4 ms·

A truck driver uncovers secrets about the first nuclear bombs

132 points by 3eto 6y ago

bombcar 6y ago
Direct link to the spiral bound copy on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0006S2AJ0 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0006S2AJ0 He binds and ships them himself as far as I can tell.
macintux 6y ago
(2008)
cuspycode 6y ago
If you don't like nagging subscription popups, here is a popup-free summary of the truck driver's story: https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/john-coster-mullen https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/john-coster-mullen
- tyingq 6y ago
  A fairly lengthy interview transcript here: https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-coster-mullens-interview https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-c...
- dwd 6y ago
  Try Reader View in Firefox for reading the text uninterrupted.
  - Kye 6y ago
    I think Chrome is the only browser left without a reader view.
    - scoopertrooper 6y ago
      chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode
      - Kye 6y ago
        A way to enable a reader mode has come and gone over the years, always "in testing." That's not the same as a first class feature, and it's clear they have no intention of making it available by default. Defaults matter. In case you doubt this, here's an article from 2014 on how to enable the perpetually newly-added hidden reader mode: https://lifehacker.com/enable-the-new-hidden-reader-mode-in-chrome-for-andro-1666469700 https://lifehacker.com/enable-the-new-hidden-reader-mode-in-...
Animats 6y ago
(2008)
akavel 6y ago
The "simplicity of the Bomb" phrase reminded me of the story of the Demon Core: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core For me, it shows how hard it is to internalize dangers of a technology one is working with daily. How hard it is to trade convenience for security.
phkahler 6y ago
>> Fat Man used explosives to squeeze together two hemispheres of plutonium. I thought the plutonium core was one piece and the explosives compressed it, making the same mass critical due to increased density.
- nradov 6y ago
  The plutonium cores were machined as hemispheres because they had to put an initiator in the center.
  - gonesilent 6y ago
    Also to prevent criticality problems when moving them.
    - ChrisTheBore 6y ago
      And to prevent criticality problems while manufacturing them. You're machining a perfectly spherical plutonium core out of a LARGER chunk of plutonium.
    - redis_mlc 6y ago
      This is correct. There were squib explosions in various assembly and disassembly buildings when too many pits were put on the same cart. One I read about destroyed an entire building, plus damaged the buildings on either side. A worker noticed a blue glow beforehand, and I think all the workers were able to run far enough away to survive the explosion(s).
- Maursault 6y ago
  > I thought the plutonium core was one piece... While other responses have explained it was not, I thought I should point out that any sphere, even if a single piece, will always have at least two hemispheres, iow, a sphere having two hemispheres does not imply it is more than one piece. When you leaned of the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres, did you wonder if it was more than one piece?
creato 6y ago
> In the standard historical accounts, the way that the bomb’s gun mechanism worked was by shooting a cylindrical “male” uranium projectile into a concave, stationary uranium target. This act of atomic coitus created a mass sufficient to produce a critical reaction. The mass of the projectile was said to be 38.5 kilograms, and the mass of the target was said to be 25.6 kilograms. But no matter how many times Coster-Mullen did the math the numbers never quite worked out in a way that allowed the projectile and the target to fit inside the gun barrel while remaining subcritical. > The source of the error, Coster-Mullen recognized, was an assumption that every (male) researcher who studied the subject had made about the relation between projectile and target. These scholars had apparently been unable to conceive of an arrangement other than a “missionary position” bomb, in which a solid male projectile penetrated a vessel-like female target. But Coster-Mullen realized that a female-superior arrangement—in which a hollow projectile slammed down on top of a stationary cylinder of highly enriched uranium—yielded the correct size and mass. Does anyone understand what point is being made here? I don't understand how which piece is the projectile would make a difference in the overall size/geometry. All else equal, I would think it would be easier if the lighter, simpler piece were the projectile. Accelerating a cone/cylinder without breaking/damaging it seems a lot easier than accelerating the complementary shape. Then again, I'm male, so I guess I'm just not capable of imagining the "female superior" design...
- mguerville 6y ago
  I think it means the female stationary object being impacted by a thrusting male object was an inferior design to the male stationary version being rapidly sheathed by a female apparatus in terms of consistency of the force of impact. But not sure it explains why.
- ChrisTheBore 6y ago
  >Does anyone understand what point is being made here? A cylindrical barrel is being fit over a fixed centre pin, rather than a pin inserted into a barrel. Makes sense when you realise that the moving component is inside of a similarly cylindrical bomb casing and that no fancy and complicated sabot and/or rail arrangement are required to keep it aligned and centered with the fixed pin. Most DC charging plugs work the same way for the same reason.
hoten 6y ago
Can anyone locate the photo from Gene Smith he mentioned towards the end?
ChuckMcM 6y ago
I got this guy's "book" off Amazon back when he was taking them to Kinko's to be printed up. His is a fairly remarkable story of curiosity which I have always enjoyed. He even signed it for me. What is not often pointed out is that he managed to reason his way into understanding to various points, and the process of doing so revealed information that is otherwise still classified. As a teen in Las Vegas in the 70's we could "feel" the underground tests, and I was always fascinated by the test site. I even managed to snag a summer internship there (inadvertently[1]) when I was in college. I know folks who worked at Sandia and Lawrence Livermore who found the book fairly remarkable. [1] The job offer was for the contractor facility in Las Vegas but my clearance had not come through so they bused me to an unclassified facility at the test site to do the work.
- yummypaint 6y ago
  There is significant amounts of classified information already available publicly in documentaries etc. This is readily acknowledged by people at the labs who Ive chatted with, though I didnt push to probe specifics. Much of the secret sauce at the time (knowing the cross sections for various processes, reflecting neutrons etc) that enabled the design of working weapons is all well understood and publicly known now and unclassified. Other than the artisanship needed to make the high explosives do what you want, the only meaningful barier is enrichment.
  - ChuckMcM 6y ago
    The interesting part for me, per the nondisclosure and federal law, is that there can be classified information "out there" but that doesn't declassify it! It isn't like technology NDAs where, if you have signed one, you can talk about the secret sauce if it gets disclosed through no fault of your own. Not so with the US Government! For example, even if "everyone" knows how fast an SR-71 can fly, that number is still classified. And if you have a clearance you can't talk about it because it is classified and you know its classified. So it is illegal for you to talk about its top speed. This is another good reason to avoid getting a government clearance if it can be avoided.

132 points by 3eto 6y ago

Direct link to the spiral bound copy on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0006S2AJ0 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0006S2AJ0 He binds and ships them himself as far as I can tell.

macintux 6y ago

(2008)

cuspycode 6y ago

If you don't like nagging subscription popups, here is a popup-free summary of the truck driver's story: https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/john-coster-mullen https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/john-coster-mullen

tyingq 6y ago
A fairly lengthy interview transcript here: https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-coster-mullens-interview https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/john-c...
dwd 6y ago
Try Reader View in Firefox for reading the text uninterrupted.
- Kye 6y ago
  I think Chrome is the only browser left without a reader view.
  - scoopertrooper 6y ago
    chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode
    - Kye 6y ago
      A way to enable a reader mode has come and gone over the years, always "in testing." That's not the same as a first class feature, and it's clear they have no intention of making it available by default. Defaults matter. In case you doubt this, here's an article from 2014 on how to enable the perpetually newly-added hidden reader mode: https://lifehacker.com/enable-the-new-hidden-reader-mode-in-chrome-for-andro-1666469700 https://lifehacker.com/enable-the-new-hidden-reader-mode-in-...

Animats 6y ago

(2008)

akavel 6y ago

The "simplicity of the Bomb" phrase reminded me of the story of the Demon Core: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core For me, it shows how hard it is to internalize dangers of a technology one is working with daily. How hard it is to trade convenience for security.

phkahler 6y ago

>> Fat Man used explosives to squeeze together two hemispheres of plutonium. I thought the plutonium core was one piece and the explosives compressed it, making the same mass critical due to increased density.

nradov 6y ago
The plutonium cores were machined as hemispheres because they had to put an initiator in the center.
- gonesilent 6y ago
  Also to prevent criticality problems when moving them.
  - ChrisTheBore 6y ago
    And to prevent criticality problems while manufacturing them. You're machining a perfectly spherical plutonium core out of a LARGER chunk of plutonium.
  - redis_mlc 6y ago
    This is correct. There were squib explosions in various assembly and disassembly buildings when too many pits were put on the same cart. One I read about destroyed an entire building, plus damaged the buildings on either side. A worker noticed a blue glow beforehand, and I think all the workers were able to run far enough away to survive the explosion(s).
Maursault 6y ago
> I thought the plutonium core was one piece... While other responses have explained it was not, I thought I should point out that any sphere, even if a single piece, will always have at least two hemispheres, iow, a sphere having two hemispheres does not imply it is more than one piece. When you leaned of the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres, did you wonder if it was more than one piece?

creato 6y ago

> In the standard historical accounts, the way that the bomb’s gun mechanism worked was by shooting a cylindrical “male” uranium projectile into a concave, stationary uranium target. This act of atomic coitus created a mass sufficient to produce a critical reaction. The mass of the projectile was said to be 38.5 kilograms, and the mass of the target was said to be 25.6 kilograms. But no matter how many times Coster-Mullen did the math the numbers never quite worked out in a way that allowed the projectile and the target to fit inside the gun barrel while remaining subcritical. > The source of the error, Coster-Mullen recognized, was an assumption that every (male) researcher who studied the subject had made about the relation between projectile and target. These scholars had apparently been unable to conceive of an arrangement other than a “missionary position” bomb, in which a solid male projectile penetrated a vessel-like female target. But Coster-Mullen realized that a female-superior arrangement—in which a hollow projectile slammed down on top of a stationary cylinder of highly enriched uranium—yielded the correct size and mass. Does anyone understand what point is being made here? I don't understand how which piece is the projectile would make a difference in the overall size/geometry. All else equal, I would think it would be easier if the lighter, simpler piece were the projectile. Accelerating a cone/cylinder without breaking/damaging it seems a lot easier than accelerating the complementary shape. Then again, I'm male, so I guess I'm just not capable of imagining the "female superior" design...

mguerville 6y ago
I think it means the female stationary object being impacted by a thrusting male object was an inferior design to the male stationary version being rapidly sheathed by a female apparatus in terms of consistency of the force of impact. But not sure it explains why.
ChrisTheBore 6y ago
>Does anyone understand what point is being made here? A cylindrical barrel is being fit over a fixed centre pin, rather than a pin inserted into a barrel. Makes sense when you realise that the moving component is inside of a similarly cylindrical bomb casing and that no fancy and complicated sabot and/or rail arrangement are required to keep it aligned and centered with the fixed pin. Most DC charging plugs work the same way for the same reason.

hoten 6y ago

Can anyone locate the photo from Gene Smith he mentioned towards the end?

ChuckMcM 6y ago

I got this guy's "book" off Amazon back when he was taking them to Kinko's to be printed up. His is a fairly remarkable story of curiosity which I have always enjoyed. He even signed it for me. What is not often pointed out is that he managed to reason his way into understanding to various points, and the process of doing so revealed information that is otherwise still classified. As a teen in Las Vegas in the 70's we could "feel" the underground tests, and I was always fascinated by the test site. I even managed to snag a summer internship there (inadvertently[1]) when I was in college. I know folks who worked at Sandia and Lawrence Livermore who found the book fairly remarkable. [1] The job offer was for the contractor facility in Las Vegas but my clearance had not come through so they bused me to an unclassified facility at the test site to do the work.

yummypaint 6y ago
There is significant amounts of classified information already available publicly in documentaries etc. This is readily acknowledged by people at the labs who Ive chatted with, though I didnt push to probe specifics. Much of the secret sauce at the time (knowing the cross sections for various processes, reflecting neutrons etc) that enabled the design of working weapons is all well understood and publicly known now and unclassified. Other than the artisanship needed to make the high explosives do what you want, the only meaningful barier is enrichment.
- ChuckMcM 6y ago
  The interesting part for me, per the nondisclosure and federal law, is that there can be classified information "out there" but that doesn't declassify it! It isn't like technology NDAs where, if you have signed one, you can talk about the secret sauce if it gets disclosed through no fault of your own. Not so with the US Government! For example, even if "everyone" knows how fast an SR-71 can fly, that number is still classified. And if you have a clearance you can't talk about it because it is classified and you know its classified. So it is illegal for you to talk about its top speed. This is another good reason to avoid getting a government clearance if it can be avoided.