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Nuclear Weapons
This category is for questions about weapons that use nuclear fission or fusion to gain explosive power.
3,869 Questions
Are nuclear weapons tested in space?
It is possible to test a nuclear weapon in space, but it is banned.
Nuclear weapons have been exploded in space. In 1962 starfish prime test exploded a 1.4 megaton bomb (~100 times bigger than the Hiroshima bomb) was detonated 400 km over the central pacific. The electromagmetic pulse (called an EMP) damaged communications and electronics from Hawaii to New Zealand (a distance of 7000 km). If this was done today it would cause billions of dollars in damages by wiping out computer systems and satellites over an area of millions of square kilometers. The gamma energy of a nuclear weapon is normally turned into heat when exploded in the atmosphere but in space there is no atmosphere to heat up so all the gamma energy is turned into an EMP that fries electronics. Just one bomb exploded over the United states at 500 km would destroy all computers and electronics that were turned on at the time in the entire country. Military electronics are hardened against this.
How big of a range can a nuke destroy?
The range of destruction from a nuclear weapon varies depending on its size, type, and delivery method. A large nuclear weapon, such as a hydrogen bomb, can cause destruction over a wide area, with a range of several miles to tens of miles from the point of detonation. However, the effects of a nuclear explosion can also be influenced by factors such as terrain, weather conditions, and the presence of structures or shelters.
Can non-nuclear bombs explode in space?
The only nations to detonate nuclear weapons in outer space are the United States and the Soviet Union. During the heart of the Cold War, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched and detonated a combined total of over 20 thermo nuclear weapons in the upper atmosphere and near space region of earth in an effort to test the effects of launching an offense as well as countering an offense. Even during the Cuban Missile Crisis!
Can nuclear bomb explode in space?
Yes. There have been several tests establishing this beyond a doubt, including the actual detonation of nuclear devices. It's currently prohibited by international treaties, though, since the tests produced new radiation belts and resulted in damage to the electronics of several satellites that passed through the belts.
The radiation belts also produced bright auroral displays in both the north and south (until the belts finally disbursed). At least one manned US spaceflight had to be delayed following one of these tests for fear the capsule would pass through the radiation belt and result in overexposure to the astronauts.
Where was the largest nuclear explosion?
On the island Novaya Zemlya in the USSR above the Arctic Circle in 1961. It was called Tsar Bomba (King of bombs) and had a yield of 52 MTons to 58 MTons, depending on how it was measured. The design (AN602) had a potential yield of 100 MTons, if they had wanted to go all the way.
Why is the hydrogen bomb the clean bomb?
A hydrogen bomb can be either clean, conventional, or salted depending on the material used for the fusion (secondary) stage tamper and how it interacts with the high energy fusion reaction neutrons.
- a clean hydrogen bomb uses a tamper material that does not capture or fission when hit by the high energy neutrons. Lead is one such material. Significant yield is sacrificed compared to a conventional hydrogen bomb.
- a conventional hydrogen bomb uses depleted or natural uranium as the tamper material, which fissions when hit by the high energy neutrons providing up to 90% of the bomb's yield and fallout.
- a salted hydrogen bomb uses materials in the tamper that readily capture neutrons and produce highly radioactive isotopes in the fallout.
Note a very very clean hydrogen bomb has a tamper material so transparent to neutrons that almost all escape in a flash: this is sometimes called a neutron bomb!
How many nuclear bombs does it take to blow up Pluto?
It is impossible to blow up Pluto with nuclear bombs, as it is a dwarf planet located over 3.6 billion miles away from Earth. Additionally, the use of nuclear weapons in space is banned by international laws and treaties.
What is a dial-a-yield nuclear bomb - fission or fusion?
"Dial-a-yield," or Variable Yield, is a method of adjusting the yield of a nuclear weapon through various means. While most modern high-energy weapons are thermonuclear, both fission and thermonuclear weapons can have their yield adjusted. In a boosted fission weapon (which can also be the primary to a staged radiation implosion weapon), the yield can be adjusted by changing the amount of deuterium/tritium gas that is injected into the plutonium pit, or by the timing of the external neutron initiator, or both. In a staged weapon, causing the secondary to not ignite by adjusting the yield of the primary (see above), or blocking the radiation channel in some way, can also change the yield of the weapon.
Which types of nuclear detonations create a large crater?
Both underground and surface nuclear detonations can create large craters. Underground detonations can result in a deep, narrower crater due to the explosion taking place beneath the surface, while surface detonations can produce wider, shallower craters as the blast occurs on the surface.
How is heavy water used in the hydrogen bomb?
Heavy water is not used directly in the hydrogen bomb.
The deuterium in the heavy water is separated and reacted with lithium metal to make lithium deuteride. Lithium deuteride is a dry powder that is the fusion fuel for hydrogen bombs.
What would happen if NASA detonated a nuclear bomb on the moon?
Detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon would have long-lasting consequences such as creating a large crater, sending debris into space, and potentially disturbing the moon's surface composition. The resulting explosion could affect the moon's gravitational pull and impact future lunar exploration projects.
