[Always Independent]

What about all the previous atmospheric tests. Were they too high?

[shadowman99]

Atmospheric testing is the reason we understand EMP in the first place. During the Thor missile tests in the early 60's, conducted mainly near Pacific islands, it was noticed that for 20-30 minutes after a test that most electronics went haywire. Keep in mind this is back when vacuum tubes were used in many household appliances. As time progressed, we've used integrated circuits(ICs) in their place. ICs are much more sensitive to an EMP.

A captured Soviet MIG Fighter was once studied by scientists who were puzzled why the Russians would build a combat jet favoring tubes in place of microchips. The Russians figured out EMP before the US, and they found the jet would stay functional where it's more sophisticated US rival would lose power and fall out of the sky.

EMPs can be thwarted by the use of a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage is a box of conductive material (copper mesh) with no openings or doors, slits, or anything allowing an outside electrical field to pass into the cage. Since such a design is impractical, few perfect Faraday cages exist. But even imperfect designs are quite effective against EMP, and the US has hardened it's defenses against EMP long ago.

[sheik yerbouty]

The mullahs are woozy from breathing emissions relesed by worshipers in the mosque throwing their buttocks Heavenward...