Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • On the Front Lines Against Nuclear Testing

    In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), Ploughshares Fund is dedicating a series of blogs on how the treaty influences nuclear disarmament today. The LTBT was the first concrete step toward the elimination of nuclear testing. Under the LTBT, U.S. research and development on nuclear weapons is still permitted in the national laboratories. One of the groups working to convert this weapons development actvity into socially beneficial research is our grantee, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment). We asked Tri-Valley CAREs Executive Director Marylia Kelley for her insights on how the LTBT impacts her work and what more can be done to stop nuclear testing.  

    August 14, 2013 - By teresa

  • The Starship Enterprise’s Dark Nuclear Past

    Co-authored by Paul Carroll and Ben Loehrke

    Star Trek: Into Darkness is the latest in the decades-old Star Trek franchise. To date the film has grossed nearly $160 million at the box office. Not bad for its first week. After all, it cost about $190 million to make, so it seems poised to break even very soon.

    May 28, 2013 - By Paul Carroll

  • Too Big to Succeed? Huge Laser for Weapons Tests Fails to Perform

    Although the United States has not tested a nuclear weapon for twenty years, we still spend billions each year on an array of machines that conduct all kinds of diagnostic experiments to mimic nuclear explosions. One of the most expensive is called the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

    October 31, 2012 - By Paul Carroll