stussy_demon Report This Comment
Date: January 25, 2005 06:26PM

Test:Bravo; Date:March 1, 1954;
Operation:Castle; Site:Artificial Island, Nam("Charlie" Island of the Bikini atoll;
Detonationurface; Yield:15 Mgt; Type:Fission/Fusion;

The two-stage shrimp device detonated during the Bravo test became the largest nuclear detonation ever conducted by US. The significance of the Bravo test was greatly enhanced by the fact that it was the first actual test of a dry (solid) fuel nuclear weapon built by the Teller-Ulam scheme. The test results were more than successful from a military standpoint and Bravo basically defined the future of thermonuclear weapons. Other than that Bravo test was a disaster. There were serious miscalculations and problems during this test series leading to human casualties.
The shrimp was a fairly large cylinder, measuring 179.5 inches long and 53.9 inches wide. Relatively lightweight as well for the nuclear weapon, it weighed only 23,500lb. The fuel consisted of up to 40% enriched Li6 deuteride. The rest of it was inexpensive Li7 isotope that played a significant and unexpected role during the explosion. All that was encased in a Uranium tamper. One more novelty was the exterior casing that was aluminum rather than steel in Ivy-Mike's Sausage, which significantly reduced the weight of the overall assembly.
Bravo's 15 Megaton explosion ripped the crater, which was 6510ft in diameter, with a depth of 250 ft. The fireball was 4 miles in diameter. The mushroom at its peak was 130,000ft (40+ km) high, 322,500ft (100 km) diameter with a stem of 22,500ft (7km).
The projected yield for the shrimp device was 6 mgt, with a of range 4-8 mgt. The practical yield was as much as 2.5 times higher. The reason for this unpredicted boost was the Li7 isotope. Inert by itself it reacted with the high energy neutrons produced by the tritium-deuterium fusion. Collision between the neutron and Lithium atom would produce tritium and helium atoms. Tritium is a highly reactive and efficient thermonuclear fuel, hence the dramatic increase in the weapon's total yield.
Unexpectedly, the high yield in conjunction with bad weather conditions produced the worst radiological catastrophe in US nuclear testing history. The whole Bikini atoll was contaminated and eventually the Green Zone was increased to 850Mi diameter circle. A number of US personnel, Marshallese and Japanese fishermen were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

Anonymous Report This Comment
Date: January 25, 2005 09:59PM

Let me just point out that every single nuclear test, even when not dropped on a populated land in an act of aggression, is nevertheless an uncreative destructive force that affects the entire globe.

Every test, everyone is more fucked.

Thanks, you bastards who invented this stupid "weapon"! I hope you know the anguish of millions of cancers metastasizing in your bodies.

Anonymous Report This Comment
Date: January 26, 2005 08:01AM

Yeah, I guess you can blame it on Einstein. However, as in all things, there is no black and white. Reality is more complicated than that. It can be argued that the discovery of nuclear energy stopped the incessant wars that have plagued mankind since they could pick up a rock, and therefore saved an untold number of lives. If the technology was not discovered when it was, it is very possible that World War 3 could have broken out between the west and the Stalin's Soviet Union. However, nuclear weapons simply made war between world powers too devastating and assured a mutually detrimental outcome. An interesting article I read about the possibility of life outside our solar system stated that a huge hurdle that any civilization must overcome is the discovery of element 92 without annihilating itself. Uranium will exist in many other galaxies, and it is likely that if there are other lifeforms out there, then they destroyed themselves promptly after discovering nuclear power, thus reducing the likelihood of ever detecting extraterrestrial life. It is still a very big question whether we will survive the discovery, with many fanatical led countries on the brink of developing their own. At least the Russians were susceptible to deterrence. Apparently Muslims fervently follow what they imagine their God's wishes, and this evidently includes the killing of others regardless if they are also killed in the process. Well that is understandable given the promised paradise and virgins and everything.

Anonymous Report This Comment
Date: April 19, 2006 08:13AM

Quote 16110" ...an uncreative destructive force..."
as opposed to a creative destructive force?