Missing Uranium... 2.5t gone walkabout!

Missing Uranium... 2.5t gone walkabout!

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Discussion

BrettMRC

Original Poster:

4,378 posts

166 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-64972945

Over two tons of uranium has vanished in Libya.


turbobloke

106,967 posts

266 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
That's an ore inspiring bit of news.

mwstewart

7,935 posts

194 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
Not good.

Lynchie999

3,463 posts

159 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
"Its the Libyans!" ... Back to the Future vibes hehe

edit ... its was Plutonium but same as

Snoggledog

8,219 posts

223 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
As it's Yellowcake it shouldn't be too harmful unless someone wanted to bake Victoria sponge with it

vaud

51,844 posts

161 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
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EmailAddress said:
<Tom Clancy furiously starts taking notes>
He'll struggle, he's been dead for 10 years.

Rivenink

3,936 posts

112 months

Thursday 16th March 2023
quotequote all
well that sounds ore-ful...

Some Gump

12,848 posts

192 months

Friday 17th March 2023
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vaud said:
He'll struggle, he's been dead for 10 years.
That's what he wanted you to think.

vaud

51,844 posts

161 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
Some Gump said:
That's what he wanted you to think.
Apparently he was quite shocked by 9-11 as the attack mirrored one of his stories.

Gecko1978

10,334 posts

163 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
vaud said:
Some Gump said:
That's what he wanted you to think.
Apparently he was quite shocked by 9-11 as the attack mirrored one of his stories.
Broadly yes I recall but forget name of book which was before sum of all fears.

Re yellow cake don't you have to spin it in a centrifuge to create the unstable uranium used to make a bomb. An is that nit actually quite difficult

vaud

51,844 posts

161 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
Gecko1978 said:
Broadly yes I recall but forget name of book which was before sum of all fears.
Debt of Honor, after Sum of All Fears

poo at Paul's

14,318 posts

181 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
If you cannot trust some unamed Libyan factions in an ungoverned uncontrolled part of the country with your tonnes of radioactive material, who can you trust?

BrettMRC

Original Poster:

4,378 posts

166 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
vaud said:
Gecko1978 said:
Broadly yes I recall but forget name of book which was before sum of all fears.
Debt of Honor, after Sum of All Fears
See also: Storming Heaving by Dale Brown

Man-At-Arms

5,915 posts

185 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
vaud said:
Gecko1978 said:
Broadly yes I recall but forget name of book which was before sum of all fears.
Debt of Honor, after Sum of All Fears
i think a JAL 747 was flown into Capitol Building during the Sate Of Union address

TGCOTF-dewey

5,716 posts

61 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
turbobloke said:
That's an ore inspiring bit of news.
I see what U did there.

eharding

14,099 posts

290 months

Friday 17th March 2023
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Gecko1978 said:
Re yellow cake don't you have to spin it in a centrifuge to create the unstable uranium used to make a bomb. An is that nit actually quite difficult
Two hopes of some ne're-do-well turning that yellowcake into a bomb - Bob Hope, and isotope.

Gecko1978

10,334 posts

163 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
eharding said:
Gecko1978 said:
Re yellow cake don't you have to spin it in a centrifuge to create the unstable uranium used to make a bomb. An is that nit actually quite difficult
Two hopes of some ne're-do-well turning that yellowcake into a bomb - Bob Hope, and isotope.
as i recall Iran could not do it an by all accounts its fairly well funded an has some sharp brains so yeah joe average probably just going to get a bout of radiation sickness

however a dirty bomb is much easier to make i recall

Snoggledog

8,219 posts

223 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
Gecko1978 said:
Broadly yes I recall but forget name of book which was before sum of all fears.

Re yellow cake don't you have to spin it in a centrifuge to create the unstable uranium used to make a bomb. An is that nit actually quite difficult
IIRC Yellow cake needs to be turned into a gas (using flourine) which can then be fed into a centrifuge. The isotopes are bled off and added to another centrifuge (rinse and repeat lots of time until you end up with refined Uranium). In order to make enough refined uranium to make something go bang, you need a lot of power and lots of time. Enriched Uranium is stable (although rather dangerous) and will quietly fizz away unless there's a big enough amount to make it go critical.

gamefreaks

1,995 posts

193 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
If anyone has a few hours to waste, this is a great read. https://web.archive.org/web/20081004195210/http:/s...

It's about how 200 tons of YellowCake went missing and then somehow Israel suddenly had enough Uranium to keep Dimona going for a while....

Gecko1978

10,334 posts

163 months

Friday 17th March 2023
quotequote all
gamefreaks said:
If anyone has a few hours to waste, this is a great read. https://web.archive.org/web/20081004195210/http:/s...

It's about how 200 tons of YellowCake went missing and then somehow Israel suddenly had enough Uranium to keep Dimona going for a while....
Didn't Israel develop nuclear weapons with South Africa who gave them up post apartheid but Israel have never disclosed if they really do have them