existing of one bomb to destroy the world

Last night I was speaking with a friend and he tried to convince me that that it is possible with current technology to develop one bom that can destroy earth. I told him that I couldn't believe that, but he was pretty much convinced. He told me that they could or maybe already build a nuclear bomb that can destroy everything.

Is this true....does for example the US have such a bomb and president Bush only have to push the button?

Mod edit: typo in thread title

[edit on 2-9-2004 by Spectre]

a question you should ask yourself is why build a bomb to destroy the world... including the person who made the bomb and detonated the bomb... the only time I could understand that this would occur is if a fanatic could benefits by their own demise and the demise of the result of civilisation. I am sure there are extremists out there like that, but this would have to be an extremist who has access to the correct science to accomplish this - a Mad Scientist if you will. But generally speaking, scientists are logical thinkers and would see the problem of building a bomb capable of destroying the world... there own demise. Therefore, no threat of killing a mans family to force them to build a bomb of that nature would work as the scientist would be aware that once they have the bomb, they would all die anyway.. it would take a scientist with knowledge on creating powerful enough explosives who was OUT OF HIS MIND or a RELIGIOUS FANATIC to do this....

I do not beleive we have 1 single bomb that could do this but the entire arsenal of the worlds defense could probably accomplish this crazy act.

although I have said it is improbable, that doesn't make it impossible...

Originally posted by rai76
Last night I was speaking with a friend and he tried to convince me that that it is possible with current technology to develop one bom that can destroy earth. I told him that I couldn't believe that, but he was pretty much convinced. He told me that they could or maybe already build a nuclear bomb that can destroy everything.

Is this true....does for example the US have such a bomb and president Bush only have to push the button?

Nope, its not possible.

Even if all the nukes that are ready now would be launched, there would be humans left to populiate the world again.

Even if all nuclear powers shot all their nukes at each other. There would still be about 2 billion people left on the planet.

Well annilating all life on Earth is easy enough. All you need is a full scale exchange between the US and Russia or maybe China. Now destroying Earth isn't really something we can do. We could shove lots of nukes towards the center of the Earth but thats currently not an option. But back when we detonated the first A-bomb some scientists predicted that the nuclear reaction would not stop and would consume all matter on Earth. Now if we could create a sort of bomb that could do that then yes its possible. But I don't know of any technology that can do that. But I guess that thats the reason behind top secrecy. But there would be know point in creating such a bomb. Now if we were engaged in interplanetary warfare then there would be a need. So this would probably be alien technology if it does exist and if you believe in aliens.

Originally posted by cyberdude78
Well annilating all life on Earth is easy enough. All you need is a full scale exchange between the US and Russia or maybe China. Now destroying Earth isn't really something we can do. We could shove lots of nukes towards the center of the Earth but thats currently not an option. But back when we detonated the first A-bomb some scientists predicted that the nuclear reaction would not stop and would consume all matter on Earth. Now if we could create a sort of bomb that could do that then yes its possible. But I don't know of any technology that can do that. But I guess that thats the reason behind top secrecy. But there would be know point in creating such a bomb. Now if we were engaged in interplanetary warfare then there would be a need. So this would probably be alien technology if it does exist and if you believe in aliens.

God I hope not...

Originally posted by Kozzy
Even if all nuclear powers shot all their nukes at each other. There would still be about 2 billion people left on the planet.

Theoretically it's very possible - it's just stupid, so our current arsenals aren't designed for it. With every additional stage of a thermonuclear device you can increase power by 100 times or so. The largest yeild weapons we have ever made had 3 stages, all current weapons are 1 or 2 stages.

If one were to make, lets say, a 15 stage thermonuclear device (probably the size of a small city), it's quite possible to destroy all life on earth (and probably break planet into smaller pieces as well)

Originally posted by Starwars51

Theoretically it's very possible - it's just stupid, so our current arsenals aren't designed for it. With every additional stage of a thermonuclear device you can increase power by 100 times or so. The largest yeild weapons we have ever made had 3 stages, all current weapons are 1 or 2 stages.

