Air Force Researching Antimatter Weapons 1062
mlmitton writes "The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Air Force is actively pursuing antimatter weapons. Such weapons would easy eclipse nuclear weapons in power, e.g., 1 gram of antimatter would equal 23 space shuttle fuel tanks of energy. Perhaps more interesting, after an initial inquiry by the Chronicle in the summer, the Air Force issued a gag order that prohibits any Air Force employee from discussing antimatter research or funding."
Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
e.g., 1 gram of antimatter would equal 23 space shuttle fuel tanks of energy
How much energy is that in Burning Libraries of Congress? I'm not entirely up to speed on these new-fangled measurements. Rods an' hogsheads, for me!
Space Shuttle Fuel Tanks? (Score:4, Funny)
Antimatter (Score:1, Funny)
Oh my word.... (Score:2, Funny)
Oooops (Score:5, Funny)
(-_-*) (Score:1, Funny)
Quick, hide Lazarus! (Score:2, Funny)
1 gram of anti matter? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:2, Funny)
Re:So when... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The only problem is..... (Score:2, Funny)
Mole problems? Call Avagadro, 602-1023
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Really... (Score:5, Funny)
Careful...it's a gateway policy. Before you know it, you'll be mainlining the hard stuff like trade agreements.
change the department (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Some things I don't understand about anti-matte (Score:5, Funny)
Clearly our containment systems must be made of antimatter cats with pieces of antimatter buttered toast strapped to their backs.
If you're dropping The Bomb anyway... (Score:5, Funny)
As depressing as it sounds, this is probably a Good Thing.
If we take as fact that militaries exist to kill, then it follows logically that they will develop tools to kill as effectively as possible. That's how we've ended up with uranium fission bombs, then plutonium fission bombs, then hydrogen fusion bombs.
Someone, somewhere, will eventually decide that they need to neutralize their enemy bad enough to accept the consequences of a nuke. It may even be us -- if Bush hadn't restarted research on nuclear bunker-busters, someone else would have eventually.
So if you accept the depressing notion that use of massively destructive weapons is inevitable, you *want* this research to go forward. At least, this way, you *can* go back home.
Kind of ironic... for all the talk about "WMD"s, this would be a real Weapon of *Mass* Destruction... or at least, a Weapon of Mass Conversion Directly To Energy.
Dear US Air Force (Score:5, Funny)
Thank You,
A Concerned Citizen
Interviewer : Do you have the power to destroy the Earth?
The Tick : Egads! I hope not. That's where I keep all my stuff!
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Really... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How about research them... (Score:3, Funny)
At least it won't have all that nasty residual radiation. Sure, there will be one big-ass hole in the ground, but I suppose we could just make a lake out of it.
Re:1gm antimatter = 39 kT TNT (Score:2, Funny)
6kT is just a scosh? Thats an interesting defintion of scosh...
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:4, Funny)
Frickin "Anti-Matter" (Score:5, Funny)
Mwa ha ha ha!
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
Classification acronyms (Score:5, Funny)
Well, since they just telling employees not to talk about it, the proper designation is Sensitive Topic For the Uninitiated, or STFU.
Evil Twin (Score:3, Funny)
Units of measure conversion? (Score:4, Funny)
Could someone convert that into units of "can of whoop-ass?"
Re:Space Shuttle Fuel Tanks? (Score:5, Funny)
One reason for the gag order: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
Well. A suitcase made of exotic superstring material.
Re:Weapon research == Power plant research. (Score:5, Funny)
Cheap irony alert (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
Viola and voila are different. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:1, Funny)
I don't think I want to mess with the guy who can carry that suitcase...
Re:Weapon research == Power plant research. (Score:5, Funny)
All 7 of them...
Re:Dr Strangelove, I presume? (Score:4, Funny)
Units (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Pointless. (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, as others have posted, it seems to be more that it's a different kind of boom -- one which doesn't throw lots of radioactive contaminants into the atmosphere, for one. It just, you know, kills everybody nearby with X-rays (I believe).
I can't help but assume that half the impetus behind this research are the Trek geeks in the Air Force wanting to be the first one to say "We've got an antimatter containment breach." They know they'll be dead shortly afterwards, but they're okay with that. Kind of like the geek equivalent of dying for the glory of God.
Re:Some things I don't understand about anti-matte (Score:4, Funny)
Don't worry, we've got it covered. You ever see one of those aerodynamic trick gadgets where a balloon is suspended in an updraft from a fan? You push the balloon to one side, it recenters itself over the fan.
Now take out the balloon and put in a blob of antimatter. If the antimatter is too heavy to float in the breeze, duct-tape the antimatter to the balloon.
Re:Because an explosion is 3-d (Score:5, Funny)
Standard Units? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Really... (Score:5, Funny)
Simple solution: store the anti-matter in an anti-matter container. Duh.
Re:Uh, it's still FOUO everywhere else but to you. (Score:3, Funny)
That's because the existence of the SBU classification is itself classified SBU. The grandparent poster has been detained and is currently "assisting authorities with their inquiries".
Now, (/me puts on MIB sunglasses), if you and the rest of the /. readers would all look over here at this pen-like object in my hand...
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:2, Funny)
A shitload? (Score:5, Funny)
Sean D.
Re:Weapon research == Power plant research. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:1 gram of anti matter? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How about research them... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
With luck, after we create anti-matter weapons - the vulcans will come here, smack some sense into our leadership and those of us who want can leave on a space ship with warp drive and hot vulcan chicks
Now now Donald.... (Score:2, Funny)
Thank goodness (Score:5, Funny)
Thank goodness. One of the biggest problems with nuclear weapons is their lack of power.
Re:1 gram of anti matter? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:3, Funny)
tsop izan gnilleps (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Anti-Matter Resch.--Whoah! (Score:2, Funny)
"Anti-Matter Reich."
Re:Laptop Hours, a more useful unit of conversion (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:1, Funny)
Re:expensive (Score:3, Funny)
Re:1 gram of anti matter? (Score:5, Funny)
Unfortunately some Slashdotters got onto AntiSlashdot, and the resulting reaction with the thoughtful, intelligent and polite women there caused an explosive reaction which destroyed the AntiSlashdot server. A shame, really, since AntiSlashdottings gave the affected server a tremendous amount of free bandwidth, their site design was colorful yet tasteful, and I always loved Joan Dogz's thoughtful articles.
Oh well, I guess I'm stuck with regular 'ol Slashdot now. It's just as good, right?
Re:Energy Conversion (Score:5, Funny)
If I've done the calculations right, the energy released by one kilogram of matter interacting with one gram of antimatter is roughly equivalent to the potential energy of 33 thousand 6 ton elephants [google.com] at a height of 100 kilometers.
Re:Weapon research == Power plant research. (Score:5, Funny)
The guy who died of overexposure was played by John Cusack.
And another renowned Hollywood nuclear expert, Jane Fonda, was in The China Syndrome. No doubt they will both be testifying before Congress on the dangers of these weapons.
Re:Plutonium (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is only a small part of weapons research. (Score:5, Funny)
Dont even bother burning.... (Score:2, Funny)
So, roughly speaking 1.5g of antimater, is equivelent to just dropping the entire contents of the Library of Congress, on a 1cm-odd square...
Re:Plutonium (Score:2, Funny)
Ummm... exactly.