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A nuclear explosive is an explosive device that derives its energy from nuclear reactions. Almost all nuclear explosive devices that have been designed and produced, and the two that have actually been used, are nuclear weapons intended for warfare; see that article for more detail. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... In nuclear physics, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two nuclei or nuclear particles collide, to produce different products than the initial products. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ...

Other, non-warfare, applications for nuclear bombs have occasionally been proposed. For example, nuclear pulse propulsion is a form of spacecraft propulsion that would use nuclear bombs to provide impulse to a spacecraft. A similar application is the proposal to use nuclear bombs for asteroid deflection. From 1958 to 1965 The U. S government ran a project to design a nuclear bomb powered nuclear pulse rocket called Project Orion. Never built, this vessel would use repeated nuclear explosions to propel itself and was considered surprisingly practical. It is thought to be a feasible design for interstellar travel. An artists conception of a spacecraft powered by nuclear pulse propulsion Nuclear pulse propulsion (or External Pulsed Plasma Propulsion, as it is termed in one recent NASA document) is a proposed method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. ... A remote camera captures a close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine during a test firing at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. ... Since 1994 when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter, scientists have been researching if it may be possible to deflect incoming asteroids. ... An artists conception of the NASA reference design for Project Orion This article is about Project Orion the spacecraft propulsion project. ...

On Earth, nuclear explosives were once considered for use in large-scale excavation. A nuclear explosion could be used to create a harbor, or a mountain pass, or possibly large underground cavities for use as storage space. It was thought that detonating a nuclear bomb in oil-rich rock could make it possible to extract more from the deposit. From 1958 to 1973 the U. S government exploded 28 nuclear test-shots in a project called the Operation Plowshare. The purpose of the Operation Plowshare was to use peaceful nuclear explosions for moving and lifting enormous amounts of earth and rock during construction projects such as building reservoirs. The Soviet Union conducted a much more vigorous program of 122 nuclear tests, some with multiple devices, between 1965 and 1989 under the auspices of Program No. 7-Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy. A harbor (AmE), harbour (CwE) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ... The 1962 Sedan plowshares shot displaced 12 million tons of earth and created a crater 320 feet deep and 1,280 feet wide. ... Chagan (nuclear test) in Soviet Union 1965 was used to create a dam on Semipalatinsk river Peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) are nuclear explosions conducted for non-military purposes, such as activities related to economic development including the creation of canals. ... Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy was a Soviet program to investigate peaceful uses of nuclear weapons (PNEs). ...

As controlled nuclear fusion has proven difficult to use as an energy source, an alternate proposal for producing fusion power has been to detonate fusion bombs inside very large underground chambers and then using the heat produced, which would be absorbed by a molten salt coolant which would also absorb neutrons. See the PACER project for more details. The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction is considered the most promising for producing fusion power. ... The Sun is a natural fusion reactor. ... Pacer could refer to: A type of British train, see Pacer (train). ...

Failure to meet objectives, along with the realization of the dangers of nuclear fallout and other residual radioactivity, and with the enactment of various agreements such as the Partial Test Ban Treaty and the Outer Space Treaty, has lead to the temination of most of these programs. Map of hypothetical fallout dispersal after a large-scale nuclear attack against the United States. ... The Treaty Banning poop, in Outer Space, and Under Water, often abbreviated as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), or Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NTBT), although the former also refers to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), is a treaty intended to obtain an agreement... The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies also known as the Outer Space Treaty (the Treaty), was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union (the three...

External links

• Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions