Tickling the Tail of a Sleeping Dragon

[Mike]

Interesting read about the early (primitive) assembly of a nuclear bomb core. (maybe he should have used a bigger screwdriver!)

In 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, the physicist Louis Slotin stood in front of a low table at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, concentrating intensely on the object in front of him. His left thumb was hooked into a hole on the top of a heavy beryllium dome, fingers bracing the side as he carefully cantilevered it on its leftmost edge. In his right hand he held a flathead screwdriver, its head wedged under the right edge of the dome to keep it from closing completely. Through the gap on the right side you could just barely catch a metallic gleam, a glimpse of the 14-pound plutonium sphere that was slated to become one of the United States’ next nuclear weapons.

The Rest of the Story

[Billy_Rightwing]

Will not play with that stuff anymore.

[Wannabe]

Thanks Mike. A little more history learned today.

[Mike]

I wish it was not such a short article. I would love to read more.

[TxMusky]

Dang, I would not be working with that material or any bomb for that matter. I will gladly take my chances with a oil well blowout, at least I have a small chance to make it to safety.