looking for documentation for 1963 minuteman missile computer

From: Eric J. Korpela <korpela_at_ssl.berkeley.edu>
Date: Wed Oct 17 10:31:18 2001

> > There are tricks to getting the critical radius down to lower values...
> >
> Hmmm. Well, like I said, I'm not a weapon designer. I don't even play
> one on TV. :)
>
> (does the trick involve Tritium, or is that just a yield enhancer for
> implosion types?)

The tricks usually involve things like surrounding the implosion core
with a neutron reflector which can reduce the critical mass by a factor
of two (from 11 kg to 5 kg or so for Pu).

For some reason I don't understand and haven't looked into, it's possible
to get a critical mass as low as 1 kg using plutonium nitrate solution
in a stainless steel implosion sphere. Yield would probably be a few kilotons.

Tritium is a yeild enhancer. Turns your A bomb into an H bomb.

Eric (also not a weapons designer)
Received on Wed Oct 17 2001 - 10:31:18 BST