Nuke Simulation on the 'Net?
Because the United Sates no longer sets off nuclear bombs to test their powers (it's not environmentally green at all), the National Nuclear Security Administration uses supercomputers at its national laboratories to simulate a really big bang.
Because the United Sates no longer sets off nuclear bombs to test their powers (it's not environmentally green at all), the National Nuclear Security Administration uses supercomputers at its national laboratories to simulate a really big bang.
This is one of the most highly classified activities in the country, but according to a report issued last month by the Defense Science Board, the NNSA wants to share these computing resources between different classification levels. This, the report said, includes "swinging" a machine between classified and unclassified uses, "which has the potential of exposing a classified machine to the Internet."
The board recommended that "NNSS should seek the views of experts in cybersecurity before expanding the potential uses of NNSA classified machines."
NNSA used the supercomputers at Sandia National Laboratories in February 2008 for a nonnuclear (but classified) project: to help the Navy shoot down an errant spy satellite.
Sandia assigned its Red Storm supercomputer to the task to destroy the satellite for two months to help the Navy simulate the actual mission.
I wonder if Red Storm is currently engaged in crunching the numbers to help shoot down the rocket North Korea plans to launch later this month?
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