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To: flying Elvis
Conway's letter does not elaborate on what might have happened if the explosive had detonated.

LOL


Except on test ranges, all US nukes are supposed to be "one point safe". The criterion of one point safety is satisfied if, given that detonation of the warhead's high explosives has taken place at any one point, there is less than one chance in a million of obtaining a nuclear yield exceeding that equivalent to four pounds of HE.

To obtain a nuclear yield, a number of the famous lens shaped charges must be fired simultaneously to form a spherical implosion wave that compresses the plutonium core, increasing its density very suddenly, to satisfy the conditions for a chain reaction. If the charges don't go off at exactly the same time, you don't get a properly shaped shock wave, and the result is a nasty industrial accident instead of a wiped out city.

95 posted on 01/23/2004 10:23:28 PM PST by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody
Yep actually one of the dets can fire and you have the same situation. The main thing is that high explosive used in nuclear weapons is incrediably insensitive. I doubt if a normal blasting cap would even low order it.
96 posted on 01/23/2004 10:33:16 PM PST by U S Army EOD (Volunteer for EOD and you will never have to worry about getting wounded.)
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