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f nuclear explosion (Click here to reply)
Thu Dec 16 01:03:20 EST 1999 , sue (skydog@bresnanlink.net)
how would a nuclear explosion work in space?
Posted from duluth1.bresnanlink.net.

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1 (Click here to reply) Sun Jan 2 14:50:16 EST 2000 , Karl Johanson (karljohanson@home.com)

On Thu Dec 16 01:03:20 EST 1999, sue said:
>how would a nuclear explosion work in space?

Hmmm. First of all, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy aren't the same thing.

However. A nuclear bomb in space wouldn't produce a "mushroom cloud" as it does on Earth. The mushroom cloud are due to the atmosphere & gravity (there is gravity fields in space of course, but the bomb would be in free fall). TYhe blast would be spherical unless the bomb was designed to push materials in a certain direction.

The "Orion" space ship concept involves using small atomic explosives to push against a large "pusher plate" which has a large shock absorber attached to a very large space ship. Some estimate are that using very efficient nuclkear charges one could put materials into orbit with less polution than with standard rockets (as the payload per flight would be so hi). This likely won't happen any time soon as EMPs (Electro Magnetic Pulses) from the weapons wouldn't be good for the electronic components in near by satilites.

Orion is worth reading up on. There was plans for maaned explorarion of Saturns moon in the 70's using such a craft.
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f	nuclear explosion (Click here to reply)	Thu Dec 16 01:03:20 EST 1999 , sue (skydog@bresnanlink.net)
	how would a nuclear explosion work in space?
	Posted from duluth1.bresnanlink.net.

1	(Click here to reply)	Sun Jan 2 14:50:16 EST 2000 , Karl Johanson (karljohanson@home.com)
	On Thu Dec 16 01:03:20 EST 1999, sue said: >how would a nuclear explosion work in space? Hmmm. First of all, nuclear weapons and nuclear energy aren't the same thing. However. A nuclear bomb in space wouldn't produce a "mushroom cloud" as it does on Earth. The mushroom cloud are due to the atmosphere & gravity (there is gravity fields in space of course, but the bomb would be in free fall). TYhe blast would be spherical unless the bomb was designed to push materials in a certain direction. The "Orion" space ship concept involves using small atomic explosives to push against a large "pusher plate" which has a large shock absorber attached to a very large space ship. Some estimate are that using very efficient nuclkear charges one could put materials into orbit with less polution than with standard rockets (as the payload per flight would be so hi). This likely won't happen any time soon as EMPs (Electro Magnetic Pulses) from the weapons wouldn't be good for the electronic components in near by satilites. Orion is worth reading up on. There was plans for maaned explorarion of Saturns moon in the 70's using such a craft.
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