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| Scientists Conduct Powerful Experiment at Nevada Test Site |
| 2005-07-28 |
| Scientists at the Nevada Test Site said they generated a current Wednesday equal to roughly four times all the electrical power on Earth. The current, which created pressures in materials millions of times greater than normal, was part of an experiment to better understand nuclear weapons. The experiment was conducted at the test site's Atlas Pulsed Power Facility by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, along with staff from the test site and contractor Bechtel Nevada. During the few millionths of a second that it operated, the 650-ton Atlas pulsed-power generator discharged nearly 19 million amps of current through an aluminum cylindrical shell about the size of a tuna can, the National Nuclear Security Administration said. Atlas, which works as a giant power multiplier, was designed as part of an Energy Department program to determine the readiness of the nation's nuclear stockpile without underground testing. It was built at Los Alamos and recently moved to the Nevada Test Site, a proving ground just north of Las Vegas. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #16 do you think that runs the utility bill up or what? |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2005-07-28 22:56 |
| #15 So that is whay my fluorescent lights were glowing whilst turned off. How big are the freeking conductors? Jebus. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-28 21:03 |
| #14 Gee, that's a lot of power. Maybe it's enough to keep my motherboard from croaking... |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-07-28 20:50 |
| #13 Tesla must be proud. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-07-28 18:22 |
| #12 ...designed as part of an Energy Department program to determine the readiness of the nation's nuclear stockpile without underground testing. On the other hand, may I suggest that we test 5% of our stockpile of 10,000 warheads above ground to see if they are ready. Say somewhere in North Korea, Iran, and Syria to start with. |
| Posted by: Glater Uninter1262 2005-07-28 16:44 |
| #11 I would love to see that. We used to work with kiloamps to test circuit breakers (on Navy ships), but never megaamps. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-07-28 16:36 |
| #10 Seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to dispose of a tuna tin... |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-07-28 15:08 |
| #9 they'll nevr get the smell outta the lab |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-28 14:37 |
| #8 BK LMAO! |
| Posted by: Spinal Tap 2005-07-28 13:48 |
| #7 I would suggest that any nuclear weapon that you run 19 millions amps through will NOT be ready afterwards. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2005-07-28 13:16 |
| #6 19 million amps, that baby definitely goes to "11" |
| Posted by: bk 2005-07-28 12:13 |
| #5 19 millio amps, that baby definitely goes to "11" |
| Posted by: bk 2005-07-28 12:13 |
| #4 19 million amps of current ... Yeah baby... Now we get to use this on those Magic Mullah Meetings in Saudi Arabia and Iran, and turn those terrorists into Carbon ash with impurities (I'm sure the Mullahs have a lot of gold teeth) No radioactive aftermath... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-07-28 11:02 |
| #3 Nah, it'd certainly be atomized tuna! Or maybe quarkized? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-07-28 10:42 |
| #2 During the few millionths of a second that it operated, the 650-ton Atlas pulsed-power generator discharged nearly 19 million amps of current through an aluminum cylindrical shell about the size of a tuna can... spraying the lab with vaporized tuna. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-07-28 10:21 |
| #1 Eeexcellent. Now let's install this baby in a big round space station and terrorize the galaxy! |
| Posted by: BH 2005-07-28 10:04 |