This is in the context of the Reliable Replacement Weapon (RRW) debate and the international test ban treaty.
If not today, wouldn't the economics only get better? Perhaps it would make economic sense in 20 years?
We'd test the nukes in deep space, so the effects on Earth would be negligible.
Aside from cost (which I'm not sure of), the biggest issue would be safety -- what if it blew up on the launch pad or, even worse, veered off course and then blew up?
My thoughts: first, launch it from as remote a location as possible; second, design a highly reliable system that would not be armed until safely away from Earth (e.g. keep the sub-critical masses of fissile material well apart, with a physical barrier in between).
Is this a ridiculous idea?
2006-07-08
21:46:23
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16 answers
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asked by
pfisher
1