HOWTO Build a Nuclear Device

[Eric Cordian]

Peter Trei wrote:

> I have a vague memory of seeing a photo of a ?3 inch? ball of Pu (isotopic
> composition unknown) in one of those old Time-Life books. The ball glowed
> a dull red with it's own internal heat.

Sounds like plutonium-238, NASA's favorite fuel for deep space
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs).  It puts out 0.54
kilowatts/kilogram and has a half life of 87.8 years.

-- 
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"