the implosion mechanism to initiate the chain reaction compressed it to about half the volume.

Y’know, I’ve done a lot of “hobby research” into nuclear weapons, but never really did the math on the degree to which the pit was compressed. Just on an intuitive level, it’s already a bit difficult to fathom solids compressing, but not unreasonable to imagine. However, in my head it was like, a couple percent at most. Forcing a solid ball of insanely dense metal into a space half of what it originally was just blows my mind even more.

Well, if America is no longer a superpower, then Putin and all his oligarchs buddies are planning on sweeping up the spoils of its ruin for themselves.

It’s almost always whatever you you threw out last week though.