Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Richard Rhodes wrote two books about nuclear weapons.
The first, The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a great telling of history focused on the A-bomb and on World War II development. It won the Pulitzer Prize. Well deserved.
His sequel book, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb is not as good of a narrative as is his previous book, but it has no less impact.
One of the important stories in the book is of the Castle Bravo test, which ran away by three times over expectations -- instead of 5 Megatons, it was 15 Megatons -- and exposed many to huge radiation exposure, including Japanese fishermen who happened to be fishing downwind, and many observers who were assumed were safe.
The physicists missed an important cross section, atoms that would fuse given enough energy, thus adding to the weapon's calculated energy release. They missed by a factor of three. And people died.
Rhodes's books are awesome. Highly recommended.
R&K
The first, The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a great telling of history focused on the A-bomb and on World War II development. It won the Pulitzer Prize. Well deserved.
His sequel book, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb is not as good of a narrative as is his previous book, but it has no less impact.
One of the important stories in the book is of the Castle Bravo test, which ran away by three times over expectations -- instead of 5 Megatons, it was 15 Megatons -- and exposed many to huge radiation exposure, including Japanese fishermen who happened to be fishing downwind, and many observers who were assumed were safe.
The physicists missed an important cross section, atoms that would fuse given enough energy, thus adding to the weapon's calculated energy release. They missed by a factor of three. And people died.
Rhodes's books are awesome. Highly recommended.
R&K
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
37 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read