Given that the 9-megaton B53 bomb recently dismanteled at Y-12 reportedly had the potential to flatten most objects within a 10-20 mile radius, and that Y-12 is only a couple of miles from ORNL, I'm kind of relieved that the mission was safely accomplished!
No, seriously, I'm sure there was virtually no chance of a nuclear inferno happening, although the workers involved would have had to be careful to shield themselves from the toxic materials. The operation also demonstrates that Y-12 has an important role to play in peace through nuclear disarmament.
The article you refer to writes about this Y-12 event that "some early work on the B53 dismantlement required a lot of troubleshooting".
ReplyDeleteLive troubleshooting on megaton nuclear device, that's nice to hear !! Long live simulations.