United States to resurrect plutonium production program

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:13 pm

[ Community -> Update ]

According to New York Times and several other sources, United States
Department of Energy is planning to resurrect plutonium 238 production
for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
According to Tim Frazier of DOE, the "real reason we're starting production is national security". Plutonium
238 isotope is used in atomic power batteries on spy satellites.Hopefully,
it's not some diabolical plan by the dark cabal of neo-conservative
ultra-christian Republicans to put up hundreds of nuclear
reactor-powered Death Ray guns in high orbit in preparation for the
eventual invasion
of Iran, North Korea, and People's Republic of China, all at taxpayers
expense.

Spotted @ <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/polit ... .html">New York Times</a>

Post by **King of Creation** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:27 pm

Well, Bush has said that he wants Nukes in space. Which is logical. It's really the only effective missile defense system. Blow a missile out of the sky with a nuclear explosion. No effects to the earth since all the action takes place in space.

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:29 pm

No EMP shockwave to throw us back to the Stone Age?

Wolfman Walt · Post by **Wolfman Walt** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:40 pm

Aren't alot of electronics EMP shielded now incase such a thing happens?

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:44 pm

Mission-critical military hardware - yes. Consumer electronics, hospital equipment, and industrial machinery - no.

Koki · Post by **Koki** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:54 pm

I doubt EMP would travel all the way from outer space and still be strong enough to do anything.

Blargh · Post by **Blargh** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:08 pm

YES !

Let them just fuck up space instead ! Huzzah ! Brilliant ! I weep in awe !

I'm relieved this is temporary.

Post by **King of Creation** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:16 pm

ApTyp wrote:No EMP shockwave to throw us back to the Stone Age?

Nope. A nuclear explosion in space would have no effect on the earth. I'm not sure of the exact science behind it, but I believe it's much like how we're not all burned up by solar radiation immediately after we go outside.

4too · Post by **4too** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:56 pm

Potential Difference

Over the last decade or so, the NEC, National Electric Code, has been increasing the specs on grounding. The NEC is the basis for your local electrical building codes. Covers IT wiring too.

Accidental electrocutions from freak differences in potential will happen less often. One such happened this year when a young boy got zapped and killed touching a light pole on a bridge near downtown Columbus.

Expect more ground fault and arc fault circuit breakers in your new builds, or remodeling.

Large commercial buildings also tend to have extensive lightning protection systems.

How these code improvements might alter the impact of large EMF pulses is still
speculation. Your ceiling fan might work, if your power grid survives, but your ungrounded consumer portable electronics, your I-Pod, might not.

....................

This plutonium is used for batteries?

Is the price of oil a factor here?

Perhaps someone has determined the lightest, transportation enabling batteries maybe ''nuclear'' cored.

Maybe there is a DOD push for energy economizing by integrating electric powered vehicles for short range transport.

Conventional batteries for large powered equipment, fork lifts, are very heavy and are best charged with 480 volt equipment. Domestic service allows only 220, and your ever popular 110. If these 'nuclear cells' offer high charge retention and endurance at a lighter weight your 150 mile commuter car may be a decade closer to costing less than 40,000 dollars with 'factory air and AM-FM satellite DVD as standard.

I'll hold out for gratis cup holders ...

4too

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:30 pm

King of Creation wrote:Nope. A nuclear explosion in space would have no effect on the earth. I'm not sure of the exact science behind it, but I believe it's much like how we're not all burned up by solar radiation immediately after we go outside.

Well, it's hard to prove something that hasn't been tested. Sure there wont be a destructive shock wave because of the lack of proper substance, but how come a massive amount of heat from a nuke detonated relatively close to earth wont have any effect on the earth? I'd at least expect serious disturbances in the satellite network around the world. Also, what would prevent the radioactive particles to precipitate down on earth?

Reality is often quite different than fancy theories.

Brother None · Post by **Brother None** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:09 pm

VasikkA wrote:Well, it's hard to prove something that hasn't been tested. Sure there wont be a destructive shock wave because of the lack of proper substance, but how come a massive amount of heat from a nuke detonated relatively close to earth wont have any effect on the earth? I'd at least expect serious disturbances in the satellite network around the world. Also, what would prevent the radioactive particles to precipitate down on earth?

Reality is often quite different than fancy theories.

It probably has been tested, it's not that hard to rocket a nuke into space and blow it up...

That said, it'd have to be pretty high up in space to not do any harm. Nukes exploded at a high level inside the atmosphere are lethal in fallout terms.

Considering the practicalities of war vs terror, though, wouldn't it make more sense for Bush to make bunkerbuster nukes?

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:11 pm

Not to mention that WHY THE FUCK WOULD WE NEED STAR WARS ANYMORE? I thought the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics died 15 years ago? What does America have to fear, Iraq? Al-Qaida? Korea? Please... If there's going to be a nuclear attack against the States, it's definitely not coming from space (ie. icbm) it's a suitcase detonation, dirty bomb, dirty sanchez I don't know, something like that

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:27 pm

Kashluk wrote:Not to mention that WHY THE FUCK WOULD WE NEED STAR WARS ANYMORE? I thought the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics died 15 years ago? What does America have to fear

China.

Post by **King of Creation** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:39 pm

North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, etc.

Also, I think some people are forgetting that a nuclear explosion only has a relatively small blast zone. When missiles are fired, they go up through the atmosphere into outer space, quite far up actually. A nuke would just get in its general area, say around 2 miles, and detonate. A missile would travel much further away from the earth than 2 miles. So the shockwave would have dissipated completely before it could reach the atmosphere. We would be naturally shielded from any radiation, and any potentially radioactive debris would burn up in the atmosphere, if it even got that far.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:40 pm

China's not interested in making war on the US. Both countrie's economies depend on the other. America wants cheap Chinese labour, China wants big American money. Both sides are probably too happy with the current arrangement to fuck with it.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:45 pm

That also fits with Russia and Saudi-Arabia, as far as I know. And the rest... well, I'd be more worried about US misusing their nuclear weaponry than them doing so.

Brother None · Post by **Brother None** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:06 pm

King of Creation wrote:North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, etc.

Strike capability, man, strike capability.

China, for instance, currently has about 14 nukes out of a hundred+ capable of reaching American soil. Orbital defence seems a bit overboard.

Russia is the only other one with the capability of striking American soil, but their nukes are reaching expiry date

The other ones; fat chance they'll reach the US by rocket. Kashluk is right, nuclear strikes from the most likely source (terrorist organisation) would be a suitcase strike. Even the above-named country would probably use suitcase tactics now.*

Not the case in all-out war, though

With the defense budget of the US being as high as it is (25 times as much as that of the axis of evil), I think we're really walking into the zone of overkill if you now build star wars to fight of potential enemies

* y'know...

Post by **King of Creation** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:36 pm

Kharn wrote:Russia is the only other one with the capability of striking American soil, but their nukes are reaching expiry date

That's only if they go by deals like START I/II. And even then, they don't dismantle their nukes or anything. They just bury them. So does the US. It's what both states have done. Bury them now in compliance with non-proliferation treaties, but you can still have access to them later by digging them up.

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:37 pm

A lot of people get rich on government contracts, so the more expensive a project is, the better for them.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:06 pm

So have I understood this correclty, or what? KoC still believes the cold war is raging on?