"Scientists Experiment With Current in Nev."

[GreenPartyVoter]

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Scientists at the Nevada Test Site said they generated a current Wednesday equal to roughly four times all the electrical power on Earth.

The current, which created pressures in materials millions of times greater than normal, was part of an experiment to better understand nuclear weapons.

The experiment was conducted at the test site's Atlas Pulsed Power Facility by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, along with staff from the test site and contractor Bechtel Nevada.

During the few millionths of a second that it operated, the 650-ton Atlas pulsed-power generator discharged nearly 19 million amps of current through an aluminum cylindrical shell about the size of a tuna can, the National Nuclear Security Administration said.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050728/D8BK59C0G.html

[MadHound]

1. Why oh why does this sound like research for a space weapon?

And why do I find it scary that they're now fucking around with forces whose consequences they have no clue about?

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Note that it has something to do with Nukes.. or so they say

[MadHound]

4. The only thing that I can think of on how this relates to nukes

Is an electro-magnetic pulse. Cracking out an electrical pulse with major terrawatts is not studying effects, it is working on some sort of weapon. Just my opinion though, and I'm a cynical bastard to boot.

Four times the power currently generated worldwide, damn think of the coil for that!

[cosmik debris]

5. Space weapons require massive amounts of energy.

Now they have it.

[cosmik debris]

3. This is the first step in producing Star Wars space weapons

But it could be the first step in energy independence. But we know how that will turn out.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I was actually hoping for the independence thing.. but they didn't say

HOW they created the current. Which means they probably just threw a whole lot more fossil fuel pollution into the air or made a lot of new DU.

[papau]

7. Our Warhead developers achieve a simpler/better Atomic bomb?

http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/

July NNSA newsletter http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/nl_2005Jul_NNSA_News.pdf does not have this report. These are the folks running Y-12 - the warhead developers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-briefs28.2jul28,1,1112054.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

IN BRIEF / NEVADA
Atlas Generator Sends Out Powerful Current
From Times Wire Reports

July 28, 2005



Scientists at the Nevada Test Site said they generated a current equal to about four times all the electrical power on Earth.

The current, which created pressures in materials millions of times greater than normal, was part of an experiment to better understand nuclear weapons.

The experiment was conducted at the test site's Atlas pulsed-power facility by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory. During the few millionths of a second that it operated, the 650-ton Atlas pulsed-power generator discharged about 19 million amps of current through an aluminum cylindrical shell about the size of a tuna can.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. What does a "better" nuke entail? Bigger boom?

[papau]

9. I'm just reading the words in the newsletter that says"better" means fewer

are needed.

:-(

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Sounds like a bigger boom to me. Do you think they are working on

fallout-less bombs? Cause what good is a big bomb if no one can survie it, not anywhere?

[BeFree]

11. Hellfire

I knew they'd do it sooner or later - produce a weapon so damaging that it is used just once. And in that use destroys the thing that made it. Hellfire, looks like they done did it.

[papau]

12. Less costly exotic material/design easily tested for lack of decay over

time.

The Y-12 program is to get the second warhead better!

If you can work out who we need these weapons for, please post it so I will know also.

Seems really stupid - but then I am not a GOP hawk.