Nukes and Quakes

[Whack-a-Mole]

@Tom_Tildrum

It’s likely enough that they created an acronym for it.

Not saying you were suggesting it but to be clear a nuclear power plant cannot blow up like a nuclear bomb.

That is not to say they can’t cause a mess but the big boom is not in the cards for them. The physics are all wrong. Couldn’t make it do that if you tried.

[ramel]

There was one case where the rocket a nuclear warhead was on exploded, propelling the warhead half a mile away where it crashed to the ground. No detonation.

[Whack-a-Mole]

@ramel

There was one case where the rocket a nuclear warhead was on exploded, propelling the warhead half a mile away where it crashed to the ground. No detonation.

A good nuclear explosion needs a bunch of things to go exactly right. And by exactly I mean insanely exactly.

Any part of that insanely exactly process messes up and you either get a fizzle (low yield nuke) or nothing at all. (Depends how it fucks up and it is not hard for it to fuck up…these things have serious precision to work.)

[Sailboat]

@Whack-a-Mole

Nuclear bombs are not like conventional bombs. You could stand there and pound on it with a sledgehammer and it won’t go off.

@Whack-a-Mole

I should note that in the case of the accident in Spain two of the four bombs had their conventional explosives detonate. This did not result in a nuclear detonation but did make them the first dirty bombs and contaminated the area.

Too bad for the guy with the sledgehammer, eh?

[Sailboat]

@xtisme

As far as I know, the nuclear weapons aren’t even armed when they are sitting in their silos, so it would be impossible to trigger them unless someone armed them first.

Concur.

@Gray_Ghost

Now, in earthquake country, e.g. LLNL, I would make sure any pits or cores or other fissionable material, were stored in earthquake-resistant cradles, to prevent any inadvertent criticality accidents.

Seismic safety is heavily emphasized in the defense nuclear complex.

[Cheshire_Human]

@Romeo_and_Whatsherface

Oh, I was banking on it being stupid enough to draw that highly coveted 12-15-year old audience. I just figured if it was so incredibly stupid that even some sugar-hyped 12-year-old would be yelling, “Aw, THAT couldn’t happen!” through a mouthful of Skittles, I might have trouble getting it past the suits at Paramount…Wait. What am I saying? Those are the suits at Paramount!

I stand corrected. Thanks.

Best of luck on your new movie career!