Scientists say planned blast a part of nuclear testing

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/apr/05/566662772.html

The Defense Department's plan to detonate 700 tons of explosives at the Nevada Test Site is intended to simulate a nuclear blast as part of Pentagon research into development of low-yield nuclear weapons, a science advisory group charged Tuesday.

The Pentagon refused to confirm or deny the claim, made by the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington, D.C.-based liberal policy group opposed to development of nuclear weapons.

But if the charge is verified, debate over the blast seems certain to shift beyond environmental effects on Nevada to international concerns over nuclear weapons proliferation.

The federation said it based its statement on a review of Pentagon budget requests since 2002 showing that the blast, scheduled for June 2, would serve as a "low-yield nuclear weapon simulation." Hans Kristensen, an analyst for the federation, said the Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency has carefully ducked the issue of whether the test was nuclear-related.

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[file83]

1. That certainly changes things...

...I wonder what they have up their sleeve. :shrug:

[jpak]

2. Their doing the engineering on the blast effects with

large conventional explosives...

...and they are developing the mini-nuke using previous experience with neutron weapons, sub-critical tests and computer simulations.

The penetrators are pretty mature at this point.

Once they put it all together, they will use it against Iran and NK.

http://www.fas.org/faspir/2001/v54n1/weapons.htm