Nuclear Explosions in Science and Technology

Abstract

• In the public discussion concerning a general ban on nuclear explosions, one argument is that such a ban would prevent important scientific and engineering applications of nuclear energy. The following article expands the description of certain projects of this kind (“Project Plowshare” of the AEC) outlined in an earlier article in the Bulletin (June 1959, pp. 240–244) by Willard F. Libby. Several questions are raised by this program. (1) Are the scientific and technical possibilities outlined important enough to affect significantly our decision as to the desirability of a complete ban on nuclear explosions? (2) Would it be possible to conduct such projects with effective guarantees that they serve no military purposes? (3) Could such projects be carried out entirely under international sponsorship?• This article, by Gerald W. Johnson, associate director of Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore, California, is a valuable contribution to the public evaluation of the first of the above questions. We...