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Home Front: Politix
Plans for Massive Blast in Nev. Draw Fire
2006-03-31
Well you knew it was coming...
Plans to Detonate 700 Tons of Explosives in the Nevada Desert Draw Criticism
LAS VEGAS Mar 31, 2006 (AP)— Plans for a Pentagon-led experiment that involves detonating 700 tons of explosives in the desert drew criticism from state leaders and a disarmament activist.
The explosion scheduled for June 2 at the Nevada Test Site is part of an effort to design a weapon that can penetrate solid rock formations in which a country might store nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.
"I am concerned that tests of this magnitude have been planned without providing Nevadans with any information about the possible impact on their health or safety," said Democratic Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid in a statement Thursday.
You mean, Harry "Us Democrats are big on defense" Reid? That Harry Reid?
Nevada Test Site spokesman Darwin Morgan said the test will be conducted about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, near the center of the former nuclear testing site. The test, named "Divine Strake," will involve nearly 40 times the amount of commercial ammonium nitrate and fuel oil explosive set off in the largest open-air, non-nuclear blast at the site to date. In 2002, 18 tons of explosives were set off at the Nevada Test Site.
"This is nothing that's out of the bounds for us. That's what our expertise is in," he said.
BWAAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAA!!!!
Morgan said the site obtained the required state approvals and air quality permits in January. Officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration, which operates the site, alerted the state's congressional delegation and state government in December.
The Nevada Department of Administration responded with a letter stating: "Your proposal is not in conflict with state plans, goals or objectives."
No elected officials responded to the notice until Thursday, Morgan said. The test site is not required to seek public comment, he said.
But...but...that was before it became really big news and we could score political brownie points on it.
"Given the level of contamination in areas where nuclear tests were conducted, I have real concerns about the dust and other pollutants that will be released into the air as a result of this explosion," said U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley.
...and how that will effect...prarie dogs and...gila monsters and rattlesnakes, since that's about all that's out there.
Disarmament activist Pete Litster said tests at the site violate international law. Litster, executive director of the Shundahai Network, said the site belongs to the Western Shoshone Indian tribe.
Wonder how many rocks the AP had to flip over before they found this guy?
Posted by:tu3031

#27  I>Just not for when you come back down and hit the ground

Badanov's pay will be reduced for the time he was up in the sky though.
Posted by: Prophet al-Arff al Wudo   2006-03-31 23:41  

#26  Badanov: You'll have a saving roll for surviving the initial blast.

Just not for when you come back down and hit the ground.
Posted by: Your New Feudal Overlords   2006-03-31 23:17  

#25  Maybe they're going to resurrect Kerry's "more sensitive war"?
Posted by: Dave D.   2006-03-31 21:37  

#24  Smart and tough was yesterday. It's over today.
Posted by: DMFD   2006-03-31 21:32  

#23  Fertilizer bombs have the singular distinction of being able to replicate nuclear level blasts without the fallout. I recall them as being the only ones capable of such a feat.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-03-31 19:55  

#22  Why are they setting off a fuel oil/fertilizer bomb?

I believe it's the cheapest way to get a blast of this size.
Posted by: KBK   2006-03-31 19:24  

#21  I guess in furture wargames this charge will be worth a +120D10 roll...

No saving roll either
Posted by: badanov   2006-03-31 18:06  

#20  I'd pay good money to see it. WAYYY better than your average July 4th display...

dittos! consider it paid!
Posted by: RD   2006-03-31 18:06  

#19  It'd be a real blast, watching them touch off that little puppy; I'd pay good money to see it. WAYYY better than your average July 4th display...

Posted by: Dave D.   2006-03-31 17:57  

#18  Why waste this on Nevada. Test it in Iran.

I like the way you think, Cap.

detonated by a "blasting cap" consisting of about 300 lbs. of C4 explosive.

"Blasting cap"? H-e-double-toothpicks, that's more like a "ten-gallon blasting hat."
Posted by: Zenster   2006-03-31 17:36  

#17  Note the potential for 2 speices of jack rabbits to suffer eardrum puncture if they are out of their holes when it blows up and within a quarter mile of the bang... so some bunnies could go deaf!
Posted by: 3dc   2006-03-31 17:33  

#16  Of course, there never was any dust in Nevada prior to the military testing. It was verdant, and the children frolicked in the meadows happily....
Posted by: Desert Blondie   2006-03-31 16:48  

#15  Shit. Sorry for garfing up the link.
Posted by: Dave D.   2006-03-31 16:10  

#14  A HREF='http://budget.state.nv.us/clearinghouse/Notice/2006/E2006-222.pdf'>This document on the Divine Strake detonation is very interesting (.pdf, 14 MB).

