Stupid nuclear weapon questions thread

First of all that doesn't even make physical fucking sense

Second of all, most (read: all) nuclear warheads are loaded down with computer systems and sensors that tell it exactly if and when to detonate. Actually triggering a nuclear explosion requires a very specifically timed and metered series of micro-detonation in order to start the fission domino effect - even if a missile did just slam full retard into the mountains somewhere and explode, the damage and fallout would be minimal and there would be absolutely no risk of a nuclear explosion.

>>32920517
>a very specifically timed and metered series of micro-detonation
Anon, wat? Nuclear warheads use a two point implosion system that requires nano-second simultaneous detonation to produce a critical mass and nuclear yield.

>>32920709
That's just a more accurately termed version of what I just said, anon.
Had to dumb it down a lot for OP because he seems like the kind of guy that won't read books with no pictures.

>>32920724
Fair enough.

>>32920477

https://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/icbm/r-36o.htm

The Soviets developed something like it. The warheads didn't make a complete orbit though. OTOH, if you can put the warhead into orbit, you can probably build the warhead to come down and go boom when you want it to.

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>>32920477

It is possible. Look up FOBS (fractional orbital bombardment system).

They are banned by arms control treaties, though, because a weapon that can evade early warning systems like that is inherently destabilizing.

No, they don't have enough fuel to make a orbit. Read some shit or play Kerbal Space Program to learn about that shit.

You're right, that was a stupid question.

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A typical ICBM wouldn't have enough fuel to cruise like that and isn't designed to propel the warhead into orbit like that. ICBM fly up at an angle then lob the warhead the rest of the way. Orbit requires much more power. Pic related

>>32920477
>Stupid nuclear weapon questions thread
is the difference from a regular nuke thread in that they are questions and not statements?

I have a nuke question or two...
Whats the amount of time after a strike to atop taking iodine pills? Two weeks 2 months? if the pills I bought say one a day for an adult, how much of one should I feed a 4 year old girl , like a 1/4 of one?
I dont have fear of a direct hit in my town, but about 2 hour drive from fallon air force base , which I assume to be a target.

How far up from a target do you think nukes blow, Im guessing its not actually ground level unless your trying to penetrate the target?

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>>32920975
it's two weeks until the air clears but the fallout would probably contaminate rivers and shit

i don't know if you still need to take iodine pills during the 2 week wait if you're in a shelter or an inner room protected from the wind

if a nuclear war happened i would just kill myself. it's a totally different world when there's no law and order mixed with no hope. there's no written record for a situation that bad even in africa. in the current world it's the people with PhDs and artistic talent who thrive, in that world it's sadists and i don't want to come across them when there's no police to deter them

>>32921705
Pussy

>>32920477

Accidentally? No. If someone would be stupid enough to do so and have access to nuclear weapons system on all levels, it could be done on purpose.

>>32920477
No. ICBM's are limited by treaty to not be able to "cruise" in space (See R-36O, and SALT).

Ergo when engineers design them the ballistic arc is never high enough to enter LEO.

>>32920477
>Is it possible for a nuclear missile to go full retard and up orbiting like the space station for months then re-entering at a random spot on earth and still detonate?

No.

>>32920709
>Nuclear warheads use a two point implosion system that requires nano-second simultaneous detonation to produce a critical mass and nuclear yield.
Depends on the design.
The vast majority of Primaries use multi point detonation

>>32920975
>Whats the amount of time after a strike to atop taking iodine pills? Two weeks 2 months? if the pills I bought say one a day for an adult, how much of one should I feed a 4 year old girl , like a 1/4 of one?
Iodine pills wont really help you in the short term. They are a long term aid designed to help people living in areas where the residual radiation level is still 'high' after an exchange.
The issue here is that the fallout will never really go away, but it will fall to levels where its long term effects are the primary worry, rather than ARS.
Iodine pills are for people who need to live/work in areas where the radiation has fallen to levels where you can live for 30 years, but your chances of cancer, cataracts etc are vastly increased. The Iodine will help keep accumulation of radioactive iodine out of your Thyroid, but it wont stop you from any other effects from living in an area where you need them.