What types of nuclear detonations cause mushroom clouds?
Nuclear detonations that occur above ground tend to create mushroom clouds due to the rapid release of energy and heat into the atmosphere. The cloud is formed as the hot air and debris rise, expand, and cool, condensing moisture and creating the distinct mushroom shape.
What comes after the atomic bomb in terms of intensity?
After the atomic bomb, the intensity of destruction increases with hydrogen bombs, which are significantly more powerful and devastating due to the fusion reaction they utilize. Hydrogen bombs are capable of producing much larger explosions compared to atomic bombs due to their ability to release vast amounts of energy.
Will a nuke set off a volcano?
Probably not. A volcano has a relatively large rock plug that would be very resistant to a nuclear blast. However, some volcanos that have a thinner plug, or a VERY big ground-penetrating nuke could possibly set off a volcano.
That is called the Partial Test Ban Treaty. It was signed in 1963 and banned the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater.
What was the biggest nuclear explosion?
The biggest nuclear explosion in history was a 50 megaton (equivalent to 50 million tons of tnt) bomb tested by the soviet union called the "Tsar Bomb". nobody was killed in the blast. the previous answer was completely false, Chernobyl was one of the smallest nuclear explosions in history, smaller than the Hiroshima bomb, which was only 17 kilotons (17 thousand tons of tnt, almost 3000 times smaller than the Tsar Bomb). People were mainly killed by the radiation. The blast didn't even kill everybody inside the actual plant (I'm not sure how many were killed in the blast, if somebody would like to add to this)
First, all aeroplanes do leave a carbon foot print. Second, a nuclear bomb would do horrific damage to the ozone layer ( that's why nuclear testing is banned). Lastly, since no one proved that alien exist their spaceships are not real, but if they are I would imagine that they would do damage to the ozone layer.
It should be pointed out that a carbon foot print has nothing at all to do with the thinning caused by a lack of sunlight to a layer of our atmosphere. CO2 may be a greenhouse gas, but has nothing to do with the ozone layer.
Nuclear bombs could do damage to this layer, but that is not why they are banned. They do damage in many other ways.
Rockets to space dump water vapor, and some of them dump chlorine containing molecules. These all tend to decrease ozone levels
Aircraft dump water vapor, and decrease oxygen levels. These all tend to decrease ozone levels. This is a much stronger effect than for rockets, since many more tons of fuel are involved annually.
Nuclear bombs loft large quantites of contaminants to the upper atmosphere, but very few of them are not fully oxidized. Some water vapor is lofted ahead of the mushroom cloud, and this will do some damage. Thankfully these do not occur often.
CFCs are extremely stable, and the only place they can go away, is where sunlight is strong enough to break them down. Unfortunately, this is where the sunlight is strong enough to make ozone... the ozone layer. So where we have dumped CFCs to the atmosphere since the early 1900s, it will take a while for them to leave the system. And Nature is continually adding Her bit to this loading as well... plants do also make / release chloromethane, especially when burned.
How far can a nuclear bomb reach?
That depends on:
- yield
- burst height/depth
- terrain
- construction methods and materials
- fallout distribution due to wind and weather
- atmospheric humidity, inversion layers, wind sheer
What happens if a nuclear weapon explodes in space?
why don't you try that
No need to, already been done. It creates a new "radiation belt", causing bright auroral displays at both pole regions. The radiation belt can damage or destroy the electronics of any unhardened satellites that cross the belt.
Do nuclear bombs travel through space?
Yes, why couldn't they?
An ICBM carries its nuclear warhead into space and then releases it allowing it to fall from space onto its target.
Several hydrogen bomb tests had been performed by the US in space in the early 1960s (one of these caused a delay to a Gemini space mission due to a radiation belt it created that could hurt the astronauts).
A project to build spacecraft propelled by nuclear explosions called Project Orion began in the middle 1950s and was stopped in 1963 when the Atmospheric Test Ban Treaty prohibited nuclear explosions in space.
Nuclear weapons how far can they fly?
with a nuclear weapon they vary from short and long distances it depends what they equip the missile with like external boosters if everything is added which could make it fly further it would reach almost 7 000 miles ish give or take a few hundred
Nuclear weapons can technically operate in space, but there are international agreements that ban the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space. Additionally, using nuclear weapons in space could have catastrophic consequences due to the lack of atmosphere to contain the fallout.
Can a nuclear bomb destroy the atmosphere?
No, a single nuclear bomb cannot destroy Earth's atmosphere. However, a large-scale nuclear war involving numerous bombs could have devastating effects on the atmosphere and potentially lead to long-term environmental consequences.
How did technology change everyday life in the post-war period?
In the US, "Stop, drop, and cover" was introduced to schoolchildren nationwide to instill a sense of awareness of the issue of "civil defense".
Also, the aircraft industry embraced the age of rocketry, which created a lot of jobs and improved interstate travel. It also led us into the Cold War and the Space Race at the same time.
