A LONE protester has derailed the UK鈥檚 nuclear weapons research programme. Faced with the threat of legal action, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has withdrawn an application to construct one of the world鈥檚 most powerful lasers.
The MoD wants to build the laser, known as Orion, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, UK, by 2007. It is designed to reproduce the great temperatures and pressures at the heart of nuclear explosions.
Aldermaston says Orion will be a thousand times as powerful as its existing laser, Helen, which can generate temperatures of over 1 million 掳C for a nanosecond. According to the MoD, Orion is needed to ensure the safety of the nuclear warheads carried by the UK鈥檚 Trident submarines.
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But protesters claim that it could also be used to help develop new nuclear weapons, including ones similar to the mini-nukes being pursued in the US. Judith Wicks, a local peace campaigner, threatened to go to court alleging that Orion鈥檚 environmental impact had not been properly assessed. As a result, an MoD spokesman told 快猫短视频 that the plans will now be resubmitted with more environmental information, to avoid 鈥渁 lengthy legal dispute鈥�.