Russia’s New Nukes Are Similar to a Risky Project the U.S. Abandoned

Russia’s New Nukes Are Similar to a Risky Project the U.S. Abandoned

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Part of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation speech Thursday sounded like something from a 1960s James Bond film. Putin announced his country has developed and recently tested a cruise missile and an underwater drone that are nuclear-powered as well as hypersonic missiles capable of flying at up to 20 times the speed of sound. Putin’s words were punctuated by video and computer graphics the Russian leader used to drive home the point that the weapons would render NATO’s U.S.-led missile defense systems “useless.”


For the West, the prospect of Russia having all three of those new weapons is unsettling to say the least. But the nuclear-powered cruise missile, in particular, harkens back to a weapons system the U.S. Air Force began developing at the height of the cold war and later abandoned. Project Pluto (pdf), an initiative commissioned in 1957, had the goal of developing nuclear-powered engines for use in Supersonic Low-Altitude Missiles (SLAM). The Pentagon tested prototype engines with 500-megawatt reactors at the Department of Energy Nevada Test Site in 1961 and 1964, but soon after had second thoughts about the project.


Scientific American spoke with Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program, about the eerie parallels between Putin’s nuclear-powered missile and Project Pluto—including the Pentagon’s reasons for ending the project, and the lessons about the dangers of nuclear power and weaponry that seem to have been forgotten.


[An edited transcript of the conversation follows.]


In what ways does Putin’s nuclear-powered cruise missile appear similar to Project Pluto?


Project Pluto was going to use a ramjet engine to draw in air at a supersonic speed, use a nuclear reactor to heat the air to get it to expand, and then use that expanded air to generate thrust. So the U.S. did contemplate a similar idea, the advantage being the use of long-lived nuclear fuel to keep the missile airborne for a long time, evade defenses, maneuver extensively and reach its target with a high level of accuracy.


Would the U.S. missile’s nuclear fuel also be part of its payload when striking its target?


Based on the plan for the U.S. program, the missile itself—even before reaching its target—would be a flying death factory [in addition to any nuclear payload that might be attached to the projectile]. The reactor would presumably not have any lead or concrete radiation shielding, because that would have made the missile too heavy. Such an unshielded missile would have generated a very intense flux of neutrons, so simply being in close proximity to it would have been lethal. The missile would have drawn air from the outside, heated it to a very high temperature with direct contact with nuclear fuel and then expelled the air. So fission products and radioactive particles would continuously be expelled into the environment.


How close was the U.S. Air Force to developing a working nuclear-powered missile?


They had a proof-of-principle reactor on the ground, but my impression is that at the time the project was canceled there was probably still a substantial amount of engineering work that needed to be done, not to mention flight testing. Amazingly, the prospect of testing this monster —even during the height of the cold war—was too horrific for the Air Force, which tells you something about the weapon they had in mind.


Was the Air Force concerned about the missile detonating during testing?


No, there were concerns about the hazards of operating this reactor in the first place. A brochure put out by the Nevada National Security Site [in 2013] points out that Pluto would “deafen, flatten and irradiate people along its flight path.” Clearly, in that era the Atomic Energy Commission and the Pentagon had shown themselves not to be overly concerned about civilian safety—they were still doing atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons—so their standards were pretty low for protecting the public. The fact that Pluto was too troubling even for them is a worrisome sign, given that Russia seems to have gone ahead with a similar project.


How long would it have taken Russia to create the weapon Putin described, assuming it is similar to the Project Pluto missile?


This may have been in response to the general deterioration of relations between the U.S. and Russia over the past decade and a half, dating back to the George W. Bush administration’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002. The U.S. and NATO’s continued development of ballistic missile defense has clearly been a concern for Russia, even though the U.S. and NATO have insisted those systems are intended for use against rogue states like Iran and North Korea rather than Russia. [Other steps in that direction were] the U.S. continuing to pursue a relatively strong posture in its deterrence strategy as well as the [2018] Nuclear Posture Review released by the Trump administration. Russia must have been working on this for some time if they have a successful system.


How likely is it that Russia has, in fact, developed the system that Putin described?


I can’t really say. I would note there was a Washington Post story today, citing Fox News, that says the Pentagon was aware of a Russian test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile—but the system was still under development and had recently crashed in the Arctic. You would think that a flight test of this type of weapon system couldn’t be concealed—so, someone knows. All I can say is that if it’s real, it’s a development of great concern and would show a level of recklessness in Russian decision-making that even the U.S. wasn’t going to engage in during the cold war.


Are the lessons learned decades ago about the devastation of nuclear weapons being ignored?