>I dont have fear of a direct hit in my town, but about 2 hour drive from fallon air force base , which I assume to be a target.
Fallon isn't really a likely target, but you would have some concerns about fallout from isolated surface bursts in CA, and possibly WA if the winds are right.
Nothing short term probably.
>How far up from a target do you think nukes blow, Im guessing its not actually ground level unless your trying to penetrate the target?
Depends on the effect you want to maximize, and that depends on your target.
If you are just hitting an urban area with the intent to kill and destroy, you will probably maximize for 5 to 7 psi.
If you are trying to hit an industrial target, you might go for 10 psi.
For a 550 kt warhead, that about 8500 ft AGL for 5 psi and about 6000 ft AGL for 10 psi.

>>32921705
>it's two weeks until the air clears but the fallout would probably contaminate rivers and shit
Rivers are really hard to permanently contaminate. Any fallout would wash out in a few rain storms.

>i don't know if you still need to take iodine pills during the 2 week wait if you're in a shelter or an inner room protected from the wind
Wouldn't hurt.

>if a nuclear war happened i would just kill myself. it's a totally different world when there's no law and order mixed with no hope. there's no written record for a situation that bad even in africa. in the current world it's the people with PhDs and artistic talent who thrive, in that world it's sadists and i don't want to come across them when there's no police to deter them

Collapse of the Western Roman Empire is probably pretty close.

>>32920477
No, ICBMs do not have the ability to put something into anything resembling a stable orbit.

So here's a question: while the sort of hugeass rocket launches that among other things characterize the deployment of a nuclear weapon are detectable and thus pretty much the moment where any and all retaliation will begin and kinda render this hypothetical scenario moot... is there a plan for a situation in which a nuclear bomb is live but fails to detonate, not even so much as a fizzle?

What's the disposal plan for unexploded nuclear materiel?

>>32923240
>while the sort of hugeass rocket launches that among other things characterize the deployment of a nuclear weapon are detectable and thus pretty much the moment where any and all retaliation will begin and kinda render this hypothetical scenario moot... is there a plan for a situation in which a nuclear bomb is live but fails to detonate, not even so much as a fizzle?
>What's the disposal plan for unexploded nuclear materiel?
Any warhead/bomb that fails to detonate would be more than likely scattered into thousands or hundreds of thousands of pieces.

In the unlikely event of an intact weapons or semi intact weapon existing, the US has NEST teams, Russia has something similar.

stop talking about nuke plz its making me scared and feeling unsecured.

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>>32920477
as in have it in controlled orbit on purpose, or the missile just fuck up and make itself orbit? because that's not how space works.
>tfw cant post really pretty megasize colorized castle bravo pic because its over 4mb

>>32923275
i wouldn't worry about it anon. there's really nothing you can do other than fallout preparedness.

>>32921705
>in that world it's sadists and i don't want to come across them when there's no police to deter them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w61HI9ewCo

>>32923065
Thank you for real info.

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>mfw I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

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>>32923355
>tfw cant post really pretty megasize colorized castle bravo pic because its over 4mb
please post them on mega or some shit!

>>32923355
What about the underwater pressurewave of this nuke ?

>>32925362
what about it anon.

>>32920477
Not US Minuteman III's, they use a combination of accelerometers and GPS in their targetting parameters.

>>32925573
>gps
?

>>32925591
Global positioning system.

>>32925573
>>32925591
>>32925606
None of the RVs in use on the Minuteman missile use GPS.

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>>32920477
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_Orbital_Bombardment_System
It is.

>>32925516
How lethal would it be compared to the aerial pressure wave ? Since water is denser and stuffs

>>32923081
>Collapse of the Western Roman Empire is probably pretty close.
Except that happened rather gradually over close to a century. The rapidity of nuclear war is the primary concern.

