4 ms·

"[...]the humidity in the room, which had to be critically maintained at 60 percent — deviation either way could have resulted in an explosion large enough to d

by shabble 15y ago

"[...]the humidity in the room, which had to be critically maintained at 60 percent — deviation either way could have resulted in an explosion large enough to destroy the entire base, not to mention the mountain that housed it and much of the surrounding area." I'm going to assume that anything large enough to destroy the surrounding mountain would require at least one of the missiles/warheads to go (thermo-)nuclear. But my understanding is that actually achieving the Big Bang is really rather difficult to do intentionally, let alone by accident - at worst you have a few kton fizzle. So how is a small change in humidity able to trigger one or more of these weapons? (And, if one did successfully trigger, is it possible that it could daisy-chain the rest, or would they be torn apart before achieving supercritical geometry?) Then again, I guess it's maybe possible that the supplies of conventional munitions and maybe nasty missile/rocket propellants could do some major damage, but a whole mountain?

quacker 15y ago
That part struck me as embellished writing (or perhaps the tour guide exaggerated that point). I hardly know a thing about the sensitivity of explosive weapons, but consider the importance the Soviets placed on secrecy. If there was such a danger, I can't imagine them working so hard to construct the place in near-total obscurity, and subsequently relegating the safety of up to six submarines and up to 3000 people to the accuracy of a single hair. Although, having looked it up now, hair-tension hygrometers could be a bit more accurate than what I initially guessed, though there are more accurate alternatives.
- ChuckMcM 15y ago
  I agree the writing was probably embellished but the challenge of low humidity is static charge. I suspect the threat was more that a static discharge would disable the weapon (it wouldn't actually work) rather than to cause it to spontaneously explode. ESD damage is a scourge in all weapon plants.
philipithomas 15y ago
Can someone explain how the 'hair' monitors humidity?

by shabble 15y ago

quacker 15y ago

That part struck me as embellished writing (or perhaps the tour guide exaggerated that point). I hardly know a thing about the sensitivity of explosive weapons, but consider the importance the Soviets placed on secrecy. If there was such a danger, I can't imagine them working so hard to construct the place in near-total obscurity, and subsequently relegating the safety of up to six submarines and up to 3000 people to the accuracy of a single hair. Although, having looked it up now, hair-tension hygrometers could be a bit more accurate than what I initially guessed, though there are more accurate alternatives.

ChuckMcM 15y ago
I agree the writing was probably embellished but the challenge of low humidity is static charge. I suspect the threat was more that a static discharge would disable the weapon (it wouldn't actually work) rather than to cause it to spontaneously explode. ESD damage is a scourge in all weapon plants.

philipithomas 15y ago

Can someone explain how the 'hair' monitors humidity?