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I swear I read about this in Schlosser's "Command and Control" a couple of years ago.. maybe not. https://www.amazon.com/Command-Control-Damascus-Accident-Ill...
Hicks said the metal of the screwdriver contacted the positive side of the fuse and also the fuse’s grounded metal holder, causing a short circuit that sent electricity flowing to unintended places. Is there some company out there making non-conductive screwdrivers designed for electrical work? I can understand that maybe the materials science to make strong plastic screwdrivers didn't exist in the 1950s, but surely…
Hicks said the metal of the screwdriver contacted the positive side of the fuse and also the fuse’s grounded metal holder, causing a short circuit that sent electricity flowing to unintended places. Is there some company out there making non-conductive screwdrivers designed for electrical work? I can understand that maybe the materials science to make strong plastic screwdrivers didn't exist in the 1950s, but surely…
Oh yeah they exist. There are ceramic ones and I have also seen plastic ones. I've seen other fun specialized types of screwdrivers in my career: Screwdrivers with conductive plastic in the handle, to deal with ESD requirements in the spacecraft industry. Alternatively, take a normal plastic screwdriver handle and wrap it in copper tape. Beryllium screwdrivers (non-ferrous) for use around MRI machine bores thanks to…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh yeah they exist. There are ceramic ones and I have also seen plastic ones. I've seen other fun specialized types of screwdrivers in my career: Screwdrivers with conductive plastic in the handle, to deal with ESD requirements in the spacecraft industry. Alternatively, take a normal plastic screwdriver handle and wrap it in copper tape. Beryllium screwdrivers (non-ferrous) for use around MRI machine bores thanks to…
Wait, isn’t Beryllium toxic? I was under the impression that you don’t want to be around it.
I'd guess anyone working on an MRI machine is wearing gloves anyway for other reasons.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh yeah they exist. There are ceramic ones and I have also seen plastic ones. I've seen other fun specialized types of screwdrivers in my career: Screwdrivers with conductive plastic in the handle, to deal with ESD requirements in the spacecraft industry. Alternatively, take a normal plastic screwdriver handle and wrap it in copper tape. Beryllium screwdrivers (non-ferrous) for use around MRI machine bores thanks to…
Wait, isn’t Beryllium toxic? I was under the impression that you don’t want to be around it.
Also, it's used in dental alloys. It seems it's only toxic if you inhale its dust.
Fun fact: Your body has no way to remove it from your body, so you accumulate it forever.
There was a frightening number of close calls over the course of decades on the american side alone. One can just assume what must have happened on the sites of other nuclear powers that just doesn't get reported. You can find a timeline of these almost accidents here: https://futureoflife.org/background/nuclear-close-calls-a-ti... It's certainly time to reduce the number of warheads from a nuclear-winter-guaranteein…
This is why nuclear non-proliferation is important. Its difficult enough for a super power to safely store and control its WMD. Each new nuclear state magnifies the risks, and all the more so because they lack the after action experience that a half century of mishaps delivers.
A weapon detonating by accident is terrible. Thousands of weapons on hair-trigger alert is civilization-ending. It's absolutely insane that we're conditioned to believe that this is not only normal - but the best possible state of affairs.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh yeah they exist. There are ceramic ones and I have also seen plastic ones. I've seen other fun specialized types of screwdrivers in my career: Screwdrivers with conductive plastic in the handle, to deal with ESD requirements in the spacecraft industry. Alternatively, take a normal plastic screwdriver handle and wrap it in copper tape. Beryllium screwdrivers (non-ferrous) for use around MRI machine bores thanks to…
Wait, isn’t Beryllium toxic? I was under the impression that you don’t want to be around it.
For example, it is used in spacecraft to save weight over aluminum. When I worked with MRI machines, we used FETs with beryllium oxide ceramic (BeO) backing. BeO is an amazing thermal conductor, electrical insulator (only diamond is better).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wait, isn’t Beryllium toxic? I was under the impression that you don’t want to be around it.
Didn't you mother ever tell you to stop putting things in your mouth? Also, it's used in dental alloys. It seems it's only toxic if you inhale its dust. Fun fact: Your body has no way to remove it from your body, so you accumulate it forever.
To clarify: There was absolutely no chance at any point of a nuclear explosion. The article suggests that some big explosion was on the edge of possibility which, given the context, one might think would be a nuclear explosion. The warhead, the "physics package", was never really a worry. Getting those to detonate requires some careful triggering.
This was also a SOLID fuel rocket. While you wouldn't want to damage it, it wasn't full of the nasty pressurized liquids of other missiles. Getting its fuel to actually ignite would require more than hitting it with a hammer. You need something akin to a blasting cap. Shuttle used something more like a giant flamethrower. The solid retro rockets were not directly triggered by a the short circuit. I'd bet good money that their ignition system felt the short rather than the fuel being ignited by the short.