I've got a question. Say a rogue general is able to launch an ICBM at Madagascar or some other minor non -nuclear country (so no MAD scenario). I realise this scenario is highly unlikely if not impossible, but let's just assume for reasons that it can happen. What would be the best way to stop it?

Would the detonate it at high altitude or redirect it away from all populated areas? Also lets say they regain control of it too late to redirect it, would they just deactivate the warhead andworry about cleanup in whatever city it lands in?

>>32926513
Its apples and oranges.

In water the wave could kill subs for miles, and you dont even wanna know what it did to marine life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_factor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_explosion#Effects

I live in Fargo. Worst case scenario, how long will I have before fallout from Minot gets here?

>>32926593
The overall effect is probably the same.
It may have taken Europe longer to get there, but they got there.

>>32928032
>Say a rogue general is able to launch an ICBM at Madagascar or some other minor non -nuclear country (so no MAD scenario). I realise this scenario is highly unlikely if not impossible, but let's just assume for reasons that it can happen. What would be the best way to stop it?
Nothing anyone would do.

>Would the detonate it at high altitude or redirect it away from all populated areas?
Probably not enough time to get a nuclear warhead near it, even if they had a ready made delivery system in range. (They dont)

>Also lets say they regain control of it too late to redirect it, would they just deactivate the warhead andworry about cleanup in whatever city it lands in?
You can't regain control of an ICBM. Once its launched, its on its way.

>>32920477
Not sure what you mean by full retard.
It's possible to put a nuke in space and just let it orbit until you want it dropped. Yes. That's why Sputnik scared the shit out of the US.

>>32921705
I wouldn't kill myself.
Erasing the world's most degenerate cities is a promising start to a new world.
The biggest problem I see isn't the nuclear blasts, but the destruction of so many of the world's nuclear power plants. A few hundred Chernobyls and Fukushimas will end us with a lot more certainty than a few thousand nuclear blasts.

>>32923240
If a nuke failed to detonate (at all) after reentry or air drop it would most likely be permanently lost in the earth or seabed.

>>32928108

You are about 230 miles away downwind. Worst case you have about 7 hours, though 10 hours is a more realistic, pessimistic, projection. Attempt to remain sheltered for at least 3 days, allowing the fallout to reach 1/100th the peak intensity.

>>32928177

Interesting, so they don't even have a self destruct or some sort of deactivation protocol to at least prevent a proper detonation?

>>32928032

The nuclear strike forces are designed so that no single person could actually launch one. With one exception.

President Donald J Trump could order up a nuclear strike all by himself. He is the only person in the system that could do this.

>>32928108
Not long. If it happened right this second, you would have about 2 hours.
Winds aloft in your area are currently about 100 mph.

>>32928683
Look at winds aloft. Surface winds are not a factor beyond local fallout.

>>32928744
He needs the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense.

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>>32928053
>Despite being in direct contact with a nuclear explosion, the water of the expanding bubble wall does not boil. This is because the pressure inside the bubble exceeds (by far) the vapor pressure of ocean water. The water touching the blast can only boil during contraction.

>>32928925
>2 hours

Well that ain't fucking long enough. I need to stock up on shit. Will heavy mil plastic sheeting keep fallout... Out... Or do I need something thicker and heavier?

>>32928731
>U.S. launches missiles.
>self destruct/deactivate password is "password"
>Russia has the password from hacked Clinton server.
>deactivates missiles and collects them at their leisure for examination.
>nukes Colorado anyway.
self destruct/remote deactivation is a stupid idea.

>>32930499
you need something thicker and heavier. like a basement lined with sandbags.

>>32930499
Sheeting works fine for fallout.

>>32930522
Hes asking about fallout. Not prompt radiation.

So why did the US retire the newer MX Peacekeeper and stick with the much older Minuteman?

