Everyday you just learn something new.
Tired Mountain Syndrome
21–24 of 24 posts
Re: Tired Mountain Syndrome
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
They literally drill a hole into the ground and stick a nuke in it. The surrounding rock is vaporized, but eventually the pressure and heat is low enough that the surrounding earth can contain it. You're left with either a big void in the earth, or if the nuke wasn't buried deep enough the void collapses and makes a crater on the surface. You might have thought that there was some giant underground complex, but it's…
Sometimes the same hole is reused, though not usually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site
Wow, I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like! But I suppose taking pictures of it wouldn't have really served enough practical purpose to deal with hauling something back out of the hole, not the mention the lingering radiation from the previous test would probably instantly expose any film sent down there.
Still! What does the container for a nuclear explosion look like on the inside? Is it smooth and glassy? Does molten material drip down and form stalactites and stalagmites? Does the surface crack as it cools? What color is everything?
Re: Tired Mountain Syndrome
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes the same hole is reused, though not usually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Site
Wow, I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like! But I suppose taking pictures of it wouldn't have really served enough practical purpose to deal with hauling something back out of the hole, not the mention the lingering radiation from the previous test would probably instantly expose any film sent down there. Still! What does the container for a nuclear explosion look like on the insid…
> I am now extremely curious about what the inside of that cave looked like
Here's Project Gnome's: image https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nougat#/media/File:P... better color https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1fgvt8/a_perma... video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ2MyWlXgs&t=1442 report with diagrams https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4612556 cross-section http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/GnomeDiag1024.gif
Re: Tired Mountain Syndrome
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It was part of Operation Plowshare, a program designed to find peaceful uses for nuclear explosions. I don’t know how that would ever be possible.
Russians used to use nukes to seal leaking gas wells
Not only that, also seismic sounding and other uses, 115 peaceful nuclear explosion in total:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_N...