> > If you don't care how much stuff gets thrown around then there are
> > quicker ways to get stuff from down there to up here.
> > And just doing it may produce the desired result.
> > Say you hit say 20 of these simultaneously (or 10, or 3 or even 1) and
> > redistributed their contents over the immediate area - even quite
> > locally. Regardless of actual effect, how would that influence future
> > paths?. If a few jetliners can change the world so much, what can a
> > few cracked pebblebeds do?

> They're called terrorists because they like to terrorize - the best
> way to terrorize people is to cause the biggest shock effect possible.
> The "best" way to do this is to kill a bunch of people quickly, I'm
> sad to say. Blowing up a (moving) train, crashing an airplane,
> bringing down a building, very dramatic, traumatic, and terrorizing.
> Trying to blow 20 pounds of uranium pebbles out of a 100 feet deep
> hole covered in [a lot of] very heavy reinforced cover-material would
> take more than a few pounds of explosives, and probably wouldn't kill
> very many people for "shock" value.
>
> Now I don't claim to know how a terrorist thinks, but wouldn't you
> think they'd go for something easier?

I leave the whole post intact for consideration.

To the sole question:
          No!  Absolutely not.
What an absolutely marvellous terrorist target.
Not just a few dead people.
Not even (just) many dead people.
But the dread radioactivity that others are proclaiming the vast
irrational fear of, spread far and who knows how wide around the site.
Even if you are VERY incompetent and don't actually crack the core,
how will people react to the event and to the possibility of future
ones.

As for
> Trying to blow 20 pounds of uranium pebbles out of a 100 feet deep
> hole covered in [a lot of] very heavy reinforced cover-material would
> take more than a few pounds of explosives, and probably wouldn't kill
> very many people for "shock" value.

You haven't had much to do with ANFOs, have you ? :-),
As in "You haven't had much to do with Jeddi, have you?" :-)

Jeddi and light sabres are to Blast doors as ANFOs is to almost
anything you wish to name.
Quality is not too bad and quantity is as much as you want. (The
Oklahoma City bombing used ANFOs :-( ).

Back up a power augur ((keep an eye out for black helicopters).
Dig suitably deep hole at precalculated angle and depth (keep eye out
for black helicopters.)
Pump in wholly safe premixed slurry of ANFOs (keep eye out ...)
Add detonation string (or before ANFOs)(Keep eye ...)
Add tamper if thought needed.
Light blue touch paper and stand very clear (who cares about black ...)
Sufficient unto the size of the hole is the evil thereof. And you can
add a very very very large amount very rapidly.
This is the way that farmers have been taking out stumps here since
time immemorial.
One Sack of Ammonium Nitrate Fertiliser (the AN) (or more sacks if wanted)
A suitable quanity of Fuel Oil / Diesel (the FO)
Very insensitive.
Needs detonators.
No problemo.

I think said Pebble Beds would make a very attractve terrorist target. Alas.


   R
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