A Technical History Of Americas Nuclear Weapons
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| Author | : Peter a Goetz |
| Publisher | : |
| Total Pages | : 630 |
| Release | : 2020-09-10 |
| Genre | : |
| ISBN | : |
This is the Second Edition of A Technical History of America's Nuclear Weapons: Volume I - Introduction and Nuclear Developments Through 1960. It is called a technical history because it focuses on nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons (delivery) systems. The people, laboratories, and politicians who championed these weapons have been dealt with by other authors. For the convenience of the Reader, Volume I has an introductory section that places the American nuclear arsenal into its historical context and provides the basic technical background needed to understand the weapon's mechanisms. Included are chapters on weapon design, the military-industrial complex, and stockpile logistics. These are followed by a discussion intended to clearly convey what would have happened if nuclear weapons were ever put to use. The introduction closes with a review of early warning and targeting, nuclear war plans, the deployment of nuclear forces, and the evolution of strategic doctrine during the period of the Cold War. It also includes sections on non-proliferation and the current management of the US Nuclear Stockpile. This story is told in a straightforward easy to understand manner. The use of equations is shunned. Albert Einstein declared that if you can't tell a story without the use of mathematics, you really don't understand your subject matter. The second half of Volume I examines early American nuclear weapons and delivery systems. It combines development histories with engineering descriptions to illustrate the performance characteristics of the weapons and the design challenges that faced their developers. Basic data about weapon operation, delivery systems, and deployments are also included. Like the First Edition, this Second Edition is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs.Volume I: 1) Has about 1,000 selected references, grouped into related categories 2) Uses official Military Characteristic (Parts) Numbers for components where available, a very useful tool for internet searches 3)Provides detailed information on the production of uranium and its enrichment in for use in nuclear weapons 4) Provides detailed information on the recovery of plutonium from spent fuel rods and the casting of plutonium cores 5) Outlines the evolution of nuclear pits: solid, composite, levitated, hollow, boosted, linear and linear boosted. 6) Provides information on explosives and the methods used to compress fissile cores, especially the plastic bonded explosives (PBX) produced at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Kingsport, Tennessee 7) Outlines the development of the batteries and the arming, fuzing, and firing (X-Unit) systems used in various nuclear MARKs and MODs 8) Outlines the internal and external electronic neutron initiation systems used in various nuclear MARKs and MODs 9)Describes boosted warheads, the forerunners to the hydrogen bomb 10) Follows the race to develop hydrogen bombs and investigates the first generation of multi-megaton weapons and their delivery aircraft.
| Author | : James N. Gibson |
| Publisher | : Schiffer Military History |
| Total Pages | : 246 |
| Release | : 1996 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : |
Covers every nuclear delivery system the United States ever deployed, from submarines and their missiles to artillery rounds and mines.
| Author | : David Stumpf |
| Publisher | : University of Arkansas Press |
| Total Pages | : 595 |
| Release | : 2021-02-26 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1682261549 |
In Minuteman: A Technical History of the Missile That Defined American Nuclear Warfare, David K. Stumpf demystifies the intercontinental ballistic missile program that was conceived at the end of the Eisenhower administration as a key component of the US nuclear strategy of massive retaliation. Although its nuclear warhead may have lacked power relative to that of the Titan II, the Minuteman more than made up for this in terms of numbers and readiness to launch—making it the ultimate ICBM. Minuteman offers a fascinating look at the technological breakthroughs necessary to field this weapon system that has served as a powerful component of the strategic nuclear triad for more than half a century. With exacting detail, Stumpf examines the construction of launch and launch control facilities; innovations in solid propellant, lightweight inertial guidance systems, and lightweight reentry vehicle development; and key flight tests and operational flight programs—all while situating the Minuteman program in the context of world events. In doing so, the author reveals how the historic missile has adapted to changing defense strategies—from counterforce to mutually assured destruction to sufficiency.
| Author | : Chuck Hansen |
| Publisher | : Crown |
| Total Pages | : 232 |
| Release | : 1988 |
| Genre | : Political Science |
| ISBN | : 9780517567401 |
Presents the historical and technical data for every warhead built by the United States since 1945
| Author | : Brad Roberts |
| Publisher | : Stanford University Press |
| Total Pages | : 351 |
| Release | : 2015-12-09 |
| Genre | : Political Science |
| ISBN | : 0804797153 |
“An excellent contribution to the debate on the future role of nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence in American foreign policy.” ―Contemporary Security Policy This book is a counter to the conventional wisdom that the United States can and should do more to reduce both the role of nuclear weapons in its security strategies and the number of weapons in its arsenal. The case against nuclear weapons has been made on many grounds—including historical, political, and moral. But, Brad Roberts argues, it has not so far been informed by the experience of the United States since the Cold War in trying to adapt deterrence to a changed world, and to create the conditions that would allow further significant changes to U.S. nuclear policy and posture. Drawing on the author’s experience in the making and implementation of U.S. policy in the Obama administration, this book examines that real-world experience and finds important lessons for the disarmament enterprise. Central conclusions of the work are that other nuclear-armed states are not prepared to join the United States in making reductions, and that unilateral steps by the United States to disarm further would be harmful to its interests and those of its allies. The book ultimately argues in favor of patience and persistence in the implementation of a balanced approach to nuclear strategy that encompasses political efforts to reduce nuclear dangers along with military efforts to deter them. “Well-researched and carefully argued.” ―Foreign Affairs
| Author | : Eric Schlosser |
| Publisher | : Penguin |
| Total Pages | : 702 |
| Release | : 2013-09-17 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 1101638664 |
The Oscar-shortlisted documentary Command and Control, directed by Robert Kenner, finds its origins in Eric Schlosser's book and continues to explore the little-known history of the management and safety concerns of America's nuclear aresenal. “A devastatingly lucid and detailed new history of nuclear weapons in the U.S. Fascinating.” —Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine “Perilous and gripping . . . Schlosser skillfully weaves together an engrossing account of both the science and the politics of nuclear weapons safety.” —San Francisco Chronicle A myth-shattering exposé of America’s nuclear weapons Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs, Command and Control explores the dilemma that has existed since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do you deploy weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? That question has never been resolved—and Schlosser reveals how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity still poses a grave risk to mankind. While the harms of global warming increasingly dominate the news, the equally dangerous yet more immediate threat of nuclear weapons has been largely forgotten. Written with the vibrancy of a first-rate thriller, Command and Control interweaves the minute-by-minute story of an accident at a nuclear missile silo in rural Arkansas with a historical narrative that spans more than fifty years. It depicts the urgent effort by American scientists, policy makers, and military officers to ensure that nuclear weapons can’t be stolen, sabotaged, used without permission, or detonated inadvertently. Schlosser also looks at the Cold War from a new perspective, offering history from the ground up, telling the stories of bomber pilots, missile commanders, maintenance crews, and other ordinary servicemen who risked their lives to avert a nuclear holocaust. At the heart of the book lies the struggle, amid the rolling hills and small farms of Damascus, Arkansas, to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States. Drawing on recently declassified documents and interviews with people who designed and routinely handled nuclear weapons, Command and Control takes readers into a terrifying but fascinating world that, until now, has been largely hidden from view. Through the details of a single accident, Schlosser illustrates how an unlikely event can become unavoidable, how small risks can have terrible consequences, and how the most brilliant minds in the nation can only provide us with an illusion of control. Audacious, gripping, and unforgettable, Command and Control is a tour de force of investigative journalism, an eye-opening look at the dangers of America’s nuclear age.
