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Mishap In Dismantling Nuclear Warhead
Austin (UPI) Jan 08, 2007 A watchdog group charges a nuclear warhead nearly exploded in Texas when it was being dismantled at the government's Pantex facility near Amarillo. The Project on Government Oversight says it has been told by knowledgeable experts that the warhead nearly detonated in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled, The Austin American-Statesman reports. The U.S. Energy Department fined the plant's operators $110,000 last month. An investigator for Project on Government Oversight says the weapon involved was a W-56 warhead with 100 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The watchdog group says the problem was caused in part by technicians at the plant being required to work up to 72 hours each week. They released an anonymous letter, reportedly sent by Pantex employees, warning that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions at the plant. A spokesperson for the Energy Department declined to respond to safety complaints in the letter.
Source: United Press International Related Links Project on Government Oversight Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Northrop Grumman ICBM Propulsion System Rocket Engine Life Extension Program
Clearfield UT (SPX) Jan 08, 2007The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract for 22 months to continue the full-rate production phase of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Propulsion System Rocket Engine (PSRE) Life Extension Program (LEP). The PSRE is the fourth and final stage rocket engine on the Minuteman III missile. This LEP effort involves refurbishing and replacing aged flight hardware and ordnance in this stage to maintain alert-readiness of the missiles. |
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