U.S. conducts two tests of nuclear capability Z machine used for tests in September, October
Nov. 11, 2014
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
The United States conducted tests of the capability of its nuclear weapons in September and October, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy. In its November 4 announcement the agency stated that small amounts of plutonium and a special piece of equipment known as the Z machine were used in both tests, which were carried out at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico.
According to a spokesman for the NNSA, the first test was conducted on September 4, a year after the most recent test was carried out in September of last year. The second test was conducted a month later on October 3. It was the 12th test to be conducted during the administration of Barack Obama. The first was carried out in November 2010.
The Z Pulsed Power Facility, known as the Z machine, is a piece of testing equipment designed to generate high-intensity X-ray energy. It creates conditions of extreme temperature and pressure approaching those of a nuclear explosion and can be used to check the behavior of plutonium. The NNSA said the tests were conducted in order to confirm the safety and efficacy of nuclear weapons and noted that they were not carried out at a test site nor were explosives used.
Although Mr. Obama has called for a “world without nuclear weapons,” in addition to the latest tests four subcritical nuclear experiments have been carried out during his administration. The U.S. argues that because the tests do not involve a nuclear explosion they are not covered by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
(Originally published on November 5, 2014)
The United States conducted tests of the capability of its nuclear weapons in September and October, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Energy. In its November 4 announcement the agency stated that small amounts of plutonium and a special piece of equipment known as the Z machine were used in both tests, which were carried out at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico.
According to a spokesman for the NNSA, the first test was conducted on September 4, a year after the most recent test was carried out in September of last year. The second test was conducted a month later on October 3. It was the 12th test to be conducted during the administration of Barack Obama. The first was carried out in November 2010.
The Z Pulsed Power Facility, known as the Z machine, is a piece of testing equipment designed to generate high-intensity X-ray energy. It creates conditions of extreme temperature and pressure approaching those of a nuclear explosion and can be used to check the behavior of plutonium. The NNSA said the tests were conducted in order to confirm the safety and efficacy of nuclear weapons and noted that they were not carried out at a test site nor were explosives used.
Although Mr. Obama has called for a “world without nuclear weapons,” in addition to the latest tests four subcritical nuclear experiments have been carried out during his administration. The U.S. argues that because the tests do not involve a nuclear explosion they are not covered by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
(Originally published on November 5, 2014)
