wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

[SgtMaj]

So this tiny little article is stuffed way back in page 6 of our local newspaper where no one will see it. Apparantly some 22 yr old guy who lives with his parents in TX built a working NUCLEAR REACTOR in his garage!!! (That's the first "what" in the title) He bought the Uranium to fuel the reactor on Ebay (that's the "WHAT?!" part of the title) and got additional radioactive material from smoke detectors. Officials who showed up to his house after he boasted about it on an internet science forum said that it didn't work very well and that none of his neighbors were in any serious danger (though it didn't mention how close or far away his neighbors lived). They also said he didn't break any laws, and they only removed the equipment at his parents request. (this would be the "WTF?!?!!!")

I have so many questions about this it's not even funny. First off it's LEGAL to have and/or sell nuclear material to the public?!? And it's LEGAL to have a nuclear reactor at your house?? And how is this not FRONT PAGE NEWS?!? Seriously, someone up in washington needs to have a good answer for why in the heck in this day and age with terrorism and the fears of a dirty bomb, are there no laws outlawing this stuff? I mean, wasn't there some kind of a patriot act that was supposed to close off some of these huge gaping holes in our national security?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Oh boy, another late night.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Here I found a link to an article about it in the Dallas morning news (not my local paper, but my local paper isn't online):
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/011108dnmetreactor.d15dfb4.html

... and here's the full article from there (in this version they say it didn't work at all, in my local paper it says it didn't work well, not sure which to believe. But either way, WTF?!?):

Rockwall man boasts of nuclear reactor, but no arrest made

07:46 PM CST on Thursday, January 10, 2008
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
jtrahan@dallasnews.com

A 22-year-old Rockwall man's Internet boasts that he had made a mini-nuclear reactor in his garage resulted in a visit recently by federal authorities.

Representatives with the FBI and the Texas Department of State Health Services' Radiation Control Program took away the man's science equipment on Friday – but not because he was doing anything dangerous or illegal.

Rather, the man's parents, with whom he is living, asked that the equipment be removed, officials said.

The man, who was not identified by authorities and who could not be reached, was experimenting with Americium-241, a man-made radioactive element common in smoke detectors, and natural radioactive ore that he had bought legally over eBay, said Victor Dricks, a regional spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Commission investigators discovered the homemade atomic lab on Dec. 29, when they found the man's boasts on an amateur science blog. He said on the blog that he had produced high amounts of radiation in his house while making Plutonium-239, a component in nuclear weapons. He made no mention of nefarious motives; he was just interested in the science, officials said.

Tests on the home did not show abnormal levels of radiation, officials said. The man's "claims that he had created a nuclear reactor that was producing high amounts of radiation were unfounded," Mr. Dricks said. Neighbors were not in danger, he added.

No charges will be filed because it is legal to possess the ore he had, Mr. Dricks said. "It's naturally occurring uranium, like you'd find in the ground. It's only when it's processed and the radioactive component is concentrated is where a license is required. He had not been doing that."

Dallas FBI spokesman Mark White said the man "hadn't done anything to the point where he committed a crime. If he had kept his experiment going, it probably wouldn't have blown up, but it probably would have been a cleanup issue."

 

[JB]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Not even a Jr. High science project, SgtMaj. No "nuclear reaction" possible with the radionuclides the idiot had, even if he had tons of them.

Naturally occuring forms of uranium must be highly refined and seperated to be fissionable. It took the U.S. 3 years and billions of bux worth of seperators to refine enough to make ONE bomb. Plutonium 239 is a byproduct of controlled fission in a working reactor, as is Americium. No working reactor, no Plutonium 239.

Though Plutonium 239 is deadly poison, Americium 241 is pretty harmless. There is Americium 241 in most smoke detectors.

It is his claims on the net that made this a story, and those claims are baseless.

 

[DJ]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Not even a Jr. High science project, SgtMaj. No "nuclear reaction" possible with the radionuclides the idiot had, even if he had tons of them.

