Drudge: WashPost to report US/Russian Team Seize 37-lbs of Highly Enriched Uranium ...

Drudge Report of WashPost ^ | Dec 23, 2003 | Drudge

[mikegi]

US/Russian Team Seize 37-Pounds Highly Enriched Uranium from Bulgarian Plant, WASH POST Planning To Report On Weds... Developing...

[Rebelbase]

It was a good edukashun.

[stands2reason]

I resent the implication that all drug-users are libertarians. That's a commonly applied stereotype that just paints all drug-users with the same brush.

[Willie Green]

I thought Bugarians are supposed to be our friends, now.

Errr... make that Bulgonians...
Uh, no... Brugundians...
Bundinians...?
Awwwww, crud. Ya'll know who I mean.

[Prime Choice]

About 140 pounds, but that was back when the equipment and methods were pretty crude. Today 37 pounds is enough.

Only if using neutron-rich exciters. Uranium-style bombs typically require 110 pounds of highly-refined Uranium-235 for critical mass. That's why today's arsenal is almost entirely comprised of Plutonium (Pu-239) which is derived from "baking" the more abundant (and non-fissionable) Uranium-238.

[Orangedog]

The Hiroshima bomb was a one-off deal, a product of early research of the Manhattan Project. The materials developement was a little behind the curve, so the went with the Plutonium based weapon for the second bomb dropped by Bockscar. That became the prefered method because it more efficient. Since then enrichment methods have improved, as well as engineering and casing materials.

[Prime Choice]

How much would 37 lbs. of Uranium weigh?

The same as 37 pounds of feathers, I imagine.

[MJY1288]

OK I apologize to all the Drug users out there, it won't happen again

[concentric circles]

From three years ago:

"...The United States and Bulgaria have been cooperating in stopping the flow of uranium, plutonium and other nuclear material from the former Soviet Union through eastern and central Europe..."

"...For their part, Bulgarian officials have acknowledged that the country is being used as a route for the flow of uranium to Middle East countries..."

U.S. discovers uranium being channeled from Ukraine to Iraq, Iran

Ukraine Slips Iran, Iraq Uranium

[SunnyUsa]

Properly used that is enough to make a device that could level Manhattan

omg, that is truely scarey - how hard would it be for them to be able to make a nuke like that?

[No Blue States]

So what could be done with 37 lbs of HEU today, any idea?

[MetalMan]

The one dropped on Hiroshima was a uranium bomb. It had a gun inside which fired a urnanium projectile at some more uranium, which started the chain reaction. The bomb dropped on Nakasagi(sp?) was an implosion device, which used plutonium.

I think.. I could be mistaken, but 90% sure that's accurate.

[Orangedog]

Thermonuclear (fusion) bombs are another story altogether...

Some tritium, a little lithium and a fancier casing.

[GeronL]

wow.

[No Blue States]

Talking about a WMD find, this is the motherload it appears.
Any bets on its previous destination?

[Prime Choice]

So what could be done with 37 lbs of HEU today, any idea?

Considering that terrorists eschew high-tech weaponry (their "guided missiles" on 9/11 were aircraft with suicide pilots and their "torpedo" against the U.S.S. Cole was a bomb-laden boat with suicide drivers), I find it extremely doubtful that they'd have the wherewithall to construct a highly-sophisticated fission bomb with this material.

It is far more likely that they would use this material for a "dirty bomb" which is less sophisticated and thus less likely to fail.

Personally, I would be more concerned if they got ahold of a couple of tankers filled with ammonia. There's a reason why poison gases of that caliber are called "the poor man's atomic bomb."

[Orangedog]

how hard would it be for them to be able to make a nuke like that?

Well, based on the discussion here, I think 3 or 4 of us here on this thread could probably do it with enough money and 37 pounds of HEU.

[Prime Choice]

Some tritium, a little lithium and a fancier casing.

Don't forget deuterium...and an order of magnitude more sophistication in detonation timing...plus the core fission bomb to generate enough heat to start the fusion reaction...and, just for color, try it in a fission-fusion-fission configuration by encasing it all in a U-238 shell so that the fusion reaction will saturate the U-238 with free neutrons, thus changing it to Plutonium which is then scattered across several miles.

Ah yes...there are fates worse than death. Most are my hobbies.

[Prime Choice]

omg, that is truely scarey - how hard would it be for them to be able to make a nuke like that?

With 110 pounds of HEU, it'd be trivial. With only 37 pounds, it is within our technological capacity...but not theirs.

What the other person failed to note is that a 12.5 kilton bomb could not "level Manhattan" unless it was detonated above Manhattan. If detonated on the ground, the explosive force would be considerably reduced.

[Tax Government]

How much would 37 lbs. of Uranium weigh?

37 pounds would be about 3552 zolotniks, or 1.32 tods, or 2.64 stone, or 14208 scruples, or .0185 tons, or 0.168 quintals, or 259,000 grains, or 9472 dramas, or 5.27 small cloves, or 84,090 carats, or .336 centners, or .33 British hundredweights.