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National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Linton Brooks and Laboratory Interim Director Pete Nanos offered high praise to the hundreds of Laboratory and contractor staff who succeeded in meeting a major plutonium pit manufacturing milestone. Here they talk to reporters about the achievement. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs

Pit manufacturing workers earn praise

Interim Laboratory Director Pete Nanos praised the hundreds of Laboratory and contractor workers who put in long hours to produce the first nuclear weapons pit in 14 years that meets stockpile design and quality specifications.

At a news conference held Tuesday afternoon in connection with the Laboratory's 60th Anniversary celebration, Nanos joined U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.; Ambassador Linton Brooks, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration; and University of California President Richard Atkinson in announcing the achievement, which was detailed in yesterday's Daily Newsbulletin, available at http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/newsbulletin/2003/04/23/text03.shtml online.

"Six decades ago, Los Alamos produced the first pit," Nanos said. "And today, on our 60th anniversary, we delivered to the Department of Energy a pit made with fully certified processes and made to all the specifications required for the nuclear stockpile."

More than 700 employees in Nuclear Materials Technology, Materials Science and Technology, Engineering Sciences and Applications, Chemistry and other divisions and directorates worked on the pit manufacturing project, which began in 1996.

Brooks added his congratulations, saying the achievement means that NNSA has met a key assignment set out by President Bush in his Nuclear Posture Review.

"Since 1989 until today, we were the only nuclear power in the world that couldn't make a pit," Brooks said. "We now have the capacity that if something goes wrong with the stockpile, we can fix it."

"All the acknowledged nuclear powers could make pits. It seems clear many of the unacknowledged nuclear powers could make pits, but we couldn't until today," Brooks continued.

Brooks emphasized that recapturing the manufacturing capability lost when the Rocky Flats Plant closed means the nation can replace pits in the current stockpile, but it does not mean the United States is going to "rush out and start making pits" for the stockpile.

Domenici, answering questions from reporters, said the achievement "has the utmost importance." He and Brooks said Los Alamos' stock will rise in Washington, D.C., because of the work of the pit manufacturing staff.

"There were literally hundreds of dedicated employees from many divisions who worked long hours, without whom the Laboratory never could have reached this major milestone," said Rich Mah, associate director for weapons engineering and manufacturing (ADWEM). He said a partial list of some of the key individuals would include the following:

Jeanne Ball (MST-DO), project director for pit manufacturing; Mike Butler (ESA-WSE), design agency liaison; Jim Ostic (NMT-DO), project leader for pit operations; Laura Kelly (C-DO), project leader for interim capacity; Larry Lucero, leader, and Dave Mann, deputy leader, manufacturing systems (both NMT-6); Nora Horrell (NMT-DO), project administration;

Doug Kautz (NMT-5), pit manufacturing technology; Bob Shoup (NMT-6), manufacturing systems; Curtis M. Brown (MST-6), Jeff Kinzer and Dave Armstrong (both NMT-6), product engineering; Peter Lopez (NMT-5), leader, assembly team; Debra Johnson, Brad Mitchell, Alan Bond and Jeremy Trujillo (all NMT-5), all assembly engineering;

John Milewski (MST-6), leader, welding team; Pat Hochanadel and Frank M. Smith (both MST-6), welding engineers; Mike Barbe, Dan Javernick, Richard O'Leary (all MST-6), all welding team; John Huang (NIS-5), Mike Martinez (NMT-5), Anthony Valdez (NMT-5), Tom Zocco (NMT-10), casting; Brad Storey (NMT-16), metallography; Richard S. Roybal (NMT-5), leader, machinist Team; Dean Martinez (NMT-5), Patrick Montoya (NMT-15) and George Neal (NMT-5), machinists; Jerry Leeches (ESA-WEM), leader, Machining; Matt Martinez (NMT-5), machining; John Balog and Deniece Korzekwa (both MST-6), graphite machining;

James Jurney (ESA-AET), process control; Ted Cousins, Dave Huerta and Ted Rockenhaus (all NMT-6), production control; Lav Tandon and Don Temer (both C-AAC), chemists; Lynn Kroggel, Randy McClaskey, Al Rey (all NMT-6), quality engineers; Deborah Lucero (ADWEM-QAO), independent quality engineer; Terry Phillips (ESA-AET), nondestructive evaluation; Cindy Butler and Matt Porter (both ESA-WMM), nondestructive inspection; Sarah White (ESA-AET), radiography; and Alex Garcia (NMT-DO), scheduling.

---Jim Danneskiold

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