Z fires objects faster than Earth moves through space

Technique helps compute Jupiter/Saturn mass, improve peacetime fusion capsule design, stabilize stockpile

Sandia National Labs has accelerated a small plate from zero to 76,000 mph (122,360 km/hr) in less than a second.
The speed of the thrust was a new record for Sandia's Z Machine - sometimes referred to as the fastest gun in the West. Actually the fastest in the world, it is now able to propel small plates at 34 kilometers a second, faster than the 30 km/sec that Earth travels through space in its orbit about the sun, 50 times faster than a rifle bullet, and three times the velocity needed to escape Earth's gravitational field.

Full story »

All News summaries from Physics news
All News summaries for June 07, 2005