Friday, Aug. 30, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.
The National Nuclear Security Administration's Los Alamos National Laboratory successfully conducted a subcritical experiment called "Mario" on Thursday at the Nevada Test Site.
"Mario" was the 18th subcritical experiment conducted in a cavern about 960 feet underground at the Test Site, 85 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The experiment was designed to answer questions about plutonium after a high explosives blast sprays particles from a material's surface following the shock wave.
Scientists conduct subcritical experiments in order to gather technical information about the state of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile without actual underground nuclear testing.
Subcritical tests do not support a nuclear chain reaction.
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