It
would provide some neutrons to start the chain reaction. Rip added it to
the front of the plutonium wedge, along with a piece of beryllium from
the bomb, and Kemp welded it in place.
They put the thorium block which contained the plutonium into the hole,
the plutonium facing outward. Trudeau rammed it to the bottom with his
pole. The neutron source, the neutron reflector, and one piece of
fissionable material were in place.
Kemp sliced another round block of thorium out of a nearby crystal and
fitted the second wedge of plutonium into it. At first Rip had worried
about the two pieces of plutonium making a good enough contact, but
Kemp's skillful hand and precision eye removed that worry.
The torchman finished fitting the plutonium and carried the block to the
tube opening. He tried it, removed a slight irregularity with his torch,
then said quietly, "Finished, sir."
Rip took over. He slid the thorium-plutonium block into the tube, took a
rocket head from Santos, and used it to push the block in farther. When
the rocket head was about four inches inside the tube, its wires trailing
out, Rip called Kemp. At his direction, the torchman sliced a thin slot
up the face of the crystal. Rip fitted the wires into it and held them in
place with a small wedge of thorium.
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