Comments on: The Demon Core

By: Steven

Steven — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:40:45 +0000

There have been 21 fatalities like this (including these two) since 1945. It seems to be not as rare as one would think

By: R. Milhous

R. Milhous — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:58:31 +0000

I wonder what would have happened if Slotin had *not* been quick thinking.

The plutonium would have gone critical, but I don’t think it would have exploded; at least not an atomic explosion. The result would have been very “Kiss me deadly” — a glow filling the room, fire, and as heat increased the mess burning through the building and into the ground (china syndrome). The radioactivity would have been immense — probably affecting more than just the people in that room.

anyone know?

By: Rocky Rook

Rocky Rook — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:34:46 +0000

I read this at DamnInteresting too.

By: ted

ted — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:39:11 +0000

I’m still tryig to figure out Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think something similar happened there.

By: Peeves

Peeves — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:11:54 +0000

Yeah really, a screwdriver instead of the standard? A cylinder with a smooth surface that another smooth surface can slip on?

Radiation is fascinating..I’m still not quite sure how the process works, from the two elements touching to human death.

By: mikos

mikos — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:49:48 +0000

The picture is the recreation of the incident according to Wikipedia.

By: Easy

Easy — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:58:25 +0000

That is some crazy shit. I can see it now:

Scientist 1: “Hey mate you’d better be careful, if that beryllium sphere touches the plutonium core, you could kill us all.”

Slotin: “Its ok, I’ll just wedge a screwdriver in here…”

Wedge a screwdriver in?? I think possibly I would have been slightly more careful…

By: I'm with stupid

I'm with stupid — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:06:26 +0000

Apparently its not “nigh impossible” if you read any history book written after WWII when we torched the terrorist suicide-bombing japs.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:34:10 +0000

Contrary to what most people think, its nigh impossible to set of a nuclear reaction, even if you put a stick of dynamite next to plutonium and made it explode.

By: Ali S.

Ali S. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:52:11 +0000

They were lucky enough not to have accidentally set the damn thing off taking out a city along with them. Jeez!

By: BJN

BJN — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:55:27 +0000

That’s “disassemble” which means to take apart, not “dissemble” which means to fake or pretend.

By: Gail Pink

Gail Pink — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:14:52 +0000

Idiots.

By: renderanything

renderanything — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:06:58 +0000

Louis Slotin’s story is also written about at damninteresting.com
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=102 or “Bitten by the Nuclear Dragon”

By: Daniel Kim

Daniel Kim — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:55:20 +0000

What gets to me is the Coke bottle on the worktable.

By: JenniferG

JenniferG — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:48:23 +0000

And then they became Dr. Manhattan, right?