One safety device for hollow centre nuclear devices apparently is/was to fi= ll it with=20 steel ball bearings through a hole in the top. Even if every other saftey f= ailed and=20 the initiating explosive charges went off the material could not be compres= sed to=20 form a critical mass. Final(?) arming step... turn it over and the ball bea= rings roll out! On a related note I recently had a trip to Japan and visited Hiroshima. Gar= dens,=20 castles, temples, city, Mazda factory, Shinkansen (bullet train). Amazing=20 experience, sobering history, eerie to stand more or less on the spot of th= e 1945=20 explosion... at the hypocentre (not epicentre, as blast was at altitude of = approx 600=20 metres) there is a small plaque, with peace memorials, museum & parks etc c= lose=20 by. --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .