this post was submitted on 27 May 2024
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interestingasfuck
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Wait there was a nuclear test less than a year ago?
Edit: Wikipedia says the most recent test was on 2017/09/03, ~~making this photo taken on 2018/04/01~~
Edit 2: I found the article this photo is from with more context. TL:DR it was reset back in 2022 bc the US conducted two clandestine tests.
I wouldn’t call the US tests “clandestine”. They’re subcritical, meaning they don’t generate any nuclear yield. They also report when they do these in the annual NNSA reports.
I was gonna say, if clandestine, how on clock?
They learned of it after it happened per the article.
Interesting, they were “sub critical” tests. I mean that really shouldn’t count…puts them on par with actual detonations (which Russia is clearly prepping to do soon with tactical nukes).
Why shouldn't they count? It's literally testing a nuclear weapon. The clock does not say: "Time since the last detonation of a nuclear weapon".
Edit: But one could argue that nuclear weapons get tested all the time without any kind of detonation. These should count too IMHO.
Edit: just read another article on the tests. They happen to design new weapons with them which makes them not tests to see if the nukes still work like I thought.
It’s not considered a nuclear weapon test under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, so I think it’s fair to argue the clock shouldn’t be reset for a subcritical test.