Nuclear bombs used to bring down WTC?

[DiebytheSword]

Err, higher than the sun? As in the sun's core, or as in the sun's corona?

I suspect the Earth's atmosphere might ignite if it were exposed to several million degrees Celsius.

You are correct about the earth's atmosphere detonating, it is a large part of the reason why upper atmospheric tests of the weapon are banned. However, hydrogen bombs DO require the temperature of the Sun's surface to detonate, this is why all H-Bombs have a plutonium "implosion lense" that concentrates several small A-Bomb blasts towards the deuterium/tritium(sp?) core. This causes the heavy water to be both crushed and heated to rediculous levels, starting a thermonuclear uncontrolled reaction/explosion.

 

[J-Dude]

You are correct about the earth's atmosphere detonating, it is a large part of the reason why upper atmospheric tests of the weapon are banned. However, hydrogen bombs DO require the temperature of the Sun's surface to detonate, this is why all H-Bombs have a plutonium "implosion lense" that concentrates several small A-Bomb blasts towards the deuterium/tritium(sp?) core. This causes the heavy water to be both crushed and heated to rediculous levels, starting a thermonuclear uncontrolled reaction/explosion.

Whoa...so, in other words, if we said, "to Hell with precaution" and just let the thing go off, this whole planet is dead?

 

[Hibiki]

Atmospheric ignition isn't as easy as it sounds but most scientists don't want to risk coming anywhere close to it.

 

[DiebytheSword]

Heat alone isn't enough, the atmosphere would have to be under tremendous pressure to ignite in a fusion nightmare scenario. Non-the-less, the policy makers were scared enough to not test it.

 

[Avenger]

Nuclear bombs do not ignite the atmosphere. This is a theory that has been debunked for a long time.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/docs1/00329010.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_nuclear_explosions

Either way you're right. A nuke would be unnecessary. Jet-fuel burns hot, and like you said, steel is deceptive in its nature.

 

[DiebytheSword]

Debunked is not a good word, highly unlikely is. One of the major issues is that there isn't enough pressure present. With enough bombs in the right formation, the pressure would be present. This has been the cornerstone of the argument for some time. It would be highly unlikely that the reaction would carry on uncontrolled for any length of time.