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| I had real trouble reading this article... http://www.warthogterritory.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7355 |
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| Author: | tritonal [ 08 Oct 2004, 14:10 ] |
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I COULDN'T STOP DROOLING! <i>By Noah Shachtman Editor, DefenseTech.org Air Force Wants Antimatter Weapons No way. "The U.S. Air Force is quietly spending millions of dollars investigating ways to use a radical power source -- antimatter, the eerie 'mirror' of ordinary matter -- in future weapons," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Beyond the pointed-ear cool factor, antimatter would make a powerful weapon -- at least in theory. "If electrons or protons collide with their antimatter counterparts, they annihilate each other. In so doing, they unleash more energy than any other known energy source, even thermonuclear bombs," the Chron explains: The energy from colliding positrons and antielectrons "is 10 billion times ... that of high explosive," Kenneth Edwards, director of the "revolutionary munitions" team at the Munitions Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, noted in an address to the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). Moreover, 1 gram of antimatter, about 1/25th of an ounce, would equal "23 space shuttle fuel tanks of energy." Thus "positron energy conversion," as he called it, would be a "revolutionary energy source" of interest to those who wage war. Not just for Star Trek geeks: A tiny plasma cloud contained inside an IEC fusion chamber small enough to sit atop a lab bench. (from NASA Website) It almost defies belief, the amount of explosive force available in a speck of antimatter -- even a speck that is too small to see. For example: One millionth of a gram of positrons contain as much energy as 37.8 kilograms (83 pounds) of TNT, according to Edwards' March speech. A simple calculation, then, shows that about 50-millionths of a gram could generate a blast equal to the explosion (roughly 4,000 pounds of TNT, according to the FBI) at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Unlike regular nuclear bombs, positron bombs wouldn't eject plumes of radioactive debris. When large numbers of positrons and antielectrons collide, the primary product is an invisible but extremely dangerous burst of gamma radiation. Thus, in principle, a positron bomb could be a step toward one of the military's dreams from the early Cold War: a so-called "clean" superbomb that could kill large numbers of soldiers without ejecting radioactive contaminants over the countryside. A copy of Edwards' speech on NIAC's Web site emphasizes this advantage of positron weapons in bright red letters: "No Nuclear Residue." It's wet-the-bed scary, sure. But don't get out the rubber sheets, yet. Right now, only about 84 billionths of a gram of antiprotons are made worldwide, according to Los Alamos physicist Steve Howe, who is studying antimatter-driven trips to Alpha Centauri for NIAC. "With present techniques, the price tag for 100-billionths of a gram of antimatter would be $6 billion," according to the Chron </i> |
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| Author: | mattlott [ 08 Oct 2004, 17:12 ] |
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ok so the evil americans will have a the super weapon that may be used against Iran, Korea, ect. THE UN must tell president Kerry to stop this madness, and give up all weapons to their control or fail the global test. Heaven forbit president Bush gets this and takes out some evil doers at long range. |
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| Author: | tritonal [ 10 Oct 2004, 01:24 ] |
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I think I found my calling.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> |
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| Author: | Hawg166 [ 11 Oct 2004, 17:19 ] |
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Hmmm sounds like someone has been reading to many Dan Brown novels lately. Howevere I have read some about antimatter just for hahas and it is pretty mind blowing stuff. By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson |
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| Author: | tritonal [ 11 Oct 2004, 17:27 ] |
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I remember hearing 3 years ago that the Air Force was researching anti-matter weapons; I was surprised that this went on during the cold war. If this reaches fruition, high yield weapons will be more palpable making modern warfare more deadly than it already is, IMO. |
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| Author: | boomer [ 12 Oct 2004, 23:14 ] |
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yeah but what do you do when the lowest bidders anti-matter containment field breaks down while it's in storage lolol "We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel ! <img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0> |
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| Author: | tritonal [ 12 Oct 2004, 23:42 ] |
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RUN. |
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| Author: | 30mike-mike [ 13 Oct 2004, 05:50 ] |
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Very, very fast! "Live every day like it's the last, 'cause one day you're gonna be right!" Ray Charles (6/10/04 was the day) |
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| Author: | mattlott [ 13 Oct 2004, 11:59 ] |
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Mike the real question is could a manned fighter fly fast enough to get out of the way. |
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| Author: | sgtgoose1 [ 13 Oct 2004, 13:50 ] |
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WOULD IT REALLY MATTER? OR ANTI-MATTER? IF YOUR EXCHANGING THOSE TYPES OF WEAPONS,THE BALLON IS GOING UP AND ITS THE SUPERBOWL AND THERE WONT BE MUCH OF A POST GAME SHOW . MONEY TALKS,B.S. JUST PILES UP. |
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