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>>32921705
>it's a totally different world when there's no law and order

You should probably order the DVDs then, so you can watch them in your bunker

>>32931369
>So why did the US retire the newer MX Peacekeeper and stick with the much older Minuteman?

They were proving not as reliable as the MM3 and PKs were literally just stuffed into MM silos anyway. Also the US was in negotiations of a new START treaty (which was never signed by anybody) with the idea to limit MIRV missiles.

>>32930511

Well, this is a stupid nuclear weapon question thread after all.

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>>32932783

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>>32920709
Also it needs to release of Deuterium-Tritium gas into the hollow center of both pits in the primary and secondary a few seconds beforehand, as well as fire an array of neutron guns directly before detonation.

>>32928744

Wrong. The president needs the approval of the Sec. of Defense before launching a nuclear strike. Its a safeguard for if the president has a mental break or something.

>>32921705
>if a nuclear war happened i would just kill myself. it's a totally different world when there's no law and order mixed with no hope. there's no written record for a situation that bad even in africa. in the current world it's the people with PhDs and artistic talent who thrive, in that world it's sadists and i don't want to come across them when there's no police to deter them

Your fantasy is silly so you should steer into the skid and KYS early. If you have been influenced by fiction instead of history, you are fucking stupid.

SHTF isn't really interesting. It's boring and tedious nearly all the time as proven by SHTF globally, and there won't be a global nuclear war because the nuclear powers would not waste warheads on random unaffiliated civilians.

Most countries would not get hit.

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>>32934612
This is not how explosive lensing works, using air or otherwise.

>>32928925
>He needs the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense.

What if the SecDef is dead? Or does he always stay too close to the Pres? If SecDef is dead, there's no 'Wing Attack Plan R?'

>>32930499
Sheeting works to keep the fallout matter away, but it will do nothing against the high-energy gamma rays.

You need to be in a basement or something similar.

>>32938190
Then you go to the legal successor.

>>32938203
If you are close enough to get a good dose of gamma, radiological effects are the least of your worries.

>>32920477
Yes, it (the SS-18 "Satan") is capable of shoving a MT warhead into a FOBS (Fractional Orbital Bombardment System) orbit.

However, this scared the USA so much as it means the nukes could fall in from every any direction, and rendered all their early detection radars + ABM system useless.

As such, the USA in their nuclear weapons treaties with the USSR banned FOBS in return for a reduction in arsenal readiness.


Every other nuclear missiles is incapable of doing this, as they don't have the throw wait.

>>32934831
trump would do it anyway and worry about the consequences later.

its always better to ask for forgiveness than permission

>>32940016
Very little in this is accurate.

>>32940123
STRATCOM wont listen to the order without the SECDEF.

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>>32939876
>>32938203

just about any nuke the other side would throw puts you in the 3-5psi zone (for 50-100 rads) and not to mention the fried chicken zone where your house literally bursts into flames before the shock even hits

Radiation only becomes a realistic concern with tiny bomb yields such as hiroshima and tactical nukes, because then you can be close enough to get the rads and maybe survive the blast pressure in a basement (but the gamma will reach the basement no problem)

Stuff that is thrown by icbms and cruise missiles usually come in three flavors:
* 50 KT mirv
* 200-400KT dial a yield mirv
* 1-3 MT (very few of these would be used, only 3 warheads per missile)

All of these have a fuck you radius of about 5-10 miles and the gamma is only a problem in the "firey death and obliteration" radius, which is worse than the "fuck you" radius

FALLOUT is the radiation danger, and that depends on where the mushroom cloud gets blown.

Also pic related its EMP that will destroy your life even if you survive. Nothing electrical works anywhere.

They had problems with EMP fucking up Vegas back in the 50s even though the tests were being done way out in the desert. And those were shitty little 10-15 KT devices.

>>32940460
Very little of this is accurate.

