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True. To be of any real value, it has to be enriched to 90% U-235.
The US did attempt to enrich U235 to 98%-100% but the cost is enormous and you get nothing for it. It doesn't substantially reduce the amount of U235 required, which means it doesn't substantially reduce the weight of the weapon and the weight is everything. Your delivery systems, whether they're missiles or bombers are dependent on weight.
Not sure what you mean by the bold. The bomb that destroyed Hiroshima contained 141 lbs of U235.
Not sure what you mean by the bold. The bomb that destroyed Hiroshima contained 141 lbs of U235.
141 lbs of uranium, enriched to an average of 80%. Mircea is right - once you get past a certain point in enrichment, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. You get a marginally lighter warhead at colossal extra expense.
141 lbs of uranium, enriched to an average of 80%. Mircea is right - once you get past a certain point in enrichment, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. You get a marginally lighter warhead at colossal extra expense.
But nobody does that. So it's a meaningless point.
And at that enrichment level or even levels less than that, it's an incredibly dangerous material.
But nobody does that. So it's a meaningless point.
Mircea points out, correctly, that it was attempted, and abandoned. You decided to quibble over that point, using - for reasons known only to you - the Hiroshima bomb as an example.
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And at that enrichment level or even levels less than that, it's an incredibly dangerous material.
Mircea points out, correctly, that it was attempted, and abandoned. You decided to quibble over that point, using - for reasons known only to you - the Hiroshima bomb as an example.
You don't say?
No his entire post was wrong. He said that for U235 to be useful it had to be enriched to 90%. Hiroshima was 80%. And it's on you to prove the attempt to 98% enrichment. The stuff would start to fission before you could assemble it. As I said, it's incredibly dangerous.
You guys simply make stuff and then report it as fact.
And it all detracts from the simple matter at hand. The backroom deal between Kerry and the Ayatollahs had no legal binding. Those mullahs laughed all the way to the bank.
The whole "dirty bomb" thing was invented by a security guard who doesn't know squat about bombs, and the Media seized on it to fear-monger and then the government followed suit.
Obviously, there's some part of "half-life" that you don't understand.
The half-life of U238 is roughly 1 Billion years.
Yes, U238 is toxic, but only because it's a heavy metal, not because it's radioactive.
Also, I'm guessing you're totally unaware that the boiling point of Uranium is roughly 7,500°F.
I mention that, because being the explosive expert that you are, you'll probably want to know exactly which explosives are capable of generating that amount of heat and which aren't (because not all of them do).
Huh?! Half-life is completely irrelevant in this respect. Dirty bomb simply means that they would pack radioactive stuff into a conventional weapon, which could render a certain area uninhabitable, depending on the amount of radioactive substances, the way it is distributed, etc.
Huh?! Half-life is completely irrelevant in this respect. Dirty bomb simply means that they would pack radioactive stuff into a conventional weapon, which could render a certain area uninhabitable, depending on the amount of radioactive substances, the way it is distributed, etc.
Well, half-life is a good shorthand for radioactivity, in that high half-life means low activity. Mircea is right - uranium is useless for a dirty bomb. You want some of the stuff used for radiotherapy instead.
Well, half-life is a good shorthand for radioactivity, in that high half-life means low activity. Mircea is right - uranium is useless for a dirty bomb. You want some of the stuff used for radiotherapy instead.
Who would know what exactly has been used? Since radioactivity is invisible and trust in authorities limited in most parts of the world, initially people might panic simply when they learn any radioactive stuff was used.
Who would know what exactly has been used? Since radioactivity is invisible and trust in authorities limited in most parts of the world, initially people might panic simply when they learn any radioactive stuff was used.
That's a fair enough point.
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