AT THE transition to the new millennium the future of nuclear energy looks brighter. Nuclear power plants worldwide have operated safely. Applications for extension of reactor operating licenses in the . are in place and construction is continuing abroad. Uses of isotopes and radiation in applications to medicine, research, and industry continue to assure human benefit. Research and development are active in the areas of controlled fusion, accelerator uses, isotope separation, space exploration, and excess weapons material disposition. Unfortunately, progress toward solutions for the nuclear waste problem has been frustratingly slow. And there are no new orders for nuclear plants in the
