Re: Shoulder launched nukes?

Jeff Lyon (on the topic of "how small can you make a nuke") wrote (and I
paraphrase heavily):

>[A "40s-era" nuke needs 10-15kg of fisisonables]

>[An advanced design with fusion boosting and/or "flying plate"
>compression schemes would only require 1 kg of fissionables]

While it is true that exotic compression schemes and boosting can reduce
the
amount of material require, exotic compression schemes would likely be
heavier and bulkier than the traditional
"explosive-shell-around-a-fissionable-ball" of the 40s-era design.  So
even
though you'd need less plutonium, you'd probably need more mass for
explosives, tamper, tritium reservoirs, or whatever.  Bottom line is
that a
nuke probably can't get much lighter than 10kg or so, but isn't that
light
enough? Just game-balance-wise, would we want every PBI able to cart
around
a dozen Hiroshimas?  Well, maybe if PA was as tough as Cheyenne
Mountain,
but this is only the 2180s, after all...

Anyhow, as others have pointed out, insert your own PSB to justify 5kg
nukes, or nuke-like bombs.  Maybe there's a one-use grav compensator
that
overloads to hyper-compress a small amount of fission or fusion fuel and
set
it off.  Hell, if you've got a direct-fire fusion gun, why not a
nuke-like
fusion grenade?  Why not a matter/anti-matter bomb, in finest sci-fi
tradition?

And the main point about the risk of using One Big Lander is still
well-taken.  Whether the "golden BB" is nuclear or conventional, the
more
you eggs you put in the basket, the more that get spilled when the
handle
breaks (if I may insert my metaphors in the blender and hit "puree"...).

Keep 'Em Flying,

Kent