A weapon which threatens civilisation, and which the world seeks to control (illustrated); and A depiction of the power station of the future: a ZETA fusion reactor

“It is generally known that atomic fission is produced in bombs by bringing together two sets of matter which, together, produce the critical mass. The exact way in which this is done is only known to those directly concerned with the manufacture and operation of atom bombs, and therefore on these pages our Artist, with the aid of Mr. A R. Weyl, A.F.R.Ae.S., who has a very considerable knowledge of atomic weapons and guided missiles, can only present a personal conception of the methods employed to bring about the necessary chain reaction. The drawing of the Russian conception of the atom bomb is based on information given in a newspaper published in the Russian Zone of Germany, and most probably inspired by Russian official circles. Owing to the fact that those handling the bombs need protection and to produce the greatest effect when detonation takes place, a good deal of insulating material must be included in the bomb, such as deuterium paraffin wax and lead. This makes it practically impossible, with our present knowledge, to produce an atom bomb less than two tons in weight, and it is more likely to be between three and four tons. The bomb, by nature of its operation, must be comparatively lengthy – that is to say, about 14 ft. long. The greatest difficulty to be overcome is to ensure that the bomb does not detonate prematurely, and therefore the final removal of the safety devices does not take place until the bomb is released from the aircraft. For maximum effect the atom bomb must detonate at a certain height above the ground and several devices have been tested which make this possible.”