End of nuclear arms control

 https://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-nuclear-arms-treaty-061934329.html

Russia warns United States: the end of nuclear arms control may be nigh
LONDON (Reuters) -Russia told the United States on Monday that the last remaining pillar of bilateral nuclear arms control could expire in 2026 without a replacement due to what it said were U.S. efforts to inflict "strategic defeat" on Moscow in Ukraine.

Must be more Putin trolls, they are everywhere.

Are there simpletons among us?

 Scooby, will you please stop tolerating this pro_Putin troll? His posts are revolting and inhumane. I understand he does not violate directly your rules, but when is enough blind acceptance of slaughter enough?

1/29/2023 5:56 PM"

Scooby it is your blog. Like it or not the NNSA labs are at the very least indirectly involved in current international politics. I am going to be a bit blunt, the above post is from a simpleton. I would have hoped LLNL/LANL/Sandia currently employ or have employed people with at least a modicum of rational thinking skills. If I am Putin troll with such revolting and inhuman posts it would be very easy to point out why beyond insults. I also argue that it could be possible that prolonging a conflict for rather dubious reason is also inhuman. Just something to think about, but there is no thinking any more on this just reaction. I am sure this is all going end well.

The Doomsday Clock

 https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/world/doomsday-clock-2023-climate-scn/index.html

On Tuesday, the clock was set at 90 seconds until midnight — the closest to the hour it has ever been, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the clock in 1947. Midnight represents the moment at which we will have made Earth uninhabitable for humanity. From 2020 to 2022, the clock was set at 100 seconds to midnight.

Well it is good know that the NNSA labs are helping with the clocks.

What about Thorium?

 Thorium was tested from 1965 and abandoned in 1969 for reasons explained in this short video.

Is there a chance that it will be revisited now that there are advances in fusion research?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AqYdPhv-T30&feature=share

Nuclear war warning

 https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/putin-ally-medvedev-warns-nuclear-074558491.html

MOSCOW (Reuters) -An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned NATO on Thursday that a defeat of Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war, while the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said the world would end if the West tried to destroy Russia.

Such apocalyptic rhetoric is intended to deter the U.S.-led NATO military alliance from getting even more involved in the war, on the eve of a meeting of Ukraine's allies to discuss sending Kyiv more weapons.


Ok I know that we will get our usual troll to say how is any of this relevant to the national labs. Well maybe if NIF works on the next shot Russia will think twice.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -An ally of President Vladimir Putin warned NATO on Thursday that a defeat of Russia in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war, while the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said the world would end if the West tried to destroy Russia.

Such apocalyptic rhetoric is intended to deter the U.S.-led NATO military alliance from getting even more involved in the war, on the eve of a meeting of Ukraine's allies to discuss sending Kyiv more weapons.


Ok I know that we will get our usual troll to say how is any of this relevant to the national labs. Well maybe if NIF works on the next shot Russia will think twice.

Scientists Condemn All Threats to Use Nuclear Weapons

https://physicistscoalition.org/1000-scientists-condemn-all-threats-to-use-nuclear-weapons/

"In the statement, which was delivered to key governments and decision makers today, the scientists “… state unequivocally that any threat to use nuclear weapons, at any time and under any circumstances, is extremely dangerous and totally unacceptable. We call on all people and governments everywhere to clearly condemn all nuclear threats, explicit or implicit, and any use of such weapons. With this statement, we add our voices to those already speaking out about the immense danger posed by nuclear weapons and call for immediate and concrete actions towards their elimination.

Well that sure clears thing up, without this letter we would have no idea how dangerous this is. I doubt LANL's pit facility will be seen as the
concrete action they are thinking but who knows they do not seem have any actual proposals for action.

Another shot

 “Nuclear Fusion: Inside the breakthrough that could change our world -60 Minutes”

Another NIF shot comparable to the December 2022 achievement, occurring in February 2023?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2kh6Ik4-yag

Scientist fired for climate change activism.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/opinion/scientist-fired-climate-change-activism.html

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Shortly after the New Year, I was fired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory after urging fellow scientists to take action on climate change. At the American Geophysical Union meeting in December, just before speakers took the stage for a plenary session, my fellow climate scientist Peter Kalmus and I unfurled a banner that read, “Out of the lab & into the streets.” In the few seconds before the banner was ripped from our hands, we implored our colleagues to use their leverage as scientists to wake the public up to the dying planet.

I am just guessing there is more to this story.

GAO report on pit production

 https://losalamosreporter.com/2023/01/12/gao-report-says-nnsa-lacks-comprehensive-schedule-cost-estimate-for-pit-production-capability/

The Government Accountability (GAO) on Thursday issued a report to Congressional committees entitled ‘NNSA Does Not Have a Comprehensive Schedule or Cost Estimate for Pit Production Capability”. The report says the GAO found that NNSA plans to establish the ability to produce 80 plutonium pits, the central core of a nuclear weapon per year at two sites; Los Alamos National Laboratory plans to produce 30 pits per year, rely on a broad range of activities, five large capital asset projects and other projects. The Savannah River Site plans to produce 50 pits rely on one capital asset project and some program activities. Several other Department of Energy sites play a supporting role. Reestablishing pit production likely presents NNSA’s largest investment in weapons production infrastructure to date, the GAO report states.

Just from reading this I would think Savannah River has a better chance as it will need only one capital asset project. The issue at LANL is that with 5 different projects if one goes wrong it delays the whole thing. I really do not know the details so this speculation could be completely off.

Chinese fusion

 China demonstrates controlled fusion for 17 minutes - fact or fiction?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10368259/amp/Chinas-nuclear-fusion-reactor-r no,uns-126MILLION-F-17-minutes.html

Shootings in Los Alamos.

 Two different shooting incidents in Los Alamos and two dead. Expect more of this as the town is changing and will start becoming more like standard town in New Mexico