Lab officials excited by new H-bomb project

[Jared Moya]

For the first time in more than 20 years, U.S. nuclear-weapons scientists are designing a new

H-bomb, the first of probably several new nuclear explosives on the drawing boards.

If they succeed, in perhaps 20 or 25 more years, the United States would have an entirely new nuclear arsenal, and a highly automated fac- tory capable of turning out more warheads as needed, as well as new kinds of warheads.

"We are on the verge of an exciting time," the nation's top nuclear weapons executive, Linton Brooks, said last week at Lawrence Livermore weapons design laboratory.

Teams of roughly20 scientists and engineers at the nation's two laboratories for nuclear-explosive design — Livermore and Los Alamos in New Mexico — are in a head-to-head competition to offer designs for the first of the new thermonuclear explosives, termed "reliable replacement warheads" or RRWs.

Designers are aiming for bombs that will be simpler, easier to maintain over decades and, if they fell into terrorists' hands, able to be remotely destroyed or rendered useless. Once the designs are unveiled in September, the Bush administration and Congress could face a major choice in the future of the U.S. arsenal: Do they keep maintaining the existing, tested weapons or begin diverting money and manpower to developing the newly designed but untested weapons?


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[powerpenguin]

"Oh great, it;s so exciting" You could drop a nuclear bomb on someone's head. And wath the city disintergrate.

The thrill.

[cjules13]

You can't stop this kind of development. If you do, then someone else will pick up where you left off and you'll be wondering what book you forgot to read.

Sad but true.

[kokanezub]

if no one had created the first nuclear weapon we would be good, wars were better back in the day with swords and horses

[que-em]

old ones, new ones....you still kill up a lot of people. i'm still wondering why there is a need to stop other countries around the world from creating their own. everyone having a nuke utimately cancels all of them out. hearing about a new gun or missile or aircraft would be more exciting.

[black_magiic]

I want laser weaponry. They need like laser tanks and stuff that can burn holes through things from a mile away :)

[lifehacker]

old ones, new ones....you still kill up a lot of people. i'm still wondering why there is a need to stop other countries around the world from creating their own. everyone having a nuke utimately cancels all of them out. hearing about a new gun or missile or aircraft would be more exciting.

I have to disagree with that. Some nations/organizations if headed by fanatics who dont care about their lives and think it an accomplishment and honor to end other peoples lives might use nuclear weapons in disregard of the people who they are aiming their weapons against also having weapons.

[black_magiic]

My biggest fear is that one too many fingers slip and the world gets blown back to the stone age.

[mountain_rage]

Its rediculous to call the development of new nuclear weapons exciting. The end of the weapon would be exciting. Some people are just deranged mentally. Lets start finding ways of defending country's that prevent the need for retaliation. Lets try and develop sheilding, deflectors, tractor beams if weapons no longer work then weapons are no longer needed..

[gaining]

Yaa, Im excited too! Fucking Not! I do not want heroshima living nextdoor. We need this like we need breathing resperators made of white phosphorus.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Maybe the losers will sell their designs to someone undesirable. It wont be long before people are putting these things together in their basements.

[mountain_rage]

Maybe the losers will sell their designs to someone undesirable. It wont be long before people are putting these things together in their basements.

Its kind of hard to find uranium at the local hardware store. Up to now most homemade explosives are made from easy to get ingredients.

[Excrement_Cranium]

My biggest fear is that one too many fingers slip and the world gets blown back to the stone age.

That might be a blessing....

Since I just watched the Peacekeeper the other day, I'll dose off one of my favorite quotes:

"I'm not scared of a man that wants 10 nukes, I'm terrified of the man that wants just one."


Nuclear weaponry might be the shits, but all the advanced that followed from that science helped to advance the world.

In fact, since if they keep advancing clean nuclear power, it may help ease the reliance on oil.

[Mels_Smileys45]

Its kind of hard to find uranium at the local hardware store. Up to now most homemade explosives are made from easy to get ingredients.

I knew that was coming


Soon people will synthesize iit as easy as you would microwave leftover pizza or maybe just buy it off ebay.

[Fudge Tunnel]

Just get MacGyver in. I remember an episode where he used a tennis racket as a wrench to shut down a critical nuclear reactor (somehow he stretched the strings on the tennis racket so there was a hole in the middle big enough to tightly grib the hex nut or something). Sorted for World Peace.