Michael Light
100 SUNS: 063 KING, 2003
pigment print mounted on aluminum
16 x 20 in
40.6 x 50.8 cm
40.6 x 50.8 cm
frame included 2/5
The largest fission-only device ever detonated, King disproved the theory of “criticality” -- wherein only so much fissionable material could be brought together in one weapon before it would self-detonate...
The largest fission-only device ever detonated, King disproved the theory of “criticality” -- wherein only so much fissionable material could be brought together in one weapon before it would self-detonate – surpassing supposed 250 kiloton fission limits. At the time, a large fission-only bomb was coveted by the U.S. military, due to the uncertainty of thermonuclear investigations; the spectacular thermonuclear success of Mike, King’s test companion in Operation Ivy, was far from guaranteed.