this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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You know, something I always wondered was what would have happened if the core was allowed to stay in Prompt Critical configuration?
The design provided the extreme rate of fission at T=0, which in a bomb is when it gets compressed (the density increases). But that density is relatively uniform, the demon core didn't change properties.
Normally I'd suspect it would just melt, but since it was in a neutron reflector, it should increase the rate of fission as T>0. Hence the chain reaction.
Ask the goddamn Russians.
Because if anyone's going to have a worse version of an American nuclear mishap, it's the Russians.
Jeez. Talk about an area denial weapon. That's horrifying. Just massive deadly glowing sphere of doom that's both too energetic and not energetic enough to stop the chain reaction. That's incredible.
"Try making this situation anything but worse."
I'm surprised they had a robot radiation hardened enough to actually try. I've got to look up what they did. The whole room it was in was a neutron reflector, the robot would be, and the interference would be crazy from the decay products.
Wonder what they would have done if the robot couldn't do it.
It's not like this was the first time, such a situation came up. And it's not like we have to guess what plan B looks like.
I think at that point you have to get someone to volunteer as tribute...
Fuuuuuuuck yes, a playlist to binge.
Thank you so much, this series looks awesome, I can't wait to binge it
Going to warn you, a couple of the orphaned source stories are...not wonderful.
Reading investigation the IAEA did on the Sarov guy, it sounds like he didn't die painfully. It would have fucking sucked, but the only pain he described was a headache and when they physically examined him in a few places.
He died of heart failure, but they were unable to tell what that really meant, the cell structure of everything in his body had been destroyed.
You know, somehow I'm convinced his last 66 hours really sucked. I think I'm going to remain convinced of that.
Also, in the comment you replied to, I wasn't referring to the Sarov video or the several stories like it. An orphaned source is some amount of radioactive material that has been misplaced or abandoned by those that should have been responsible for it. Tragedy strikes when innocent people stumble across it and are then injured or killed. The Goiânia incident is a particularly gut wrenching story.
Oh yeah, no I caught that.
That's just my brain said it would make sense to bring it up.