In retrospect this project seems a bit silly. HOWEVER, a national research lab should be doing this type of activity. They could have written lots of speculative papers and expounded endlessly on what they thought they could do ... but actually building a prototype that provided far more value. It forced them to find where the actual bleeding edge of technology was at that point in time. It got rid of all the speculation and extrapolation. It forced people to realize what was actually possible.
We have a similar problem today ... everything is designed on CAD and the operation is simulated. Both of those computer programs have simplifying assumptions buried in their code and the users have no idea that they exist. Hence big rockets that operate perfectly in their simulation but scatter themselves in tiny bits across the Caribbean. It would be more reassuring if a bit more testing of individual components was done, to assure they work, before throwing them into the air above everyone's head.
Hmmmm ... and to think Livermore was doing this while I was in highschool. Keep up the good work !!
"In a given situation, the inability to rapidly assess nuclear weapon effects in advance might very well prevent their use altogether."
...oh, so that's what this was all about.
For some reason I kept imagining the system was supposed to be used for civil defence and such, maybe mapping the affected areas in the immediate aftermath of attack. Should've known they wouldn't have spent so much money unless it was for killing people.
In retrospect this project seems a bit silly. HOWEVER, a national research lab should be doing this type of activity. They could have written lots of speculative papers and expounded endlessly on what they thought they could do ... but actually building a prototype that provided far more value. It forced them to find where the actual bleeding edge of technology was at that point in time. It got rid of all the speculation and extrapolation. It forced people to realize what was actually possible.
We have a similar problem today ... everything is designed on CAD and the operation is simulated. Both of those computer programs have simplifying assumptions buried in their code and the users have no idea that they exist. Hence big rockets that operate perfectly in their simulation but scatter themselves in tiny bits across the Caribbean. It would be more reassuring if a bit more testing of individual components was done, to assure they work, before throwing them into the air above everyone's head.
Hmmmm ... and to think Livermore was doing this while I was in highschool. Keep up the good work !!
"In a given situation, the inability to rapidly assess nuclear weapon effects in advance might very well prevent their use altogether."
...oh, so that's what this was all about.
For some reason I kept imagining the system was supposed to be used for civil defence and such, maybe mapping the affected areas in the immediate aftermath of attack. Should've known they wouldn't have spent so much money unless it was for killing people.
"a system of imprecise-looking analog meters for inputting settings"
With a properly designed and calibrated system, and a little practice, you can make surprisingly precise settings.