| MadSci Network: Physics |
A nuclear explosion produces a fireball that reaches a maximum temeprature between 50 and 100 million Kelvin. At those temperatures any matter will be completely vaporized. So if a nuclear missile or warhead was caught within that fireball, yes, it would be destroyed.
Unfortunately, exploding nuclear weapons in space or the upper atmosphere carries with it significant problems. If the weapons explode in the atmosphere, radioactive fallout will reach the ground and cause illness and deaths. The area covered by the radioactive fall out can be enourmous, literally thousands of square miles.
Incomplete destruction of warheads can also be a major problem. Plutonium, one of the two most commonly used elements for fission warheads, is one of the most toxic substances known to man. If the interceptor detonates too far away from the incoming warhead and scatters the plutonium rather than detonating it, vast stretches of land can become uninhabitable for millenia.
Finally, explosion of nuclear weapons in space can greatly reduce the lives of satellites. Launchspace did a very recent article on the effects of terrorists or a rogue nation detonating a small nuclear weapon in space. It turns out the radioactive amterial will tend to concentrate in orbit. The additional radiation will demage and quickly destroy satellites. And the radiation levels remained very high for an extended period of time. Regretably I have forwarded on my copy of the magazine with the article so I cannot give you a specific issue, but your local library should be able to help you locate the magazine and article.
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