One had hoped that the 1950s dream of using nuclear energy to power everything had been put to bed. Putin’s new weapons and NASA’s talk of using nuclear reactors to power spacecraft suggest some of those dreams are being revisited. This Pandora’s box does seem to have been opened again on both sides, and all of the old objections as to why you would not want to put nuclear reactors on high-speed vehicles that you’d launch into space still apply. There seems to be a collective amnesia—policy makers and the public have to relearn lessons learned a long time ago.

Tech

via Scientific American http://ift.tt/n8vNiX

March 2, 2018 at 06:01AM

Near-Zero-Power Temperature Sensor

Near-Zero-Power Temperature Sensor

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A temperature sensor was developed that runs on 113 picowatts of power — about 10 billion times smaller than a Watt. The technology could enable devices that can be powered by harvesting energy from low-power sources, such as the body or the surrounding environment. Potentially, the system could run for years on a tiny battery.

The near-zero-power temperature sensor is integrated into a chip measuring 0.15 × 0.15 square millimeters in area.

The approach involves minimizing power in two domains: the current source and the conversion of temperature to a digital readout. An ultra-low-power current source was built using gate leakage transistors — transistors in which tiny levels of current leak through the electronic barrier, or the gate. Transistors typically have a gate that can turn the flow of electrons on and off. But as the size of modern transistors continues to shrink, the gate material becomes so thin that it can no longer block electrons from leaking through — a phenomenon known as the quantum tunneling effect. Gate leakage is considered problematic in systems such as microprocessors or precision analog circuits. In the new technology, minuscule levels of electron flow are used to power the circuit.

Using these current sources, a less power-hungry way to digitize temperature was developed. This process normally requires passing current through a resistor — its resistance changes with temperature — then measuring the resulting voltage and converting that voltage to its corresponding temperature using a high-power analog-to-digital converter. Instead of this conventional process, the new system digitizes temperature directly and saves power. The system consists of two ultra-low-power current sources: one that charges a capacitor in a fixed amount of time regardless of temperature, and one that charges at a rate that varies with temperature — slower at lower temperatures, and faster at higher temperatures.

As the temperature changes, the system adapts so the temperature-dependent current source charges in the same amount of time as the fixed current source. A built-in digital feedback loop equalizes the charging times by reconnecting the temperature-dependent current source to a capacitor of a different size. The size of this capacitor is directly proportional to the actual temperature; for example, when the temperature falls, the temperature-dependent current source will charge more slowly, and the feedback loop compensates by switching to a smaller capacitor, which dictates a particular digital readout.

The temperature sensor is integrated into a small chip measuring 0.15 × 0.15 square millimeters in area. It operates at temperatures ranging from –20 to 40 °C. One tradeoff is that the sensor has a response time of approximately one temperature update per second, which is slightly slower than existing temperature sensors. However, this response time is sufficient for devices that operate in the human body, and in other environments where temperatures do not fluctuate rapidly.

For more information, contact David Gibbons at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 858-534-0175.

Tech

via NASA Tech Briefs http://ift.tt/2BVPq4O

March 2, 2018 at 01:08AM

MassDrop’s HIFIMAN Headphone Collaboration Means Big Sound and Big Savings

MassDrop’s HIFIMAN Headphone Collaboration Means Big Sound and Big Savings

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Just as MassDrop’s Sennheiser HD6xx are a slightly tweaked (and significantly cheaper) version of the Sennheiser HD650s , the HIFIMAN HE4XX are a better, cheaper variant of the excellent HE-400I.

The main differences here are the color (MassDrop’s are a very dark navy instead of black), and the headband, and both are improvements in MassDrop’s favor, if you ask me. The biggest difference though, of course, if price. If you get in on the drop, you’ll only spend $170, or about $50 less than the regular HIFIMANs.

These sold out quickly when they were offered for the first time last month, and there’s no reason to believe this drop will be any different.


Tech

via Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com

March 2, 2018 at 02:44PM

Navy SEALs Call Bullshit on Fox News Report That They Couldn’t Get Through Trump’s Border Wall

Navy SEALs Call Bullshit on Fox News Report That They Couldn’t Get Through Trump’s Border Wall

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This week, a Fox News contributor claimed that the US Navy SEALs had tested the border wall prototypes near San Diego and couldn’t breach them. It sounded too incredible to be true. And that’s because it wasn’t true.

“Special Forces operatives and members of our Navy SEAL community were asked to try and breach the wall prototypes and they could not do it,” Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich said in a video clip that recently went viral.

“Interesting,” an empty suit could be heard saying off camera.

“So that tells you that they’re doing the job that they’re supposed to do,”Pavlich continued.

But a US Naval Special Warfare Command spokesperson stationed in Coronado, California is calling bullshit. He told the San Diego Union-Tribune that, “no U.S. Navy SEALs were involved in the testing of the wall prototypes.”

