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The United States may have forgotten how to make FOGBANK: a critical component in at least some thermonuclear weapons. FOGBANK is an ‘interstage material’ that gets turned into a superheated plasma by the detonation of the ‘primary’ fission bomb, helping to ignite the ‘secondary’ fusion reaction.
Some speculate that FOGBANK resembles aerogel. Others describe efforts to re-learn how to make it.
Over at The Oil Drum, there is a two part series on Canada’s oil sands.
The second part includes data on production trends, as well as projections on the share of Canadian oil production expected to come from the Athabasca oil sands. By 2019, they project it will be the dominant source of output. On climate change, the article makes the point that most of the emissions still come from burning the final fuel, which means adding carbon capture capabilities to upgraders isn’t a sufficient response, even if it does prove safe and economically viable. We really need to just leave that carbon in the ground.
On a side note, there is apparently an ‘The Oil Sands Discovery Centre’ museum in Fort McMurray.