Iranian missile test

[wolf]

Originally Posted by marichiko

OK, I have a question. When it comes to weapons of mass destruction, what is the critical limiting factor? Is it delivery? Is it having a facility where one can manufacture the requisite plutonium? Could one make plutonium in one's own garage? Just curious. Can anyone enlighten me?

We (the US) made some of our first batch in a Squash Court at the University of Chicago. It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's fairly do-able. The tricky stuff in nuclear material production is the separation of U235 from a mix of U235 and U238.

[russotto]

Plutonium is produced "naturally" in nuclear reactors by bombardment of U-238 with neutrons and the subsequent beta decays of U-239 to Pu-239. If you've got a neutron source (always the tricky part -- the best source is a nuclear reactor), and you've got U-238, you can make plutonium.

Making a bomb with plutonium is tricky, as you've got to assemble it quickly and precisely. Probably just not that hard with today's technology, though. Make sure you have an expert at high explosives on your staff.

You also need a neutron source; the traditional one is a berillyum-polonium device called an "urchin" for some reason.

All of this is 1940s technology. Yes, supercomputers are used to design weapons -- but that's because you want maximum yield for minimum material, or you want a certain type of yield (e.g more radiation and less blast for a neutron bomb). If you just want something that makes a really big bang, that's a different matter. If you can get enough U-235, it's even easier. U-235 is much less toxic than plutonium, and much easier to make go bang.

So, in theory, it would be possible for me and my band of Bin Laden enthusiasts to hoof it out to Naturita, work a few uranium claims for all we can get (we don't care about radiation poisoning because Allah has promised us all those virgins), and viola! We have a dirty little bomb to take to Phoenix or L.A. Possible?

[xoxoxoBruce]

In short, it takes the full resources of a nation's government to make a bomb sufficient to be a terrorist weapon.

But it only takes money to buy one.

[lookout123]

Originally Posted by marichiko

We have a dirty little bomb to take to Phoenix or L.A. Possible?

what are you saying? you want to get rid of me and SM?

Originally Posted by lookout123

what are you saying? you want to get rid of me and SM?

Nah, we'd give you guys advance warning. It just always kind of impressed me with how much uranium is laying around out there with not a soul seeming to care. But maybe there's no need to.