[Boot Hill]

Prime Choice says:   "I beg to differ...The third stage was a shell of U-238 which, as a direct result of the high-speed neutrons from the fusion reaction, did undergo fission, albeit sans chain reaction.."

You may very well be fissioning the U-238 shell, but that is different than your contention in post #58 were you claimed that "the fusion reaction will saturate the U-238 with free neutrons, thus changing it to Plutonium".

The fact is that it is not physically possible to convert U-238 to plutonium in the manner you suggest, because there is not nearly enough time for that process to occur before the fission/fusion process is complete.

--Boot Hill

[Prime Choice]

You may very well be fissioning the U-238 shell, but that is different than your contention in post #58 were you claimed that "the fusion reaction will saturate the U-238 with free neutrons, thus changing it to Plutonium".

I'm not sure what you're argument is here. As you did point out, when U-238 has an additional neutron introduced, it becomes U-239 which decays into Neptunium-239 which in turn decays into Plutonium (Pu-239).

I'm getting the sense that you're only arguing with the dumbing-down I did for those who aren't familiar with things nuclear.