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Once the US military conducted a mysterious research program, and they conducted scientific research for fourteen years in an undisclosed location. The program, considered one of the most ambitious in the history of U.S. defense, aims to create a weapon that could completely destroy the world.
It sounds crazy, but in times of war, the competition between countries is very fierce. As a superpower, the United States must ensure its own security.
Therefore, they wanted to protect themselves by creating a weapon capable of destroying any opponent - cobalt bombs. Next, let's see what exactly it is?
What is a cobalt bomb?
The cobalt bomb is a special nuclear weapon designed to produce large amounts of radioactive fallout that contaminate vast areas and cause long-term radiation damage. The concept of a cobalt bomb was first proposed by physicist Sziillard on a radio program on February 26, 1950.
When the bomb explodes, the neutrons produced by the secondary reaction transform the cobalt into the highly radioactive cobalt-602 cobalt-602, an isotope with a half-life of 5.27 years and the release of gamma rays and beta particles.
The high temperature and pressure generated when the hydrogen bomb explodes will evaporate cobalt-60 into a gaseous state, which will spread around the world with the direction of the wind. This creates a "radioactive salt" that can contaminate soil, water, plants and animals, with fatal or serious health and genetic consequences for humans and other organisms.
How dangerous is cobalt 60?
Cobalt 60 is a highly radioactive isotope that emits gamma rays and beta particles. Gamma rays are extremely penetrating electromagnetic radiation, which can penetrate the human body and most substances and cause serious damage to biological tissues. A beta particle is a high-speed moving electron or positron that can react with the nucleus and release more energy.
Cobalt 60 has a long impact on the human body and the environment. Its half-life (i.e., the time it takes to decay to half of what it was) is about 5.27 years. This means that it will take at least decades after the explosion to eliminate its radiation effects. And if the explosion occurs in the stratosphere (about 10-50 km altitude), then Cobalt 60 will be distributed around the globe with wind direction and air flow and will fall to the ground or water.
According to scientists' calculations, if a cobalt salt hydrogen bomb with a yield of 100 megatons (equivalent to 2 billion Hiroshima atomic bombs) were used and dispersed to explode around the globe, enough cobalt-60 could be produced to kill all living things on land and on the surface of the ocean.
In this case, the earth will become a no-man's land, and only some microorganisms or insects that can tolerate high radiation may survive. However, this situation is very unrealistic, because manufacturing and transporting such a large-scale "cobalt bomb" requires huge resources and technology, and is easy to detect and stop.
It is more likely that cobalt bombs will be used as a deterrent or retaliatory weapon against a country or region. For example, if a country possesses several cobalt bombs and threatens to deliver a nuclear strike against an enemy country, the hostile country faces a difficult choice: either succumb to the threat or suffer doom.
Or, if a country is under a nuclear attack and decides to retaliate, it can use cobalt bombs to inflict more damage and inflict a heavier price on the enemy.
Why did the US military develop cobalt bombs?
The motivation of the US military to develop the cobalt bomb is mainly twofold: one is as a deterrent means, and the other is as an ultimate weapon.
During the Cold War, there was a danger of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both sides possess large numbers of nuclear weapons and are constantly conducting nuclear tests and nuclear races.
To prevent the other from launching a nuclear attack first, both sides have established the strategic idea of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). That is, if one side uses nuclear weapons to attack the other, the other side will also carry out a retaliatory nuclear strike, resulting in the destruction of both sides. This creates a state of equilibrium in which neither side dares to easily provoke a nuclear war.
However, in this state of equilibrium, there are also factors of instability. For example, the term "missile gap" emerged between the late 1950s and early 1960s, referring to the fact that the United States lagged behind the Soviet Union in the number of intercontinental missiles and could not effectively defend against Soviet missile attacks. This made the United States feel at a disadvantage and feared that the Soviet Union might use its advantage to launch a surprise attack.
In order to increase its superiority in nuclear war, or at least to maintain a balance that is not broken, the United States began to seek new types of nuclear weapons or improvements to existing ones.
One idea is to develop nuclear weapons that can have a wider range and longer-term impact, the cobalt bomb. The concept of cobalt bombs was first proposed by physicist Sziillard on a radio program on February 26, 1950, in which he warned that if someone made a batch of cobalt bombs and dropped them around the globe, humanity could be wiped out.
He believes that this weapon is an "ultimate weapon" that can make either side afraid to start a nuclear war because the consequences are too dire.
The US military became interested in Szilard's idea and began work on the "Cobalt Bomb". According to reports, the United States conducted two "cobalt bomb" tests between 1951 and 1964.
The first was on September 12, 1951, in an underground laboratory near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The test used a small uranium-235 atomic bomb and a 0.5-inch (about 1.27 centimeter) thick cobalt metal casing. This atomic bomb produced an explosive energy of 20 kilotons and converted part of the cobalt into cobalt-60. This test is not to test the lethal effect of cobalt bombs, but to verify its feasibility and safety.
