What's Being Done About Nuclear Security

KrisCowboy writes "Wired.com has an interesting article about Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's speech about the defensive measures being taken at the Nuclear Energy warehouses. 'Atomic storehouses, vulnerable to terrorist attack, will be emptied of their radioactive loads,' he promises. Keeping in mind the recent Slashdot story about a Hafnium bomb, more security measures are needed, and fast."

Comments

Hafnium bombs? You're worried about hafnium bombs?

[Behrooz]

Keeping in mind the recent Slashdot story about a Hafnium bomb, more security measures are needed, and fast

Talk about going off-topic. Isotope bombs, which are not even feasible at this point and require a pretty massive technological base to even think about playing with, really aren't what we should be worried about regarding storage of nuclear research materials. In fact, I'd say the nuclear materials and research inside the US are probably better locked-down than just about anywhere else.

Hell, the most-likely nuclear terrorism scenario in my estimation is someone purchasing a radiation-therapy machine and randomly zapping people with lethal doses from inside a truck-mounted setup. Given a cool million to purchase some used medical equipment, you don't even need to try to steal nuclear material from federal facilities.

Re:Whatever

[AKAImBatman]

But it could blow up on the way there! Remeber Challenger?

1. Challenger was not carrying nuclear materials.
2. Depleted nuclear materials cannot blow up.
3. Non depleted fissionable materials cannot blow up without being packed inside a traditional explosive.
4. Fissionable materials are stored in neutron inhibiting material to prevent fission.
5. Accidental fission results in lots of heat and radiation. No boom.
6. Old style reactors could experience boiler explosions. (e.g. Chernobyl) This is on the order of an industrial disaster rather than a nuclear bomb.
7. Fission bombs need to be carefully shaped and triggered by explosives to blow up.
8. Fusion bombs (e.g. H-Bombs) require a fission bomb + a closed neutron reflector + a container of hydrogen/tritium. Remove any of these and fusion cannot occur.

Any questions?