Images Of Isis

New concerns emerge over North Korea's nuclear program (Satellite Images)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has fresh questions to answer about his nuclear program, according to the Institute for Science and International Security, a respected Washington, DC think tank.

ISIS has published satellite photos of the Yongbyon nuclear site, showing buildings that have been constructed or renovated since April 2009. That is the date when Kim evicted weapons inspectors and American experts who were overseeing the disabling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program in accordance with a 2007 agreement.

Given the timing and the location, the construction at Yongbyon "raises suspicions" that the buildings could support the country's gas centrifuge program or other aspects of uranium enrichment, according to Paul Brannan, a senior research analyst at ISIS and an expert in interpreting satellite imagery of nuclear programs.

Specifically, the construction could provide evidence that the hermit nation is seeking to expand its nuclear program.

Mastering gas centrifuge technology is the key step for any country developing nuclear arsenals. "We call it the long poll in the tent," Brannan said. "It's the most important part of making a nuclear weapon."

In late 2010, North Korea shocked non-proliferation experts by revealing the existence of a building at Yongbyon containing 2,000 gas centrifuges. These were shown to Dr. Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University. His North Korean hosts told him that they were producing low enriched uranium as fuel for a new light water nuclear reactor to generate electricity.

However the same centrifuges could produce highly enriched uranium, one of two materials that can be used in nuclear bombs. Highly enriched uranium is the material of choice for countries clandestinely evading their obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The other option for a nuclear weapon, plutonium, can be detected from far via sensors that detect krypton-85, a signature isotope emitted as a byproduct of production. The international community has placed such sensors along North Korea's borders. In contrast, it's very difficult to remotely detect production of highly enriched uranium.

Isis magic, cultivating a relationship with the goddess of 10,000 names

Nile into Tiber, Egypt in the Roman world : proceedings of the IIIrd International Conference of Isis Studies, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, May 11-14, 2005

The mysteries of Isis, her worship and magick

Isis Mary Sophia (P)

The Freedman in Roman art and art history