If one were to make, lets say, a 15 stage thermonuclear device (probably the size of a small city), it's quite possible to destroy all life on earth (and probably break planet into smaller pieces as well)

You can't build a 15 stage nuke, that's ridiculous.
It isn't possible to scale up from a 3 stage nuke to 15, it just simply will blow itself apart before it has used a fraction of the material.
PS. Trident 2 W88 warheads are 3 stages as are almost all of the heavy russian ICBM's.

I don't even think we have enough fissile materials on the planet to physically destroy it.

Originally posted by mad scientist

Originally posted by Starwars51

Theoretically it's very possible - it's just stupid, so our current arsenals aren't designed for it. With every additional stage of a thermonuclear device you can increase power by 100 times or so. The largest yeild weapons we have ever made had 3 stages, all current weapons are 1 or 2 stages.

If one were to make, lets say, a 15 stage thermonuclear device (probably the size of a small city), it's quite possible to destroy all life on earth (and probably break planet into smaller pieces as well)

You can't build a 15 stage nuke, that's ridiculous.
It isn't possible to scale up from a 3 stage nuke to 15, it just simply will blow itself apart before it has used a fraction of the material.
PS. Trident 2 W88 warheads are 3 stages as are almost all of the heavy russian ICBM's.

I don't even think we have enough fissile materials on the planet to physically destroy it.

No, the W88 is a 2 stage device. See the rough illustration here : www.globalsecurity.org...

Second, it is true that fission devices are incapable of scaling, however fusion devices are not. Basically, the fusion materials react far faster and don't suffer from the same geometric constraints as fissile material - making scaling possible.

BTW - There is certainly plenty of fissile material to destroy the earth. Uranium is one of the most common elements on earth, making up over 1% of the planet. Approx .1% of that is fissile as is - but if processed through a breeder reactor into plutonium you could concievable end up with virtually all of it fissile.

Originally posted by Kozzy
Even if all nuclear powers shot all their nukes at each other. There would still be about 2 billion people left on the planet.

I am not shore, because russia + usa have so much nuke that they can destroy whole world 3 times.!!!!!

The U.S has a plan to blow up the entire world in case aliens invade us and win. Well maybe not blow it all up maybe just schorch the earth.

Originally posted by pushkin

Originally posted by Kozzy
Even if all nuclear powers shot all their nukes at each other. There would still be about 2 billion people left on the planet.

I am not shore, because russia + usa have so much nuke that they can destroy whole world 3 times.!!!!!

That might happen if nukes were systematically detonated over the entire Earth. But the nuking would be very concentrated in the event of a war.

You'd still have Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, South America uneffected by blast effects. The enviromental damage would repair itself after a couple decades.

Well there's this talk about anti-matter..... ( that is if we can afford the cost)
when an anti-matter particle meats a " matter" particule ( that is the one we're made from) a huge explosion ( said to be 100 times bigger than those of nuclear fission) will occur that will annihilate both particules.

So if we could master this tech in the future this bomb might exist ( although it is pointless)

Originally posted by Starwars51

No, the W88 is a 2 stage device. See the rough illustration here : www.globalsecurity.org...

Second, it is true that fission devices are incapable of scaling, however fusion devices are not. Basically, the fusion materials react far faster and don't suffer from the same geometric constraints as fissile material - making scaling possible.

It has been common practice to make the warhead casing out of DU therefore acting as a 3rd stage.

A thermonuclear bomb relies on the Deuterium being compressed and superheated to cause fusion. Therefore the amount of deuterium efficiently fused is directly proportional to the size of the primary ie. you couldn't pack unlimited deuterium around an H-bomb as it couldn't be sufficiently compressed.

[edit on 2-9-2004 by mad scientist]

Originally posted by Bl00D_Th0rN
Well there's this talk about anti-matter..... ( that is if we can afford the cost)
when an anti-matter particle meats a " matter" particule ( that is the one we're made from) a huge explosion ( said to be 100 times bigger than those of nuclear fission) will occur that will annihilate both particules.

