I am in no way pro nuclear weapons just the opposite I think they are horrible
but still it would be quite the experience of a life time to witness an above
ground nuclear blast. At a safe distance of course :-)

Marc Schimmler wrote:

> Ken wrote:
> >
> >   I have little to argue with your statements and did not mean to imply
> > that a mushroom cloud would be absent in a modern weapon. Quite contrary
> > to that I would think the effeciency of the modern versions would create
> > a more unifom shape than the earlier types. The majority of nukes in the
> > modern US arsenal are no where near as radioactive as the earlier types
> > due to the effeciency at which they consume the radioactive isotopes
> > during detonation.
> >   My father worked in the military aerospace and weapons industry his
> > whole life and there were a couple of underground tests that he was
> > invoved with. His presence was needed to set up and monitor special
> > blast hardened electronics equipment that was exposed to the shock
> > wave of the blast.
> >   He mentioned one time that they were allowed back into the tunnels
> > within two hours of the blast to retrive their equipment and needed
> > no protective equipment to do so. The delay was needed so the surfaces
> > of the tunnels could cool enough to be entered. He also mentioned that
> > while it was safe to go in afterwards, the equipment that they went to
> > retrieve had fused itself into the rock floor of the tunnel. They were
> > forced to use pry bars to remove it from the rock as a good 1/4 inch
> > or so of the rock surface had turned into a glass carbonaceous like
> > substance. Anyway knowing that they can control the radioactive after
> > effects to that high degree of precision I see no reason that they
> > can't design them to have a nice, pretty, and well behaved mushroom
> > cloud too.
> >
>
> I think the beauty of the cloud has never been a primary development
> target! :-)
>
> The behaviour of the cloud depends on so many factors like the
> environment under the blast area or in the case of ground fusing the
> shape of the surroundings that the design of the weapon is only
> secondary.
>
> Well I hope that I never have the chance to see this kind of clound in
> real. For the simulation your cloud is more than sufficient! <g>
>
> --
> Marc Schimmler

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