An Explosive Solution: Nuking the Oil Spill
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"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure." –Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Aliens, 1986
Well, the BP’s top kill failed. The attempt to slice through the riser pipe failed.
So, what’s the next logical solution to clean up the oil spill and stopping more oil from escaping?
Why, nuking it, of course.
Experts have suggested developing a weapon system, dropping it, and detonating. This would hopefully encase the oil.
Or, "cauterize the wound," if you will (as I like to think of it).
Apparently scientists in the Soviet Union successfully did this many years ago when they were trying to seal off runaway gas wells.
According to the above linked article from The New York Times, a nuclear explosion is only an option; one that the United States isn’t really considering at this time.
Obviously a wild notion. Could setting off a nuclear bomb really work to help clean up the oil spill though? And even if it did, what about the other ramifications that could be caused by the explosion, such as possibly killing off wildlife.
What do you think about this idea?
By Jessica Livingston
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