The second was the Julius incident in the Dominic II series of nuclear tests over the Pacific Ocean on May 25, 1964. The test used a large hydrogen bomb and a cobalt metal shell 0.25 inches (about 0.64 cm) thick.
The hydrogen bomb produced 4.1 million tons of explosive energy and converted part of the cobalt into cobalt-60. The test was conducted to test the lethal effect of cobalt bombs and their impact on the environment. It is estimated that the hydrogen bomb released about 1.3 grams of cobalt-60, equivalent to 5.2×10^17 Becquerels (Bq) of radioactive material.
The principle of the cobalt bomb is to use the neutron radiation generated by the nuclear explosion to excite the cobalt-59 atoms in the cobalt metal shell, turning it into the radioactive isotope cobalt-60.
Cobalt-60 has a β decay process with a half-life of 5.27 years and can emit high-energy γ rays and electrons. These γ rays and electrons can penetrate the human body and objects, causing severe radiation damage.
Moreover, because cobalt-60 can form oxide powder in the air and drift into the atmosphere with the wind, it can contaminate a wide range of land, water sources and biological chains, leading to long-term radioactive pollution.
If someone uses a sufficient batch of cobalt bombs and drops them around the world, it could create a phenomenon known as "nuclear winter."
"Nuclear winter" refers to the consequences of a large number of nuclear explosions such as dust, smoke and carbon black particles blocking the sun's rays, resulting in a sharp drop in the earth's surface temperature, crop failure, and extinction of animals and plants. Coupled with the high doses of radiation and pollution produced by cobalt bombs, it is likely that humans will not be able to survive in such an environment.
Therefore, Szilard believes that if someone creates a batch of cobalt bombs and drops them around the world, then humanity can be wiped out.
Through this extreme assumption, he hoped to raise awareness of the dangers and immorality of nuclear war, thereby promoting peace and cooperation. He also hoped to use this idea to prevent either side from actually making and using cobalt bombs.
In fact, in addition to the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France and other nuclear-armed countries have studied or considered the manufacture of "cobalt bombs".
- Soviet Union: The Soviet Union first tested "salted" nuclear weapons in 1954 and conducted larger tests in 1956. The Soviet Union also planned to create a "clean" hydrogen bomb that could produce a huge radioactive contamination effect.
- United Kingdom: The United Kingdom conducted a nuclear test called Grant Island in 1957, which used cesium as a "salting" agent. The UK has also considered the use of zinc as a "salinizing" agent to increase the radiation effect.
- France: France conducted a nuclear test called Canops in 1968, which used antimony as a "salting" agent. France has also considered the use of bismuth as a "salinizing" agent to increase the radiation effect.
Why did it finally turn out that this road did not work?
Although cobalt bombs are powerful, countries eventually abandoned the research on cobalt bombs for the following reasons:
Cobalt bombs are too heavy and too big. To create a sufficiently powerful cobalt bomb, it is necessary to use a large number of rare and expensive metal elements ———uranium, lithium, deuterium, tritium and cobalt. Not only are these elements difficult to obtain and process, but they also increase the weight and volume of the weapons themselves, making them difficult to load on aircraft or missiles.
Cobalt bombs are too cruel and dangerous. Cobalt bombs are not designed to destroy enemy military targets, but to kill enemy civilians and cause long-term environmental disasters. Such weapons not only violate international law and humanitarian principles, but could also trigger a global nuclear war and lead to the self-destruction of humankind.
Cobalt bombs are too difficult to control and too unstable. The effectiveness of a cobalt bomb depends on many uncertain factors, such as the height of the explosion, wind direction, climate, terrain, etc.
If the location or timing of the explosion is deviated, the cobalt bomb may cause harm to itself or a third party. Moreover, once a cobalt bomb is detonated, it cannot recover or stop its radiation effects.
In summary, the US military finally realized that the cobalt bomb was an impractical, immoral, and unreliable weapon. Moreover, the manufacture and transportation of cobalt bombs also has great technical difficulties and safety risks. Therefore, the project was officially terminated in 1964, and no "cobalt bomb" was actually built.
epilogue
This incident has brought us profound enlightenment. Humanity has developed many new technologies, but we need to use them carefully to avoid paying a heavy price for momentary glory.
The power to destroy the world does not lie in the weapons themselves, but in humanity itself. This research program is a good example of how we need to be more cautious about the development of science and technology, and not let the development of technology exceed the bottom line of human morality. We need to use scientific and technological developments for more meaningful things and contribute more to the well-being of humanity.
Finally, let us reflect together on wars and conflicts in this world. We can learn from history, reflect on human mistakes, and solve problems through peaceful means, not by force.
The weapon that destroys the world is not the solution to the problem, it will only bring more suffering and disaster to the world. Let us collectively call for an end to the use of war and violence, to solve the problems facing humankind in a peaceful manner and to work for the happiness and security of all humankind.
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