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Time Travel
Research Center © 2005
Cetin BAL - GSM:+90 05366063183 - Turkey/Denizli
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How to build your
own atomic bomb
Construction Method
- First, obtain about 50 pounds (110 kg) of weapons grade Plutonium at
your local supplier (see Note). A nuclear power plant is not recommended,
as large quantities of missing Plutonium tend to make plant engineers
unhappy. We suggest that you contact your local terrorist organization,
or perhaps the Junior Achievement League in your neighborhood.
- Please remember that Plutonium, especially pure, refined Plutonium,
is somewhat dangerous. Wash your hands with soap and warm water after
handling the material, and don't allow your children or pets to play in
it or eat it. Any left over Plutonium dust is excellent as an insect
repellant. You may wish to keep the substance in a lead box if you can
find one in your local junk yard, but an old coffee can will do nicely.
- Fashion together a metal enclosure to house the device. Most common
varieties of sheet metal can be bent to disguise this enclosure as, for
example, a briefcase, a lunch pail, or a '57 Buick. Do not use tinfoil.
- Arrange the Plutonium into two hemispheral shapes, separated by
about 4 cm. Use rubber cement to hold the Plutonium dust together.
- Now get about 100 pounds (220 kg) of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
Gelignite is much better, but messier to work with. Your helpful
hardware man will be happy to provide you with this item.
- Pack the TNT around the hemisphere arrangement constructed in step
4. If you cannot find Gelignite, feel free to use TNT packed in with
Playdo or any modeling clay. Colored clay is acceptable, but there is no
need to get fancy at this point.
- Enclose the structure from step 6 into the enclosure made in step 3.
Use a strong glue such as "Crazy Glue" to bind the hemisphere
arrangement against the enclosure to prevent accidental detonation which
might result from vibration or mishandling.
- To detonate the device, obtain a radio controlled (RC) servo
mechanism, as found in RC model airplanes and cars. With a modicum of
effort, a remote plunger can be made that will strike a detonator cap to
effect a small explosion. These detonatior caps can be found in the
electrical supply section of your local supermarket. We recommend the "Blast-O-Mactic"
brand because they are no deposit - no return.
- Now hide the completed device from the neighbors and children. The
garage is not recommended because of high humidity and the extreme range
of temperatures experienced there. Nuclear devices have been known to
spontaneously detonate in these unstable conditions. The hall closet or
under the kitchen sink will be perfectly suitable.
- Now you are the proud owner of a working thermonuclear device! It is
a great ice-breaker at parties, and in a pinch can be used for national
defense.
Theory of Operation
The device basically works when the detonated TNT compresses the
Plutonium into a critical mass. The critical mass then produces a nuclear
chain reaction similar to the domino chain reaction. The chain reaction
then promptly produces a larger thermonuclear reaction, and there you have
it: a 10 megaton explosion!
Notes
Plutonium (PU), atomic number 94, is a radioactive metallic element
formed by the decay of Neptunium and is similar in chemical structure to
Uranium, Saturium, Jupiternium, and Marisum.
How to Make an Atomic Bomb - In easy steps
By: Lucian Dorneanu, Science Editor
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Enlarge pictureWe will look today at what you need in order to make a
nuclear fission bomb. You need some money, as it would really help if you
were the prince, sultan or other royalty of a small, but rich state. If
not, you need to know on a first name basis some evil leader with lots of
cash, oil, diamonds and so on, of a small but ambitious country, with a
need for revenge on the world.
Step 1 - What is a nuclear fission bomb?
Fission bombs derive their power from nuclear fission, where heavy nuclei
(uranium or plutonium) are bombarded by neutrons and split into lighter
elements, more neutrons and energy. These newly liberated neutrons then
bombard other nuclei, which then split and bombard other nuclei, and so
on, creating a nuclear chain reaction which releases large amounts of
energy. These are historically called atomic bombs, atom bombs, or A-bombs,
though this name is not precise due to the fact that chemical reactions
release energy from atomic bonds (excluding bonds between nuclei) and
fusion is no less atomic than fission. Despite this possible confusion,
the term atom bomb has still been generally accepted to refer specifically
to nuclear weapons and most commonly to pure fission devices.
Step 2 - What do you need?
a. The fissionable material
Plutonium239 isotope. Around 25 pounds (10 kg) would be enough. If you
could find some Uranium235, that would be good, but not great. You would
need to refine it using a gas centrifuge. The uranium hexafluoride gas is
piped in a cylinder, which is then spun at high speed. The rotation causes
a centrifugal force that leaves the heavier U-238 isotopes at the outside
of the cylinder, while the lighter U-235 isotopes are left at the center.
The process is repeated many times over through a cascade of centrifuges
to create uranium of the desired level of enrichment. To be used as the
fissile core of a nuclear weapon, the uranium has to be enriched to more
than 90 per cent and be produced in large quantities.
