US conducts underground explosion to detect global nuclear tests - Interesting Engineering
US conducts underground explosion to detect global nuclear tests
US conducts underground explosion to detect global nuclear testsThe test was performed just a few hours after the Russian Parliament unratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).Ameya PalejaPublished: Oct 30, 2023 03:00 PM ESTcultureA stock image representing underground site primed for explosionaeduard/iStock Get a daily digest of the latest news in tech, science, and technology, delivered right to your mailbox. Subscribe now.By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.A team led by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conducted a non-nuclear underground explosive test in Nevada to improve the US ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions around the world, a press release said. During the period of the Cold War, Russia and the US amassed massive stockpiles of nuclear warheads and conducted extensive testing of nuclear weapons. Following Russia's lead in 1991, the US put a moratorium on live nuclear tests in 1992, leading to a multilateral agreement called the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) that prohibits nuclear explosions anywhere in the world. Interesting Engineering recently reported how the US is building a powerful X-ray machine to scan its nuclear stockpile without conducting actual tests to determine its performance. Before this, the country relied on high-end computer simulations for this job but relied on surrogate explosive material for its calculations. See Also Related When Kodak Accidentally Discovered an A-Bomb Testing What has happened to the world's nuclear test sites? The radioactive fallout of Trinity Nuclear Tests reached as far as Canada Change in Russian stanceNearly three decades after the CTBT was adopted, it could never be enforced since countries like China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, Egypt, and Israel did not ratify it. Now, in the wake of the Western powers supporting Ukraine in its defense from Russia, the latter is looking to walk away from its previous position and use the threat of nuclear testing to discourage the West from continuing its support. On October 18, the Russian parliament moved a bill to unratify the CTBT, further approved by the upper house last week. The move clears the way for Russia to resume nuclear testing formally, but the Russian side has maintained that it will not conduct nuclear tests until the US does so. The US prepares for the global threatsSince satellite-based surveillance will be able to pick evidence of a surface test, it is likely that Russia, if it chooses to resume nuclear testing, will perform underground tests. Only North Korea has tested nuclear weapons since the beginning of this century and has done so using underground tests as well. The US is, therefore, looking to strengthen its ability to detect such tests conducted anywhere in the world. Between 2010 and 2019, scientists at the NNSA, in collaboration with those at the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), conducted Source Physics Experiments intending to be able to distinguish earthquakes from weapons testing activity. P tunnel in Area 12 of the Nevada National Security Site.NNSA The underground explosion carried out in the P tunnel in Area 12 at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) featured a wide range of sensors such as accelerometers, seismometers, infrasound, and electromagnetic sensors, along with chemical, radiotracer samplers, and meteorological sensors. The US Geological Survey registered its magnitude at 1.7 and shared the data from the experiment with researchers all over the globe. The experiment was aimed at validating the assumptions and algorithms used in computer simulations and developing new predictive explosion models and detection algorithms. "These experiments advance our efforts to develop new technology in support of US nuclear nonproliferation goals,” said Corey Hinderstein, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, in the press release. “They will help reduce global nuclear threats by improving the detection of underground nuclear explosive tests.” HomeCultureAdd Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.Add Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.SHOW COMMENT (1) For You Life by 2100: nanotech, cybernetics, and commercial space travelNew B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb to enter the US arsenalThis particle accelerator is 54 million times shorter than one at CERNMaybe you can hear sounds in space after allThe future of medicine could lie in organoid research9 examples of when AI went haywireChina claims new offshore gas turbine cuts emissions by 80,000 tonnesMelanoma Treating Soap: 14-year-old invents cancer-fighting soapThe most well-known attack aircraft is back in the Middle EastHow air quality systems could solve the biodiversity crisis Job Board
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.