US's most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled

gimmesometruth27

this is a step in the right direction. bombs this big and powerful are not necessary, and i don't think that they ever were when they were put into service nearly 50 years ago..

US's most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled

http://news.yahoo.com/uss-most-powerful ... 25260.html

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs — a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima — is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War.

The final components of the B53 bomb will be broken down Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. The completion of the dismantling program is a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons.

Thomas D'Agostino, the nuclear administration's chief, called the bomb's elimination a "significant milestone."

Put into service in 1962, when Cold War tensions peaked during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the B53 weighed 10,000 pounds and was the size of a minivan. According to the American Federation of Scientists, it was 600 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, killing as many as 140,000 people and helping end World War II.

The B53 was designed to destroy facilities deep underground, and it was carried by B-52 bombers.

With its destruction, the next largest bomb in operation will be the B83, said Hans Kristensen, a spokesman for the Federation of American Scientists. It's 1.2 megatons, while the B53 was 9 megatons.

The B53's disassembly ends the era of big megaton bombs, he said. The bombs' size helped compensate for their lack of accuracy. Today's bombs are smaller but more precise, reducing the amount of collateral damage, Kristensen said.

Since the B53 was made using older technology by engineers who have since retired or died, developing a disassembly process took time. Engineers had to develop complex tools and new procedures to ensure safety.

"We knew going in that this was going to be a challenging project, and we put together an outstanding team with all of our partners to develop a way to achieve this objective safely and efficiently," said John Woolery, the plant's general manager.

Many of the B53s were disassembled in the 1980s, but a significant number remained in the U.S. arsenal until they were retired from the stockpile in 1997. Pantex spokesman Greg Cunningham said he couldn't comment on how many of the bombs have been disassembled at the Texas plant.

The weapon is considered dismantled when the roughly 300 pounds of high explosives inside are separated from the special nuclear material, known as the pit. The uranium pits from bombs dismantled at Pantex will be stored on an interim basis at the plant, Cunningham said.

The non-nuclear material and components are then processed, which includes sanitizing, recycling and disposal, the National Nuclear Security Administration said last fall when it announced the Texas plant's role in the B53 dismantling.

The plant will play a large role in similar projects as older weapons are retired from the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal.

catefrances

600x as powerful as the bomb dropped on hiroshima... What a disgusting weapon. Good riddance.

Jason P

25,000 more to go.

It's almost hard to remember the threat of global thermonuclear war that we faced as kids.

catefrances

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

arq

Jason P wrote:

25,000 more to go.

It's almost hard to remember the threat of global thermonuclear war that we faced as kids.

Good ol' cold war... everyday was a gift

arq

catefrances wrote:

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

You didn't watch enough 80's movies

EdsonNascimento

arq wrote:

catefrances wrote:

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

You didn't watch enough 80's movies

Or live through the Cuban Missle Crisis.

Note - I am not old enough for that either, but I know my history. Though I do love how desks were going to save us. Those Air Raid drills would have been real effective if something had happened. At least during the school day, we were prepared.

Jason P

catefrances wrote:

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

You need to read The Hunt for Red October (book was much better the the movie, which I also like).

But seriously, with all the submarines out there, there was always a threat of mistake, especially when tensions between the countries were very high.

peacefrompaul

It's great news indeed but do we really think the Russians will disarm theirs?

Kel Varnsen

EdsonNascimento wrote:

arq wrote:

catefrances wrote:

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

You didn't watch enough 80's movies

Or live through the Cuban Missle Crisis.

Note - I am not old enough for that either, but I know my history. Though I do love how desks were going to save us. Those Air Raid drills would have been real effective if something had happened. At least during the school day, we were prepared.

Wouldn't they though? My understanding of nuclear bombs is that the shockwave causes the most damage and spreads out really far. Sure if you are right where the bomb hits the fireball and the massive amounts of radiation are going to mean protection from the shockwave isn't going to matter. But if you are farther away getting under your desk might offer you some protection from the windows of your school blowing in or parts of the building falling on you. Plus some types of radiation have difficulty passing through solid objects so being under a desk would give you an additional level of protection.

pandora

and the bomb shelters in people's home

had one

mikepegg44

I feel a little safer already. The world will be a better place when all Nuclear weapons are destroyed.

I kept hearing about how strong this thing is...isn't it an overkill thing...I mean how much more powerful do nuclear weapons need to be? you can only pound a nail in so far...Does this one just blow it up better?

Nuclear proliferation seems reminds me of the old line from Jurassic park...the governments got so caught up with whether or not they COULD build the bombs bigger and badder, they forgot to think about whether or not they should.

The more we can get rid of the better.

peacefrompaul

[/quote]Wouldn't they though? My understanding of nuclear bombs is that the shockwave causes the most damage and spreads out really far. Sure if you are right where the bomb hits the fireball and the massive amounts of radiation are going to mean protection from the shockwave isn't going to matter. But if you are farther away getting under your desk might offer you some protection from the windows of your school blowing in or parts of the building falling on you. Plus some types of radiation have difficulty passing through solid objects so being under a desk would give you an additional level of protection.[/quote]

No a desk is not going to stop radiation. But there is really nothing you could do unless you were able to get a bunch of kids underground very quickly.

Jason P

mikepegg44 wrote:

I kept hearing about how strong this thing is...isn't it an overkill thing...I mean how much more powerful do nuclear weapons need to be? you can only pound a nail in so far...Does this one just blow it up better?

The bomb is obsolete and a relic.

The amazing thing is that the plane that was designed to carry the bomb, the B-52 Stratofortress, is still in active service today. The Air Force plans on keeping it in service until 2045, which would make it over 90 years old!

BinauralJam

pandora wrote:

and the bomb shelters in people's home

had one

If i ever hit the lotto i'm building one, been designing it in my head ever since i seen,
"The Day After" starring John Lithgow 1983



Scared the Hell out of me, stayed up all night calculating how far from Manhattan i lived and where the blast zone was. I used a ruler, my dad's road map and multiplication, i was 9. Once i figured out i was safe i prayed the Russians were acurate and went to sleep.

norm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Krv4YEMwCE

Cosmo

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

With its destruction, the next largest bomb in operation will be the B83, said Hans Kristensen, a spokesman for the Federation of American Scientists. It's 1.2 megatons, while the B53 was 9 megatons.

...
Doesn't all that mean is that we just need to drop 7.5 B83s to deliver a 9 megaton force? The smaller B83 can be delivered in the bays of the B-1B or B-2 Bombers.
Also... nothing was stated about the W53. That the the 9 megaton nuclear warhead that sits atop our Peacekeeper Ballistin missiles. I'm guessing... still in our pockets.
...
It's a start... I hope it leads to further steps... but, I ain't holding my breath.

keeponrockin

But but, now America isn't safe from outside threats.

/Sarcasm

Go Beavers

I remember the fold out map in Time magazine showing the areas most likely to be nuked and being a little freaked out about the size of the red dot over my town.

catefrances

Jason P wrote:

catefrances wrote:

i never felt threatened. I never thought mankind was stupid enough that MAD was ever a real option.

You need to read The Hunt for Red October (book was much better the the movie, which I also like).

But seriously, with all the submarines out there, there was always a threat of mistake, especially when tensions between the countries were very high.

i read the hunt for red october .. in fact i read a lot of tom clancys books(including the one where a disgruntled japanese man flew a plane into the capitol killling the president thus making jack ryan president)

i guess i just dont scare easily.

brianlux

So much better to hear of one of these bombs being dismantled than thinking about some dude in a cowboy hat riding it on down going, "YEE HAWWW!"