>>32940130
Very little in this is accurate

I live in San Antonio, How fucked am I when the keys are turned?

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>>32920477
>Is it possible for a nuclear missile to go full retard and up orbiting like the space station for months
Not with the way they're normally configured. Not enough delta-V.

With a lighter payload, delta-V could be sufficient to reach orbit (see the R-7 Semyorka and SM-65 Atlas, and their early orbital derivatives), but it's not the sort of thing that's going to happen by accident.

>>32941839
Countdown city represent!! #210

>>32933109
Thank you bro.

>>32941500
I suppose you want me to make you look like an idiot?

>>32938203
Rules of thumb:

- 100% of radioactivity in the open
- 70% in a wooden building
- 40% in a brick&mortar building
- 5% in a concrete basement

>>32940016
>Yes, it (the SS-18 "Satan") is capable of shoving a MT warhead into a FOBS (Fractional Orbital Bombardment System) orbit.
This is technically true.

>However, this scared the USA so much as it means the nukes could fall in from every any direction, and rendered all their early detection radars + ABM system useless.
Incorrect.
The system that led to the banning of FOBS was the SS-9 or R-36ORB.

>As such, the USA in their nuclear weapons treaties with the USSR banned FOBS in return for a reduction in arsenal readiness.
There was no reduction in readiness.

>Every other nuclear missiles is incapable of doing this, as they don't have the throw wait.
The US can place warheads in orbit with existing systems.

>>32940016
>>32940016
>this scared the USA so much as it means the nukes could fall in from every any direction, and rendered all their early detection radars + ABM system useless
Also this is bullshit. US DSP could detect any launch.

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>>32920477
>Stupid nuclear weapon questions thread
How far can MIRVs spread out?

Are they restricted to cover a small area of kilometres? Can they spread across continents?

>>32942961
>How far can MIRVs spread out?
Depends.
You can extend range by sacrificing 'footprint'
In general, an oval no more than 100 km long, and 50 km wide.

>Are they restricted to cover a small area of kilometres?
Yes

>Can they spread across continents?
No

>>32930511
more likely they'd just call general flynn or have putin ask trump himself for the passwords...

>>32943005
>>32942779


You can write without yer trip, Oppen, but your style is a dead giveaway. Bless you bro.

>>32943005
>You can extend range by sacrificing 'footprint'
Huh, that makes a lot of sense now I think about it.

I was wondering if leftover MIRVs from a missile targeting the local airbase would have enough range to hit my city. Turns out, they probably do.

>>32942769
Thats not wrong but far away from being right.

it's

> 100% in an open field
> 30% in a wooden house OR in a b&m building without doors and windows
> In a regular brick house with closed doors and windows its 10%
> in a basement made from concrete its only 1%

That means, if you close everything, perhaps even tape the gaps in your windows and doors and head to your basement, you'll have only ONE percent of radiactivity left.

>>32932783
Kek

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>>32942961
>How far can MIRVs spread out?
I don't know for certain what the MAXIMUM is, but if I had to guess I'd say it's probably in the low tens of miles. The main point is to saturate an area with smaller warheads, like nuclear-scale carpet bombing. More destruction per megaton that way (versus a single, much larger unitary warhead). While it'd be possible to design a bus that could spread the warheads over a broader area, it would take more propellant aboard the bus and would cut into either range or throw weight.

>>32944438
Nope, though the confusion is understandable. Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles are used to allow a single missile to serve several targets. By varying the timing and direction of the MIRV's reentry burn it's possible for them to come down thousands of miles apart, though the more radical trajectories introduce quite a high CPE.

So what type of missle defense is there to stop these things before they get through? Patriot missle ? Iron dome?

>>32945109
>So what type of missle defense is there to stop these things before they get through? Patriot missle ? Iron dome?

For ICBMs the only system that has any sort of capability against them is GBI.
Even so, its far from a sure thing.

>>32934612
t. read sum of all fears once and now thinks hes an expert on nukes