Resumen de Boom or bust
Hambling details how bigger explosions harness some unconventional chemical powers. The most destructive explosions come from ripping apart the atomic nucleus, but nuclear bombs are made not to be used. The difficulty of controlling and containing nuclear reactions, and the hazardous waste they produce, mean they are unlikely ever to find use as peaceable explosives. Military interest in better chemical explosives is led by a desire for more potent versions of conventional weaponry like MOAB, the mother of all bombs containing over 8 tonnes of explosive, that the US dropped on jihadists in Afghanistan earlier this year, or to make small drones equipped with mini-bombs as effective as full-sized munitions. For the better part of a century, however, those seeking more explosive power have had another, loftier ambition: space exploration.
