Question about detonating a big nuke inside a close vacuum

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13

Under Einstein’s theory, the amount of energy locked up in one gram of matter is enough to power 28,500 100-watt lightbulbs for a year.

Interesting...
Without knowing it, I was on my way to invent fusion reactors..
perhaps that's my calling

Originally posted by Spacespider


Interesting...
Without knowing it, I was on my way to invent fusion reactors..
perhaps that's my calling

perhaps Spacespider now the extraction of neutron star material for something like for a containment design, would be a tricky process.

Originally posted by Spacespider
reply to post by boymonkey74

 

yes, I could imagine a sphere the size and mass would indeed collapsed on itself..
but I did not specify the material.. perhaps its a unknown material, that is very light weight but indestructible..
I was more focused on what would in theory happen to the energy released by the nuke

Similar tests have been performed in the past, but underground in places like Nevada and Canada rather than in space. Scientist and engineers carved out an underground chamber in the rock and then detonated the nuke. The sudden conversion of matter into pure energy (photons, sub-atomic particles, and ionized gas) would first create a shock-wave, which in turn created a small earthquake, fracturing the surrounding rock, while the heat and radiation melted the rock fragments, which recooled as igneous glass.

Something is not clear in the proposed scenario so I'll suppose the area between the 50MT nuke and the immense sphere around it is a vacuum. In that case the nuke amounts to less than even a storm in a teacup and even less would happen if the sphere was a solid encasing the nuke, no external signs of the explosion at least. Of course I'm assuming the sphere is composed of extremely tough material in both cases, let's say something like tungsten carbide for the solid sphere but the hollow vacuum-filled sphere with the nuke 1000s of km from any point on the sphere wall could be just about any material and survive. I'm also assuming that such a sphere could only be located in space (also a vacuum) so there'd be no major issues with ambient differential pressure.

Basically *nothing* would happen since the energy of a rather 'tiny' nuclear bomb wouldn't have such a big effect on an area the size of jupiter. The most logical explanation was already given, the sphere would likely heat up and slowly dissipate the heat. Given the large size of the sphere, I think the nuclear bomb would have the same effect like a drop of water in a large bath-tub, it would hardly have any effect.

You could as well ask what happens with the energy stored in burnt-out reactor cores enclosed in containers and stored away. What happens is that the radioactivity (and thus energy) would simply dissipate in time due to the half-life of the radioactivity.....and while doing so create heat.

As for your sphere, I think it's large enough that the energy of the bomb would just spread out but not really have any major effect, the energy of that one bomb is simply not enough compared to the size of the sphere.

reply to post by NoRulesAllowed


I see...
but how would the explosion behave.. would it just go "puff" in a sec.. and then nothing but a small room with allot of heat ?

Originally posted by Spacespider

Originally posted by hotel1
reply to post by Spacespider

 

I see, I could give you some help on the effects of the blast on materials of varying hardness and strengths, but as that is not what your question is about I will step aside for those better informed.

edit on 20-7-2013 by hotel1 because: (no reason given)

Okay then..
Let´s say its made out of wurtzite boron nitride

Owing to the nature of its construction Wurtzite BN is more resistant to forces such as pressure than some but not all superhard materials If you think think this relevant to your original question. As I said I was about to duck out of the thread when you stated that the construction of the hypothetical sphere was not relevant.

As far as I know there is no reason why the trigger mechanism of properly constructed nuclear device would not begin the process of achieving critical mass. As I am certain you will know heat can not travel in a vacuum
through convection/conduction, and the shockwave from a nuclear blast in a vacuum would be subject to the physical principles thereof. I originally asked you for your intended use of the definition of the hypothetical spheres material hardness to determine if I could contribute in anyway to your interesting thread.

Kind regards

What would happen to a laser in a vaccum? What would happen to those photons? Would they just float around or what?

Originally posted by boymonkey74
reply to post by boymonkey74

 

Just found this footage of nukes exploding in space Wow

that was beautiful

Originally posted by Spacespider
reply to post by NoRulesAllowed

 

I see...
but how would the explosion behave.. would it just go "puff" in a sec.. and then nothing but a small room with allot of heat ?

I would probably look like one of those explosion in SciFi movies, big flash but obviously no smoke etc I also don't think the heat would stay, the energy of the explosion would spread the energy out from the middle. The vacuum wouldn't stop the radiation, neither the light. In the same way as the heat (energy) and light of the sun has no problem reaching us through the vacuum of space.