenwich, can be visited. It is worth checking in advance which areas of the grounds are open to the public.
The name JASON comes from Greek mythology, referring to the hero who searched for the Golden Fleece, which explains the link to the Argonaut class of reactors. All reactors in this class were named after figures from the same myth.
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