logo
Sandia Labs help complete new gravity bomb a year ahead of schedule

Sandia Labs help complete new gravity bomb a year ahead of schedule

Yahoo17-06-2025
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — Sandia National Labs is marking a major milestone for the US nuclear security enterprise, and they're doing so earlier than expected. The first production unit of the B61-13 is officially complete about a year ahead of schedule.
Story continues below
New Mexico News Insiders: The Crew Behind Swift Water & Arroyo Rescues
Film: These productions were filmed at Rail Yards. Have you seen them?
Trending: New video shows fight before teen was shot and killed in Albuquerque
News: VIDEO: Canoeing accident in northern NM leads to dramatic rescue operation
Sandia says they served as the lead system integrator and the design agency for the unit's non-nuclear components. Scientists say the newly completed bomb that relies on gravity to reach its target comes with increased yield compared to its previous version.
In May, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright 'diamond stamped' the B61-13, signifying the unit's readiness for deployment to the US nuclear stockpile.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Federal climate website goes dark as Trump administration promises policy reset
Federal climate website goes dark as Trump administration promises policy reset

Fox News

time3 days ago

  • Fox News

Federal climate website goes dark as Trump administration promises policy reset

The federal website created to host the U.S. national climate assessments, congressionally-mandated and peer-reviewed reports that cover the effects of climate change in the U.S. has been inaccessible so far this week. A Fox News Digital review found that the websites for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the pages for the national assessments were down on Tuesday without any links or referrals to other websites. The White House said the climate-related reports will be located within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) going forward. However, searches for the assessments did not bring anything up on the NASA website, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. national climate assessments, of which five have been created to date, are published every four years. Some scientists argue the reports save money and lives, AP reported. "It's critical for decision-makers across the country to know what the science in the National Climate Assessment is," University of Arizona climate scientist Kathy Jacobs said in a statement. "That is the most reliable and well-reviewed source of information about climate that exists for the United States." In March, President Donald Trump's energy chief vowed a reversal of "politically polarizing" Biden-era climate policies as the new administration approaches climate change as "a global physical phenomenon." "I am a climate realist," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at S&P Global's CERAWeek conference in Houston in March. "The Trump administration will treat climate change for what it is, a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world." In February, the Trump administration similarly revamped agency websites to be rid of climate change-filled content, amid a widespread rebranding of federal departments from content deemed as not aligning with Trump's agenda. The White House and NASA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Developing ‘Space Valley' here in New Mexico with the Air Force Research Lab
Developing ‘Space Valley' here in New Mexico with the Air Force Research Lab

Yahoo

time26-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Developing ‘Space Valley' here in New Mexico with the Air Force Research Lab

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – With the exception of about six people, the rest of the human race spends the majority of its time enjoying the comforts of planet Earth. With that said, some of those comforts wouldn't be available without intricate workings happening far above our heads in space. This week, Chad Brummett is joined by Gabe Mounce, Guardian with the Space Force and Air Force Research Lab, to talk about achieving national security objectives as well as the economic objective of creating 'Space Valley' here in our state. Learn more about the Air Force Research Lab and Space Force Mexico Frontiers Digital Show is KRQE New 13's online exclusive web series, giving viewers a more detailed look into how the state is making waves in the Aerospace, Bio-science, Renewable Energy, Digital Media and Film, and Advanced Manufacturing communities. For more segments on prior stories, visit the New Mexico Frontiers page by clicking this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visits NETL
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visits NETL

Yahoo

time26-06-2025

  • Yahoo

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visits NETL

Jun. 25—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright toured the National Energy Technology Laboratory Morgantown campus on Tuesday, as part of his ongoing tour of all 17 Department of Energy National Laboratories. He saw the facilities — including the under-construction Computational Science and Engineering Center — met researchers and learned about their projects. He talked about the "One Big Beautiful Bill " — the budget reconciliation bill working its way through Congress. "It's critical for the energy world that I work in, " he said. There have been large distortions across the energy market, particularly electricity, and that needs to be reformed. "Energy is about humans, " he said. "We want to make people's lives better." That means more energy, lower cost energy, jobs, and winning the Artificial Intelligence arms race. The bill's reforms on subsidies and penalties are key to getting the system going in the right direction. NETL is devoted to fossil fuel research, and coal and natural gas are the two biggest sources of electricity worldwide, he said. "The things that are worked on here are big targets for big benefits to humanity." Wright took time for a Q &A session with the press. The Dominion Post noted that in the 13-state PJM regional energy grid, 40 % of New Service Requests are for solar projects, while only 6.7 % are for natural gas and none are for coal. In that context, we asked if there is a future for coal. "The future for coal is long and bright, " he said. It accounts for a third of all the electricity generated on the planet — more than wind and solar combined. And its available day and night. Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, was PJM's peak winter demand day, and gas and coal supplied 70 % of the power, wind and solar just 3 %. On Monday, in the sun and heat, wind and solar made up just 8 %. Answering another question, he said that one of his secretarial powers is stopping the closure of power plants. Some should be retired, but so many have been closed that are still midstream in their lives and are critical to a secure grid. Growing demand for data centers for AI will increase the demand for electricity, he said. "If you're going to add a lot of new capacity, the first thing you should do is stop shrinking the capacity you have." About 40 coal plants are slated for closure this year. "Our biggest impact is going to stop the closure of most of those." On the topic of AI and data centers, Wright talked about permitting hurdles and the need to make it easier to build them. The 17 national laboratories have a lot of land and are accepting proposals for data centers to be cited on those lands, possibly with cooperative agreements to allow the labs to tap into those centers' computational powers. "You will see data centers built on national lab property." He concluded, "I think the future of energy here in West Virginia is super exciting." The state has been an energy powerhouse across its history. Natural gas and natural gas liquids, oil and coal are the fastest growing power sources across the world. And West Virginia is a businesses-friendly state with cutting-edge industry such as Form Energy in Weirton — the iron-air battery manufacturing facility. "I think the outlook for energy and industry in West Virginia is quite bright."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store