Reuters reports that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will simulate a nuclear explosion to study the effects of aging on nuclear warheads. The simulation will be conducted with the IBM-built BlueGene/L. Details about the test are unclear. I hope I’ll have time to write more about this later, but—in lieu of a more detailed post—pretty much …
Pettiness Toward IAEA Undermines International Security
by | 2004-12-26 | 1 Comment
Does Bush dodge photo ops with ElBaradei? Even more pettiness? Bill Broad and David Sanger have must reading in The New York Times today. They report that the Bush Administration has essentially no relationship with the IAEA, stifling investigation of the A.Q. Khan network. Broad and Sanger open with a fascinating story of a petty …
More on Asteroids
by | 2004-12-26 | No Comments
On the subject asteroids and other near eath objects, Slashdot has the best coverage on 2004 MN4. JPL has a nice fact sheet replete with animations. 2004 MN4 has a 1/63 chance of hitting the earth, with the damage depending on the asteroid’s composition. Let’s focus on the real threats. The worst case is “if …
Asteroids and Arms Control
by | 2004-12-25 | No Comments
Final NEAR Shoemaker Descent Images of Eros from February 2001 at 1,150 meters. Nothing says holiday cheer like the reminder that total planetary annihilation is a statistical fact of existence in our universe. Astronomers spotted an near earth object after it passed about 36,000 km by the earth. The asteroid—2004 YD5—was about 5 meters wide …