Naturally occuring forms of uranium must be highly refined and seperated to be fissionable. It took the U.S. 3 years and billions of bux worth of seperators to refine enough to make ONE bomb. Plutonium 239 is a byproduct of controlled fission in a working reactor, as is Americium. No working reactor, no Plutonium 239.

Though Plutonium 239 is deadly poison, Americium 241 is pretty harmless. There is Americium 241 in most smoke detectors.

It is his claims on the net that made this a story, and those claims are baseless.

JB is absolutely correct. However, as soon as anyone mentions the "soundbite"-nuclear or radioactive, the American public wigs out. Everyone had better be looking at their watches for those glowing numbers and hands. They are Iridium.

Misinformation is more deadly than information.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Well kudo's to the kid with a hobby. Maybe he could have been on the path of discovery......

Typical over-reaction on the media.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Watch hands aren't made of iridium anymore (not since the 60's)...

Also, and I realize that smoke detectors do have some radioactive matter in them, but don't you think it's a wee bit ridiculous that any private citizen should be able to legally amass a good amount of radioactive material?

Also, it didn't say he was trying to make a working nuclear bomb, that is difficult, but it is not that difficult to get radioactive isotopes to react with one another and it does not require a great deal of refinement. But all of that is besides the point. But in this day and age of terrorism, if it is this easy to get your hands on radioactive material, and not only that, but stay off the radar map until you boast about it to everyone on the net, how long do you think it will be before we see dirty bombs being detonated

 

[oops!]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Oh boy, another late night.

lets hope it doesnt go there

but heres another shot

besides givin the kid a big pat on the back and a job in a lab....hes gotta have big mazoonkas for tryin....

as far as dirty bombs...sarg.. yer right....
but the american way is freedom to do what you want as long as it doesnt break any laws...he didnt

heres the shot

im worried about all the "scientests" cookin up dope in their kitchen....
there killing our children....
if there was ever a terrorist its them!
but whats the diff between makin a dirty bomb, and cookin (what do they call it?) chrystal meth?
leads to instant addiction, creates thieves, muggers and murders....
all are very harm full to the american..(north american) way of life!

oops

 

[beerrun]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

No charges will be filed because it is legal to possess the ore he had, Mr. Dricks said. "It's naturally occurring uranium, like you'd find in the ground.

Does that mean pot and coca plants should be legal?? Naturally occuring...find in the ground??

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Dang! I was hopin that the thing worked so I could get him to build me a reactor to run my house - I'm gettin tired of the Entergy bills I've been gettin lately!

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Dang! I was hopin that the thing worked so I could get him to build me a reactor to run my house - I'm gettin tired of the Entergy bills I've been gettin lately!

I know what you mean... I'd be lying if I said the same thought hadn't crossed my mind. Then sanity kicked in and I realized how quickly the cancer treatments would eat up those energy savings.

 

[pduquette]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Aww come on guys ! I got a 386 million megawatt nuclear reactor chargin the battery for my boat !!! ---- I just roll out the solar panel............

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Yeah well at least you keep your reactor 91 million miles away from your garage...

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Don't worry about that nuc caused cancer, Sgt. About the time you start glowin, we'll just hook you up to the house like Neo from The Matrix.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Don't worry about that nuc caused cancer, Sgt. About the time you start glowin, we'll just hook you up to the house like Neo from The Matrix.

OR... one could self-medicate with radiation therapy, lol.

 

[steve201]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

being an ex-sub designer..(did it for 17+ yrs)....I can tell you that the amount and quality of material isn't anything to be of concern...he may have had a model of a reactor in his garage..but I'd be willing to be dollars to donuts it didn't put out enough to charge a 9vdc battery........the amount of fissionable material is staggering to the common man's thinking......believe me...the stuff out of a smoke detector is trace at best.......I think the news made more of a deal out of it than needed.......but..that's just my opinion....

Steve

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: wait... what? WHAT?! WTF?!?!!!

Can you imagine sittin around at home watching TV and the cops show up for son.........An tell you he is building a nuclear reactor in your garage