Apparently some members of US Customs and Border Protection and some US military members did take jackhammers and saws to the barriers that are currently sitting near the US-Mexico border in recent weeks. But there’s no indication that any of those people were given military grade gear, let alone that any Navy SEALs were involved.

The border wall, which President Trump has taken an “all or nothing” approach to of late, has been a contentious issue. But one suspects that if US Navy SEALs were actually asked to get through Trump’s wall with the proper equipment, they wouldn’t have a very hard time.

As we’ve pointed out before, CBP’s own promotional videos that were shot using drones point to one key weakness of the entire border wall concept: The camera-drones themselves show that you can get over the wall pretty easily with unmanned aerial vehicles. And since drug smugglers have been caught using drones to go over pieces of the existing wall, that’s going to be a problem if you care about “drugs pouring into our country” from Mexico.

Oops.

[San Diego Union-Tribune via The Hill]

Tech

via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com

March 2, 2018 at 06:09AM

Come Visit: The Moon To Get Its Own 4G Mobile Network

Come Visit: The Moon To Get Its Own 4G Mobile Network

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cellular-network-on-moon.jpg

Vodafone Germany has announced it’s teaming up with Nokia, Berlin-based PTScientists and Audi to install a 4G cellular network on the moon so we stream high definition video from the lunar surface and get people amped about space again. Some more info while scheme how I’m going to be the first person to sext a moon rock:

The purpose of the privately-funded mission is to land the Autonomous Landing and Navigation Module (ALINA) in the vicinity of the Apollo 11 landing site, then deploy two Audi lunar Quattro rovers to explore the area and approach the abandoned Lunar Rover.

The plan is for Nokia Bell Labs to build what is claimed to be the lightest ever space-grade Ultra Compact Network, weighing only about a kilogram (2.2 lb). This will set up the Moon’s first 4G network operating in the 1,800-MHz frequency band to connect the rovers with the base station, which will act as a relay back to Earth.

According to Vodaphone this link will allow live streaming of HD video from the Moon, which will be relayed to a global audience through PTScientists’ server. In addition, the technology could find applications in future missions.

If all goes according to plan, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida will carry the moon’s network payload sometime in 2019. No word how far the network will stretch, but we should definitely send that no-good, backstabbing ‘Can You Hear Me Now?’ guy there with no space helmet to find out.

Thanks again to K Diddie, who’s really trying to get three tips published today and earn a coveted Geekologie gold star sticker.

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Tech

via Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome http://geekologie.com/

March 1, 2018 at 12:16PM

Car Modded With An Easy-Out Of Parallel Parking Spot Third Wheel

Car Modded With An Easy-Out Of Parallel Parking Spot Third Wheel

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This is a video of a Ford Mondeo in Santa Catarina, Brazil that was modified with a lowerable fifth wheel in the rear so it can easily pivot its way in and out of parallel parking spots. If you’re not familiar with the concept (which has actually existed in several different forms since the 1950’s), I included another video of a car with a similar device viewed from a much better angle that makes it crystal clear what’s going on. Now if only I’d had a car equipped with this during the parallel parking portion of my driving test, maybe I wouldn’t have failed three times. “You hit every single cone.” Whatever, that should have only been like a couple point deduction. “And backed over the test administrator.” I think that was the real kicker.

Keep going for the videos.

Thanks to Alan Amigo, who agrees you ain’t shit until you can drift into a parallel parking spot above 30MPH.

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Tech

via Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome http://geekologie.com/

March 1, 2018 at 02:23PM

GitHub survives massive DDoS attack relatively unscathed

GitHub survives massive DDoS attack relatively unscathed

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GitHub, a web-based code distribution and version control service, survived a massive denial of service attack on Wednesday. According to a report at Wired, a staggering 1.35 terabits per second (Tbps) of traffic hit the site at once. Within 10 minutes the company called for help from a DDoS mitigation service similar to Google’s Project Shield, Akamai’s Prolexic, which took over to filter and weed out malicious traffic packets. The attack, says Wired, ended after eight minutes. This may have been the largest DDoS attack ever; Wired notes the attack on domain name server Dyn in late 2016 reached 1.2 Tbps of traffic.

The attack was apparently conducted via a non-bot technique called an amplification attack. These use memcached database systems, says Wired, that can be queried by anyone. Attackers spoof the IP of their target and send small requests to the memcached databases, which then send a massive amount of traffic to the target system, like GitHub in this case. The answer to shutting down attacks like these is twofold, says Wired. Mitigation services like Prolexic can add filters to automatically block this sort of traffic, and owners of memcached databases can remove them from public access.

Source: Wired

Tech

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

March 1, 2018 at 01:33PM