'American Hiroshima'linked with Iran attack

My sub-atomic education is somewhat dated. It did, however, stray into classified nuke stuff. I have noted with interest, two types of comments - no such things as "suitcase" bombs and -"suitcase" bombs are inherently unstable/unsustainably high maintenance.

Gotta tell ya, that's not how I understand things.

First, there is some "minimal" amount of material underwhich, a chain reaction cannot be created/maintained. (This reaction is what causes nukes to go "boom.") Although said material is not the only component to any bomb, it is sufficiently small that it could readily become a "suitcase" sized bomb. Remember, we had mass quantities of nuke artillery shells. Bigger than breadbox, yes, but much smaller than a footlocker (not to mention, two). Each a completely self-contained bony-fidy nuke.

Are there such things? Beats me, but they are emminently feasible. And that minimal amount is small enough that it could be readily exceeded (for engineering safety/viability margins) and still qualify as "suitcase" sized.

Secondly, nuke maintenance. Fascinating subject, one with relatively few experts. And they're not sure. Unclassified sources have claimed life span of a non-minimalized (so there's a safety margin of material that'll go boom, when required) at about 29 years. Which creates a whole slew of strategic issues/questions, given that Clinton essentially closed our last plant.

My understanding, however, is that recent attempts to verify/refute that 29 year number leaves the question somewhat open. Apparently some nukes checked were still good. So the true experts are back examining their models and numbers to see what the real figure should be.

To return to the "suitcase" maintenance issue...bottom line is we don't truly know how they were all made (if at all), don't truly know what their life-span would be (for same reason), and so cannot reliably conclude they "cannot exist." They could exist. And last I checked, no one sufficiently intelligent to make one, had made one such that it would have to be used within 1-5 years or be useless.

I would like to comment on the detection mechanisms which are strewn across the US just to prevent the unauthorized movement of fissile material. Next time you are on the highway look at all the strange light poles with not lights but strange looking boxes. Take a glance at the strange looking pagers on airport screeners and police. These are just a few of the deterrents which have been installed to detect any fissile material being transported in the US.

If a suitcase bomb has made it to the US, I am confident it has been detected. These types of weapons are not shielded adequately and would probably kill anyone who has had long term exposure. They spew radiation when removed from their protective storage containers (Not the size of a suitcase but rather a refrigerator).

I agree with much of what you said.

However, I guess it depends upon how you define "winning."

One of many related type links:

"Iran president paves the way for arabs' imam return"
http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_10945.shtml

"Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi," Ahmadinejad said in the speech to Friday Prayers leaders from across the country."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/14/wiran14.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/14/ixworld.html

"The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return."

"Their sneaking suspicion is that Iran's president actually relishes a clash with the West in the conviction that it would rekindle the spirit of the Islamic revolution and - who knows - speed up the arrival of the Hidden Imam."

That just might be a win, in Ahmadinejad's book.

That Orange thing (W54 Tactical Nuke) doesn't look that big to me !!

Also Russia was supposed to have deployed 3000 to 4000 tactical nukes, many in countries like the Ukraine and Chechnya which is where the Black Market nukes that Al-Quada was reported to have bought came from...!!

Sources: Center for Defense Information and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Source: Atomic Museum (DOE) - http://www.atomicmuseum.com/tour/cw3.cfm
Davy Crockett bazooka-type
missile with W54 nuclear warhead

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