300 Megaton Nuke?, page 1
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reply posted on 14-12-2003 @ 04:42 PM by mOjOm
"Tsar Bomba" ("King of Bombs"): The World's Largest Bomb
Time: 30 October 1961
Location: Parachute retarded airburst, 4000 m altitude
Over Novaya Zemlya Island test range (in the Arctic Sea)
Yield: 50 Megatons

Shown here in the Russian Atomic Weapon Museum, the "Tsar Bomba" was the largest nuclear weapon ever constructed or detonated. This three stage weapon was actually a 100 megaton bomb design, but the uranium fusion tamper of the teritiary (and probably secondary) stage(s) was replaced by one made of lead to eliminate fast fission by the fusion neutrons. The result was also the cleanest weapon ever tested with 97% of the energy coming from fusion reactions.

This weapon was developed in a remarkably short time. On 10 July 1961 Nikita Khruschev met with Sakharov, then the senior weapon designer, and directed him to develop a 100 megaton bomb. This device had to be ready for a test series due to begin in September so that the series would create maximum political impact (a bomb this size is virtually useless militarily). Sakharov returned to Arzamas-16, and selcted a design team consisting of Victor Adamskii, Yuri Babaev, Yuri Trunev, and Yuri Smirnov (who later oversaw the transformation of this design into a fielded weapon). The bomb was tested only 14 weeks after the initiation of its design.



I watched a clip or saw a pic about this in fact. The thing was so big it wouldn't fit inside the plane. They removed the doors and it was rigged to it somehow instead. It was like watching a Hawk flying around with a Two Liter Bottle strapped to it's belly!!


EDIT: Forgot the link!! More cool info can be found here as well!!
nuclearweaponarchive.org...

[Edited on 14-12-2003 by mOjOm]


reply posted on 15-9-2004 @ 12:01 PM by SkipShipman
Originally posted by mOjOm
"Tsar Bomba" ("King of Bombs"): The World's Largest Bomb
Time: 30 October 1961
Location: Parachute retarded airburst, 4000 m altitude
Over Novaya Zemlya Island test range (in the Arctic Sea)
Yield: 50 Megatons

(a bomb this size is virtually useless militarily)


I


Comment: The reason why is simply physics, where the square of the distance applies to the dissipation of energy. Surely when you concentrate energy in one place, rather than in 10 places with 30 megaton ordnance, in your 300 megaton scenario, you get far less "bang for the buck." I hope this is clear. Possibly smaller multiples are at some ceterus paribus in calculation of expended energy for maximum military effectiveness. The entire subject is frightening, but the 100 megaton weapon appeals more to propaganda and stupidity, than applied science.

[edit on 15-9-2004 by SkipShipman]
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