You could try buying it from a former Soviet Republic, or from Iran, since
they're trying so hard to produce it. North Korea is not ready yet, and
unfortunately, Iraqi dealers retired from the business.
b. The explosive to start the nuclear chain reaction
100 pounds (44 kg) of trinitrotoluene (TNT). Gelignite (an explosive
material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or gun
cotton) dissolved in nitroglycerine and mixed with wood pulp and sodium or
potassium nitrate) would be better. Semtex would be good too, but it's a
bit hard to get, these days.
c. The detonator
To fabricate a detonator for the device, get a radio controlled (RC) servo
mechanism, as found in RC model airplanes and cars. With a modicum of
effort, a remote plunger can be made that will strike a detonator cap to
effect a small explosion. These detonation caps can be found in the
electrical supply section of your local supermarket. If you're an
electronics wiz, you should be able to make it using a cellphone.
d. The pusher
The explosion shock wave might be of such short duration that only a
fraction of the pit is compressed at any instant as it passes through it.
A pusher shell made out of low density metal such as aluminium, beryllium,
or an alloy of the two metals (aluminium being easier and safer to shape
but beryllium reflecting neutrons back into the core) may be needed and is
located between the explosive lens and the tamper. It works by reflecting
some of the shock wave backwards which has the effect of lengthening it.
The tamper or reflector might be designed to work as the pusher too,
although a low density material is best for the pusher but a high density
one for the tamper. To maximize efficiency of energy transfer, the density
difference between layers should be minimized.
Step 3 - How to build the nuke?
You will need to get the fissile material to the critical mass in order to
start the chain reaction, which depends upon the size, shape and purity of
the material as well as what surrounds the material. Your weapons-grade
uranium will have to be in subcritical configuration.
First, you must arrange the uranium into two hemispherical shapes,
separated by about 4 cm. Since it's highly radioactive, the best way do it
is to ask the friend owning the small country to let you use one his
facilities. You could use a nuclear plant, a steel factory or even a well
equipped pharmaceutical installation as a disguise for your plans.
It is not sufficient to pack explosive into a spherical shell around the
tamper and detonate it simultaneously at several places because the tamper
and plutonium pit will simply squeeze out between the gaps in the
detonation front. Instead, the shock wave must be carefully shaped into a
perfect sphere centered on the pit and traveling inwards. This is achieved
by using a spherical shell of closely fitting and accurately shaped bodies
of explosives of different propagation speeds to form explosive lenses.
After a few careful calculations, all you need now is to carefully pack
and transport your nuclear bomb to the targeted location. If you happen to
be an Al-Qaeda fan, you should try to infiltrate a military facility, for
the psychological effect. Watch it, though, they are usually well guarded!
Step 4 - Disguising the bomb and placing it for detonation
The smallest nuclear warhead deployed by the United States was the W54,
which was used in the Davy Crockett recoilless rifle; warheads in this
weapon weighed about 23 kg and had yields of 0.01 to 0.25 kilotons. This
is small in comparison to thermonuclear weapons, but remains a very large
explosion with lethal acute radiation effects and potential for
substantial fallout. It is generally believed that the W54 may be nearly
the smallest possible nuclear weapon, though this may be only smallest by
weight or volume, not simply smallest diameter.
The best way to disguise it would be in the form of an ordinary appliance,
like a copier, a widescreen TV set, or any other inconspicuous electronic
device.
Now, all you have to do is transport it to the selected location and get
to a safe distance of a few tens of miles, but not far enough to get out
of the range of the remote detonator. That is why a cellphone is strongly
recommended for its wide range capabilities.
Atomic Bomb
How it works
When an element such as plutonium or uranium hits neutrons, an
atomic nucleus is split into two fragments and release fission
energy. A single nuclear fission can only release a little energy
but neutrons released in nuclear fission produce an additional
fission with another nucleus. This nuclear chain reaction releases a
gigantic energy (heat rays, atomic blast, radiation). Atomic bomb
uses this energy as a weapon.
Atomic Bombs used in Nagasaki and
Hiroshima
In order to explode an atomic bomb, a certain amount of
fissile material, called critical mass, is necessary. The fissile
material used in Hiroshima was uranium-235. Inside the bomb,
uranium-235 was divided into two pieces, both of which are below
critical mass. Using an explosive device, the two uranium-235 were
brought together to form a critical mass that exploded
instantaneously. This is known as a gun-barrel-type bomb.
The fissile material used in Nagasaki was plutonium-239. Inside
the bomb, the plutonium-239 is divided into subcritical portions
surrounded by gunpowder. When it is detonated, the conventional
explosives squeeze the plutonium core in on itself to achieve a
supercritical mass. This is known as an implosion type bomb.
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