Looks to me like someone's validating some mathematical models predicting the effects of sub-kiloton nuclear bunker-busters, with 700 tons of heavy ANFO as the stand-in for the nuke.

The ANFO will be loaded into a 32 ft. diameter hole 36 ft. deep, with a hemispherical bottom (see diagrams in the .pdf file), and detonated by a "blasting cap" consisting of about 300 lbs. of C4 explosive.

There's a tunnel 30 meters below the bottom of the blast pit, and this tunnel will be instrumented to evaluate blast effects (spalling, tunnel collapse, etc.)

Posted by: Dave D.   2006-03-31 16:09  

#13  Sen. Reid as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee secured $100 million for Nevada in the 2006 military construction bill, compared with $17.5 million last year. As the Senate Democratic leader he appointed the position to the BRAC commission and now his state of Nevada will get a net increase of a 1,059 military jobs. To further criticize the Bush Administration, last week Reid introduced his "Real Security" plan, which calls for staged town hall events at military bases and veterans posts. Reid made no attempt to hide the Anti-Bush agenda. However, in order to get around the prohibition of campaigning at military installations he portrayed the events as troop support. Or as Jim Manley, Reid's spokesman, puts it "These are events to highlight the need for increased funding for the troops." Now that heÂ’s secured his dough and political backdrops, Senator Reid appears to find it more politically advantageous to condemn actual military R&D in his state. DonÂ’t be surprised if it turns out that the Western Shoshone are one of the tribes hired by Abramoff to give campaign contributions to Reid.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2006-03-31 15:53  

#12  TW:
They just want to get the computer models right for spalling inside a tunnel with a particular type of limestone.

Also, how it effects computers. They will have running and turned off computers in the tunnel and attempt to use them after the test.
Posted by: 3dc   2006-03-31 15:37  

#11  The test ...will involve ...commercial ammonium nitrate and fuel oil explosive ...

Why are they setting off a fuel oil/fertilizer bomb?
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-03-31 15:16  

#10  I guess the campaign contributions are really rolling in for Reid -- from the readers of this site.
Posted by: Perfesser   2006-03-31 14:18  

#9  Reid comes off as so politically deaf by his comments its pathetic. I mean they tested nukes at this site in the past and he's going to go to bat over conventional munitions might have some side effect? The week after the Dems big strong on Security platform came out?

They really dropped the ball when they picked this guy to lead the Senate Democrats.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2006-03-31 13:53  

#8  "Nevada Test Site spokesman Darwin Morgan"

Uh oh! that sounds like a Darwin experiemnt... Awards to be determined..
Posted by: TomAnon   2006-03-31 13:42  

#7  The protesters may have a point. Why waste this on Nevada. Test it in Iran.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-03-31 13:34  

#6  Tip for all you cub reporters out there:
The next time somebody says something "violates international law", ask them which one?
Posted by: tu3031   2006-03-31 13:23  

#5  Previous Tests:

Pre-Dice Throw - 120 tons in 1977
Dice Throw- 620 tons in 1979
Distant Runner-2,250 tons in 1981
Mill Race - 620 tons in 1982
Pre-DirectCourse 24 tons in 1982
Direct Course - 609 tons in 1983
Minor Scale - 4,744 tons in 1985
Misty Picture 4,685 tons in 1987
Miners Gold 2,445 tons in 1989
Distant Image 2,440 tons in 1991

also
1,410 tons in U12n tunnel at NTS in 1993
and
7 tests of 120 ton at Misers Bluff at Planet Ranch in 1978

all are listed as learning curve leading up to Devine Strake.

Posted by: 3dc   2006-03-31 13:13  

#4  Reid is an idiot.
I downloaded the Nevada EPA impact statement for the test. IT IS HUGE!

It tells everything about the test including the history which shows this test to be minor compared to some past ones.

The only reason they what to test at the Nevada site is that the limestone at the Nevada site is quite similar to the target. (heh!) They just want to get their computer models right. Nothing else.
Posted by: 3dc   2006-03-31 13:03  

#3  Plenty + More = Enough
Posted by: Seafarious   2006-03-31 13:00  

#2  "I am concerned that tests of this magnitude have been planned without providing Nevadans with any information about the possible impact on their health or safety," said Democratic Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid...

"Impact"? WHAT impact???????? The damn test site is out in the freakin' middle of nowhere, you idiot!

Harry, this isn't part of your new "Democrats are tough and smart" initiative, is it?

Posted by: Dave D.   2006-03-31 12:49  

#1  Let us invite them to explore the site and the tunnels underneth as a fact finding mission.

Then blow it up.
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-03-31 12:44  

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