| Author | : Alex Wellerstein |
| Publisher | : University of Chicago Press |
| Total Pages | : 558 |
| Release | : 2021-04-09 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 022602038X |
"Nuclear weapons, since their conception, have been the subject of secrecy. In the months after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the American scientific establishment, the American government, and the American public all wrestled with what was called the "problem of secrecy," wondering not only whether secrecy was appropriate and effective as a means of controlling this new technology but also whether it was compatible with the country's core values. Out of a messy context of propaganda, confusion, spy scares, and the grave counsel of competing groups of scientists, what historian Alex Wellerstein calls a "new regime of secrecy" was put into place. It was unlike any other previous or since. Nuclear secrets were given their own unique legal designation in American law ("restricted data"), one that operates differently than all other forms of national security classification and exists to this day. Drawing on massive amounts of declassified files, including records released by the government for the first time at the author's request, Restricted Data is a narrative account of nuclear secrecy and the tensions and uncertainty that built as the Cold War continued. In the US, both science and democracy are pitted against nuclear secrecy, and this makes its history uniquely compelling and timely"--
| Author | : Charles R. Loeber |
| Publisher | : United States Government Printing |
| Total Pages | : 279 |
| Release | : 2002-07-01 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 9780160671876 |
A history of the Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC), a nationwide group of gov't.-owned and contractor-operated labs. and production plants. The NWC evolved to meet our nat. security requirements, which were driven by WW2 and the Cold War, and also shaped by the need to incorp. new technol. into the nuclear weapons (NW) stockpile and to maintain this stockpile after the Cold War was over. This book explains the basic principles on which NW operate, along with the major technol. changes that were incorp. to improve the performance, safety, and security of U.S. NW. Contains info. on other topics: Nazi Germany's atomic bomb program, espionage during the Manhattan project, NW accidents, and worldwide nuclear tests. Glossary. Color and B&W photos.
| Author | : Peter a Goetz |
| Publisher | : Independently Published |
| Total Pages | : 642 |
| Release | : 2020-09-10 |
| Genre | : |
| ISBN | : 9781718121362 |
This is the Second Edition of A Technical History of America's Nuclear Weapons: Volume II -Nuclear Developments From 1960 Through 2020. Volume II takes up where Volume I ends. It is written in the same straightforward, easy to understand, manner as Volume I. American nuclear weapons and delivery systems are presented in a rough chronological order with some weapons treated individually and others in functional or family groupings. Like Volume I, Volume II combines development histories with engineering descriptions to illustrate the performance characteristics of each weapon described and the design challenges that faced their developers. Basic data about weapon operation, delivery systems, and deployments are also included. A light editing job on the material that previously comprised the First Edition has allowed room for two additional chapters and an afterword. These chapters focus on the nuclear weapon systems under development that will form the new Triad. The weapon systems include the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent ICBM, and the Columbia SSBN. The closing chapters draw heavily on information provided in the First Edition, since the New Triad relies heavily on previously developed technology. The afterword discusses some unclear aspects of the choices made for the new Triad. Like the First Edition, this Second Edition is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs. Volume II: 1) Uses official Military Characteristic (Parts) Numbers for components where available, a very useful tool for internet searches 2) Discusses second generation multi-megaton hydrogen bombs including the three-stage, 25-megaton MK 41, America's most powerful weapon 3) Outlines the evolution of jet-powered, medium and heavy, strategic bombers-Discusses the continued development of tactical nuclear bombs and their delivery systems 4) Explains the mechanism of Dial-a-Yield, used in the B61 and B83 bombs 5) Follows the evolution of liquid and solid fuel ICBMs, which now form the core of the nuclear triad - based in silos and on-board Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines 6) Describes the evolution of Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) that allowed Moscow to be targeted with four hundred thermonuclear warheads 7) Takes up the development of tactical nuclear missiles where Volume I left off 8) Describes the development of Enhanced Radiation or "neutron" weapons to minimize casualties in the European Theater 9) Outlines how tactical nuclear missiles and nuclear artillery were combined to provide "Terrain Fire", in which thousands of overlapping nuclear bursts to depths of 50 or 100 kilometers along an adversary's border would annihilate its forward forces leaving millions of dead 10) Follows the development air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, including the W61 warhead, which used gold to produce extremely high intensity radiation for use in the vacuum of space 10) Discusses the B-21 Raider, GBSD ICBM, and the Columbia Class SSBN that form the new Nuclear Triad 11) Reviews the Russian "doomsday" Poseidon torpedo and other new weapons and their implications for American deterrence 12) Considers the implications of the termination of The New START Treaty
| Author | : Lillian Hoddeson |
| Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
| Total Pages | : 532 |
| Release | : 2004-02-12 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 9780521541176 |
This 1993 book explores how the 'critical assembly' of scientists at Los Alamos created the first atomic bombs.
