looking for documentation for 1963 minuteman missile computer - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

16 Oct 2001

On Wednesday, October 17, 2001 9:55 AM, Gene Buckle [SMTP:geneb@deltasoft.com] 
wrote:
...
    For the gun type, all bets are off - it's a _much_
simpler design.

 I wonder what kind of yeild you'd get using a .50 diameter bullet against
 a 1.00 diameter target.  (inches) 
 The answer is 0.  The ISTR that the critical radius for U235 is about 9 cm.
 For plutonium, the critical radius is about 5 cm.  Plutonium doesn't work
 too well in the gun types, so you would tend to get a small but extremely
 messy explosion even with a critical assembly.

 There are tricks to getting the critical radius down to lower values...
  Hmmm.  Well, like I said, I'm not a weapon designer.  I don't even play
 one on TV. :)

 (does the trick involve Tritium, or is that just a yield enhancer for
 implosion types?)

 g.
 Naw.. Neutron generators.. Basically a golfball sized device that spits off
tons of neutrons. 