Like corns, bunions, and moles, I've managed to make it this far in my life without the need for any "Apps". (And that also goes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Cellular Telephones, Tablets, and Laptops!) But I do respect devices such as this, and I can tell you the function of every component in its 10-foot, 9000 pound package. Hal
@Hal Pollner The cannon-type device, used only one time, so far as I know. I have thought about it from time to time, wondered whether the "cannon" was fired downwards or upwards, as gravity might prove a problem, I see from the cut-away that it was a good deal more involved than a simple two-piece U-235 mash-em-together deal. How is it you have knowledge of such things? The mention of "pullout wires" brought to mind the fact that Rhodes in "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" mentioned a roll of wire being unwound as the device was falling to alleviate the possibility of premature detonation close to the Enola Gay. Often have wondered about this. Speaking of which, several years ago "Fifi" visited our airport here in Laughlin/Bullhead City. What a thrill it was! Frank
Frank, I'm pleased that you're knowledgeable about nuclear devices! I have several books and a few movies, both documentary and fictional, about the Manhattan Project and the testing and using of the 2 bombs. As you know from the Rhodes book, "Fat Man" was completely different in design from "Little Boy" (shown), and used Plutonium instead of Uranium as the fissionable material. It didn't matter which way the bomb was oriented at the moment of detonation, because the uranium "projectile" was machined to make a tight fit in the gun barrel, and the explosive charge which fired the projectile made it unnecessary to worry about the tight fit, as the projectile raced down the barrel and mated with the target mass of U235 in about a thousandth of a second! The chain reaction was premature, fissioning even before the 2 subcritical masses were assembled together! The "pullout wires" were several short pieces of wire used to start the clocks upon release, which gave "Enola Gay" enough time to fly away before the bomb's detonators actuated at 1900 feet above ground level. Although Little Boy destroyed Hiroshima, it was only about 3% efficient, as most of the 140 pounds of U235 was blown away during the burst! Three days later, Fat Man wiped out Nagasaki, and 5 days after that, on 8-14-45, Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, ending WW2. (The Rhodes book is the best in the telling of the story.) Hal
@Hal Pollner Appreciate your response. Are you also interested in Fusion? The first H-bomb, Mike shot I think it was, required enough space to resemble apartment-building size. Refrigeration equipment was needed to keep the hydrogen liquified. Later, it was determined that heavy hydrogen, Deuterium, could be combined to form a non-liquid compound, I think Lithium Deuteride was used, which much more conveniently carried the hydrogen. The scheme of Teller-Ulam directs the huge radiation pulse from a fission reaction to the hydrogen, compressing and confining fusible hydrogen for a very short instant, but long enough. The guiding of the X-ray pulse I fail to understand: pipe lined with polyethylene?? Frank
Yeah, Frank...that first Thermonuclear device required a huge refrigeration plant to keep the Deuterium and Tritium gases sufficiently condensed. But when it was found that the Lithium furnished Tritium, then the fusion reaction would work without the big plant. (Castle Bravo test) Then you had Deutrium (H2) plus Tritium (H3) fusing under the heat of a fission bomb to produce Helium (H4) plus ENERGY! That's how my pal Eddie Teller explained it to me. Hal
Ken, I appreciate your providing a special category for those of us who find Nuclear Energy and associated devices as topics for discussion! Hal
@Hal Pollner Agreed, and understood! However, I fear my drivel along these lines is likely to lead to boredom for the casual reader, for only a few of us I think have blundered about within technical subjects all our lives. If so, I will endeavor to necessarily waver away from the actual OP to associated other facts of more general interest. For example, the "Demon Bomb Core", radioactive chunk of material (Plutonium) which managed to kill two prominent scientists (Louis Slotin and Harry Daghlian), before finally finding it's final "resting place" powering a nuclear explosion test. Or, the subterfuge which managed to propagate during the Manhattan Project (which labored to build an atomic bomb) despite the extreme degree of secrecy enforced during that period. Frank
509th. Composite Group was the name assigned to the equipment and men who would carry out the first atomic missions. "Two anecdotes illustrate the level of security affecting the 509th's personnel and equipment. En route to Tinian on 4 June 1945, the B-29 that became The Great Artiste made an intermediate stop at Mather Field, near Sacramento, California. The commanding general of the base allegedly attempted to enter the aircraft to inspect it and was warned by a plane guard who aimed his carbine at the general's chest that he could not do so.[26] A similar incident occurred to a Project Alberta courier, 2nd Lieutenant William A. King. King was escorting the plutonium core of the Fat Man implosion bomb to Tinian, strapped to the floor of one of the 509th's C-54s. On 26 July 1945 it made a refueling stop at Hickam Field, Hawaii. The commander of a combat unit returning to the United States learned that the Skymaster had only one passenger and attempted to enter the C-54 to requisition it as transport for his men. He was prevented from doing so by King, who aimed a .45 caliber automatic pistol at the colonel." source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/509th_Composite_Group
Hey Frank... I thought I had heard everything concerning the incidents about the transporting of nuclear materials! Where did you get your information? (It's OK...I still have my Clearance.) When the U-235 for Little Boy was being shipped to Tinian aboard the cruiser USS Indianapolis, the captain of the ship was told that in case of sinking from a submarine attack, the U-235 was to be given first priority to being saved over any crewman. (The Indianapolis was indeed sunk by a Japanese sub after the delivery to Tinian...one of our greatest Naval tragedies of the War.) See you later...I have a dinner engagement with Klaus Fuchs! Hal
@Hal Pollner I often wonder how much the annals of history have convoluted the facts about events, especially those such as mentioned here, where secrecy exercised way back then was so prevalent. Frank
Just in case anyone ever wondered whether they are a nuclear target or not, here is a map that I found online that shows the places in America that they think would be likely targets if we were ever attacked. Some of the clusters seem to be in empty places, like in Montana, so we must have some kinds of weapons stored in those areas maybe.
The latest strategy seems to be to hit military bases and missile locations, then hold the cities for "ransom."
I saw that Putin admitted to putting a "nuclear power plant" into space. I wonder what it is powering??? Anti satellite lasers perhaps?
I wouldn't want to live in an environment of nuclear waste or under guard. Like my youngest daughter said, if it happens, I hope it lands right on top of me. From what I know this isn't like the 2 bombs we dropped in Japan. Not that they were much better.