
Meteor seen from the International Space Station. (Photo: Astronaut photograph from NASA/JSC)
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Meteor seen from the International Space Station. (Photo: Astronaut photograph from NASA/JSC)
One of the factors stopping the U.S. from eliminating its nuclear weapons stockpile is the potential of an asteroid hurtling towards the planet.
The finding comes from a Government Accountability Office report (pdf) on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the dismantling of the nation's nuclear weapons.
The unusual tidbit from the April 2014 report was noted by Nuclear Watch New Mexico in June, but gathered more media attention this week following reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
In a section listing reasons why the NNSA is not disassembling some "canned subassemblies (CSA)--a major nuclear component that can contain highly enriched uranium (HEU)," it states:
For potential use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. NNSA officials told us that CSAs associated with a certain warhead indicated as excess in the 2012 Production and Planning Directive are being retained in an indeterminate state pending a senior-level government evaluation of their use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. While NNSA has declared these CSAs to be excess and, until March 2013, had scheduled them for disassembly beginning in fiscal year 2015, the national labs' retention letter has also characterized the CSA associated with this warhead as an "irreplaceable national asset. " The WDD program is coordinating NNSA' s evaluation of their use in planetary defense with the support of LLNL, LANL, and Y-12.
As theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku explained in a 2013 cover story for Newsweek, a large asteroid hitting the Earth is an unusual but potentially serious threat.
You can hear Kaku discuss the issue--including how a hydrogen bomb could be used--in this light-hearted interview on the Colbert Report:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
One of the factors stopping the U.S. from eliminating its nuclear weapons stockpile is the potential of an asteroid hurtling towards the planet.
The finding comes from a Government Accountability Office report (pdf) on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the dismantling of the nation's nuclear weapons.
The unusual tidbit from the April 2014 report was noted by Nuclear Watch New Mexico in June, but gathered more media attention this week following reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
In a section listing reasons why the NNSA is not disassembling some "canned subassemblies (CSA)--a major nuclear component that can contain highly enriched uranium (HEU)," it states:
For potential use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. NNSA officials told us that CSAs associated with a certain warhead indicated as excess in the 2012 Production and Planning Directive are being retained in an indeterminate state pending a senior-level government evaluation of their use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. While NNSA has declared these CSAs to be excess and, until March 2013, had scheduled them for disassembly beginning in fiscal year 2015, the national labs' retention letter has also characterized the CSA associated with this warhead as an "irreplaceable national asset. " The WDD program is coordinating NNSA' s evaluation of their use in planetary defense with the support of LLNL, LANL, and Y-12.
As theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku explained in a 2013 cover story for Newsweek, a large asteroid hitting the Earth is an unusual but potentially serious threat.
You can hear Kaku discuss the issue--including how a hydrogen bomb could be used--in this light-hearted interview on the Colbert Report:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook
One of the factors stopping the U.S. from eliminating its nuclear weapons stockpile is the potential of an asteroid hurtling towards the planet.
The finding comes from a Government Accountability Office report (pdf) on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the dismantling of the nation's nuclear weapons.
The unusual tidbit from the April 2014 report was noted by Nuclear Watch New Mexico in June, but gathered more media attention this week following reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
In a section listing reasons why the NNSA is not disassembling some "canned subassemblies (CSA)--a major nuclear component that can contain highly enriched uranium (HEU)," it states:
For potential use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. NNSA officials told us that CSAs associated with a certain warhead indicated as excess in the 2012 Production and Planning Directive are being retained in an indeterminate state pending a senior-level government evaluation of their use in planetary defense against earthbound asteroids. While NNSA has declared these CSAs to be excess and, until March 2013, had scheduled them for disassembly beginning in fiscal year 2015, the national labs' retention letter has also characterized the CSA associated with this warhead as an "irreplaceable national asset. " The WDD program is coordinating NNSA' s evaluation of their use in planetary defense with the support of LLNL, LANL, and Y-12.
As theoretical physicist and author Michio Kaku explained in a 2013 cover story for Newsweek, a large asteroid hitting the Earth is an unusual but potentially serious threat.
You can hear Kaku discuss the issue--including how a hydrogen bomb could be used--in this light-hearted interview on the Colbert Report:
The Colbert Report
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook