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To: ExSoldier
Absolutely 100% correct. Thanks to Teller and Oppenheimer, we were given a weapon that is almost pure radiation that goes all the way thru the planet to the core (so underground shelters are useless). It simply vaporizes all organic life forms that are fauna based (animals and people) without destroying buildings or flora (plants).

I hesitate to correct you on this because it sounds like this is a deeply held belief. I am not sure where you are getting your information... but it is inaccurate, greatly exaggerated and worst of all it just makes you sound silly.

Neutron radiation has no electrical charge and the particles vary in size... so shielding does create some interesting challenges. Effective shielding generally requires a composite structure with elements of both high and low atomic numbers. But neutron radiation does not penetrate to the core of the earth and underground shelters can still be effective. It also does not vaporize animals while leaving plants intact.

I am not a nuclear scientist but for years I was one of the leaders of a big city hazmat team and we spent a great deal of time studying nuclear threats. You should go ahead and do a little more research... and probably not on the websites that gave you this phony information.

155 posted on 02/19/2015 10:18:30 AM PST by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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To: fireman15
Actually I got it from my late father in law who was a nuclear physicist and used to run a nuclear power plant down here in Florida until his retirement. He once got in to see Stephen Hawking without an appointment while visiting in London. This guy also knew Teller and Oppenheimer. He was a WWII ace who dropped 18 Zeroes in the Pacific and got himself the Navy Cross. When he passed the marines provided a PLATOON Honor Guard led by a major and almost got him an FA18 flyover of the tiny little cemetery in Lake City, FL. Exigencies of the war prevented that, though.

When I attended the Nuclear Biological and Chemical Warfare school during my time as an officer on active duty, we never were briefed on this weapon, we concentrated on chemicals and the aftermath of nuke strikes, like Effective Downwind Drift and RAD absorption, etc. But I kinda sorta do trust what the old guy said, although I do know that as he entered his late 80's he was a little bit um scattered in his memories and knowledge base. His degree was an SC.D which is actually higher than a PH.D The latter has coursework that includes Philosophy and Humanities while the first is all science and math.

156 posted on 02/19/2015 11:58:34 AM PST by ExSoldier (Stand up and be counted... OR LINE UP AND BE NUMBERED...)
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To: fireman15

Sorry I had a typo in my response; I said, “Neutron radiation has no electrical charge and the particles vary in size.” It should have said that the particles vary in “intensity”. The other challenge with neutron radiation is that many materials emit gamma radiation when struck by high energy neutrons. Depending on the moisture content concrete can form an effective shield.


157 posted on 02/19/2015 12:00:11 PM PST by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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