So if we could master this tech in the future this bomb might exist ( although it is pointless)

True, howeve it can only be contained in an extremely powerful magnetic field. If it comes into contact with matter, then watch out.

Man people both russia and the US and possibly china have what is described as dooms day wepons earther placed in orbet or at the poles.
As to the magnatude of the power of these bomes ill leave you to speclate as if I gave you that info id have a dozzen people flaming.
The idea is or was during the cold war if we cant beat them take them with us attuid and wile we couldent accutly Destroy EARTH the booms were desined to be exploded at the poles craking the earths mantel and melting the ice causing every fault and volcanio on earth to let louse at once massive earth quakes tidel waves hurricanes .
And wile I wont say for sure it would complealty WIPE out man kind it would be so close that we very may well go extinct afterwords.
and most assurildy 70 to 90 % of animals would even if we humans made it. Wed be better off being hit by a comet then having these wepons used.
Realy what is it you think NASA had in thous top secret shuttle flites ? Spy sats? Or orbiting nukler platforms?

Originally posted by Simcity4Rushour
Man people both russia and the US and possibly china have what is described as dooms day wepons earther placed in orbet or at the poles.
As to the magnatude of the power of these bomes ill leave you to speclate as if I gave you that info id have a dozzen people flaming.
The idea is or was during the cold war if we cant beat them take them with us attuid and wile we couldent accutly Destroy EARTH the booms were desined to be exploded at the poles craking the earths mantel and melting the ice causing every fault and volcanio on earth to let louse at once massive earth quakes tidel waves hurricanes .
And wile I wont say for sure it would complealty WIPE out man kind it would be so close that we very may well go extinct afterwords.
and most assurildy 70 to 90 % of animals would even if we humans made it. Wed be better off being hit by a comet then having these wepons used.
Realy what is it you think NASA had in thous top secret shuttle flites ? Spy sats? Or orbiting nukler platforms?

Check out this thread :

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Just my two cents on the issue:

1) The biggest nuke ever was detonated in Russia back in 1961 and the output measured between 60 and 100 megatons of tnt, with the design target number at 58. It was a 3 stage device.

2) I wouldn't say that multistage devices are impossible. Even a very massive 3rd stage can be constructed (a Uranium shell) which will serve two purposes (a) contain the initial blast thus increasing the efficiency (b) undergo fission when the neutron flux peaks.

Pressure is conducted mostly by X-rays, in that regime, so a next stage of a fusion-capable material surrounded by an additional Uranium shell is entirely possible.

3) Consider the seismic effect of a large explosion. Conceivalby, series of powerful earthquakes, tsunamis and platform movement can do much to exterminate human life on the planet.

4) Nuclear winter, anyone? Like really bad one?


[edit on 2-9-2004 by Aelita]

During the height of the Cold War, USA, Russia,UK and France had enough nulcear weapons to destroy the world. There is probably still enough nuclear arsenal to destory the world, even if people didnt die during the blast, just think of all the nuclear fall out that would be in the air after a nulcear holocaust.

Originally posted by Aelita
Just my two cents on the issue:

1) The biggest nuke ever was detonated in Russia back in 1961 and the output measured between 60 and 100 megatons of tnt, with the design target number at 58. It was a 3 stage device.

[edit on 2-9-2004 by Aelita]

The 3rd stage was actually solid lead instead of U238(DU) effectively halving the yield. The lead 3rd also made it the cleanest nuclear wepon ever detonated. The sheer size of it led to unusual atmospheric effects including starting a forest fire 1000km from ground zero.
Aside - The bomber crew who dropped it were all awarded the Soviet Unions highest award Hero of the Soviet Union. I guess their chances of making it through the blast weren't great.

Heres a previous thread on the Tsar Bomb

www.abovetopsecret.com...