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/dev/random / Re: The last movie you saw....
« on: January 24, 2024, 10:26:10 AM »
Reading some of the stuff posted about how they did the explosion for the movie, it was non-CGI practical miniature explosions in a studio as big as they could manage without destroying everything. I guess they didn't want to use the actual footage from Trinity because it wasn't filmed in the proper aspect ratio for wide screen cinema and would have detracted from the movie. If you go to YouTube and watch them there are enhanced versions of many of the nuke tests but when they add sound they don't account for the delays and I think it detracts from the experience. A 20kT observed from 5 miles away would be utterly silent until just before the shock wave arrives and the first thing you would hear would be the sound emanating from the earthquake under your feet created by the impulse of the explosion at ground zero. You can't observe the flash with your eyes even with goggles on or you'd be blinded so all you can see would be the fireball after the primary detonation.
I haven't seen the movie but from what I've read about Oppie and the team, they had Germany in mind during the project and once they had achived the goal of creating a practical nuclear weapon they really didn't want it actually used but wanted it to be the big stick to force surrender. Truman didn't want to risk a possible dud in a demo explosion in front of the world so I guess it was all or nothing in a drop on Japan. They were fire-bombing cities all over Japan except for certain targets and still the empire wouldn't surrender so Truman decided to make a sudden impression on the preserved target cities. I think racism and revenge for Pearl Harbor had a little bit to do with it too and that also entered into Oppenheimer's regrets, IMO.
I should also say that the argument that there might be a possible dud is rather specious. Trinity was a plutonium device, similar to Fat Man and it worked perfectly. Little Boy was a Uranium device, a gun type A-bomb, virtually guaranteed to work so the actual risk of a dud demo was very low. Lower even that a live drop from a bomber.
I haven't seen the movie but from what I've read about Oppie and the team, they had Germany in mind during the project and once they had achived the goal of creating a practical nuclear weapon they really didn't want it actually used but wanted it to be the big stick to force surrender. Truman didn't want to risk a possible dud in a demo explosion in front of the world so I guess it was all or nothing in a drop on Japan. They were fire-bombing cities all over Japan except for certain targets and still the empire wouldn't surrender so Truman decided to make a sudden impression on the preserved target cities. I think racism and revenge for Pearl Harbor had a little bit to do with it too and that also entered into Oppenheimer's regrets, IMO.
I should also say that the argument that there might be a possible dud is rather specious. Trinity was a plutonium device, similar to Fat Man and it worked perfectly. Little Boy was a Uranium device, a gun type A-bomb, virtually guaranteed to work so the actual risk of a dud demo was very low. Lower even that a live drop from a bomber.