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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1979)
Build A-bomb in your home By RAYTOWN BROWN Of th• Immorald The Manhattan Project product, also known as a fission bomb, marks the latest Inven tion of easily constructed, exo tic devices for the do-it-your selfer As with other rare and exotic devices, the secrets to its construction were jealously guarded by those laying claim to the original. But in time the secrets leaked out Recently, the magazine Reversion thought about publishing do-it-yourself plans for the bomb, but during a fit of indecision and fear, the editors returned the plans to the or ganization claiming original ownership Although some of the maior ingredients remain relatively rare, the correct mixing proportions and procedures have long been a favorite sub ject of how-to speculation among armchair generals Here then is a detailed bomb plan Obtain the following ingredients tor the concoction: 10 kilograms of pure plu tonium-239. 50 pure graphite sheets, one millimeter thick and 60 centimeters square, 10 kilograms of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and two electrical blast ing caps For mixing utensils use three sections of high-carbon steel pipe. 20 millimeters thick with an inside diameter of 10 cen timeters Polish all inside sur faces to a high gloss Cut one section one meter long and the other two 20 centimeters long Thread each end on all three sections Obtain two female threaded collars to couple the three pipes together, and two like-threaded caps to close off the open ends Drill a five-millimeter hole in the center of each cap Mill two. 5-centimeter-thick chrome disks to exactly match the in side diameter of the one meter long pipe First, prepare the pure plu tonium-239 The size of the pieces depends on the size of the device desired For this plan use a total of 18 kilograms A successful explosion depends on the plutonium s configuration Two pieces of plutonium-239, which by them selves do not equal a critical mass, must be brought together rapidly so that when combined it exceeds critical mass and becomes a supercritical mass Shape the plutonium-239 into two cylindrical plugs of equal weight, 9 kilograms each. They must be just wide enough to slide into the inside diameter of the one meter pipe. The sur faces to be brought together during the high-speed assembly must match exactly Cut the contacting ends flat and polish with a fine emery cloth Keep the two halves separate for now In the one-meter section of pipe cut a five-millimeter slit halfway through it, and exactly midway (50 centimeters) from the end. Glue together five graphite sheets and cut out a strip with a rounded end that fits exactly into the slit. This Oregon Dally Immorald "tamper” must completely block the pipe In the middle when inserted into the slit The tamper will be removed prior to detonation Wrap the entire one meter long pipe in 25 sheets of graphite, gluing each succes sive layer Do NOTwrap the threaded ends or the slit where the tamper is inserted Secure the sheets with epoxy Be sure the graphite tamper remains seated In place and that it can be removed easily Leave the tamper in place until use, Place the two halves of plu tonium-239 Into separate ends of the one meter pipe They should fit snugly Slide the chrome disks into the pipe just behind the plutonium-239 plugs with a matching disk of graphite sheeting inserted between the disk and the plutonium plug. The next step involves the trinitrotoluene Place one elec trical blasting cap in each of the 20-centimeter pipes and run the wires out of a five-millimeter hole drilled in each end cap Keeping the blasting caps cen terd in the pipe, pack the TNT all around them in the pipe Use equal amounts in each end Pack it firmly Carefully thread the two ends of the explosive-filled pipes on to the collars, then screw those assemblies onto the plu tonium-239-filled center pipe Make sure the TNT contacts the surfaces of the chrome plugs To use simply hook up the wires from the ends of both blasting caps to a common cir cuit so they will go off instan taneously The explosion will ram the two pieces of plu tonium-239 together very rapidly, producing a supercri tical mass and. consequently, an atomic blast, all in less than five microseconds Remember — before pushing the button, remove the graphite tamper from the center of the pipe That's all there is to it Disguise the shah Win valuable prizes while helping a friend DISCO SHAH OflGOONIAU m SHAH He tried to keep the price of your oil down. He created jobs at Grumman. Colt, Bell Helicopter and many other starved American companies He introduced leisure suits to the fertile crescent. Now he is a marked man without a country But you can give him one With the proper disguise, Pahlavi can settle here in America undetected by his enemies in the radical element. All entries must be accompanied by descrip tions of materials involved and a photograph or diagram of the finished costume All entries must be mailed on or before May 1, 1979 to: ARAMCO Inc Houston, Texas (OJB CAREFULLY! Encore ^ Oval Vagmal contraceptive tor prevention o* pregnancy \2 INSfcHTS The most ridiculous contraceptive since the pill. DOOFY'S Proudly Presents the First Annual DONG SHOW j Featuring some of the biggest Acts from the Northwest Regular Attractions: Free and Easy - Barmaid Expose’