How Do You Shut Down The 2nd Most Powerful Particle Accelerator?

The Tevatron shut down yesterday. Before its duties were taken up by the the Large Hadron Collider, it accelerated highly charged particles through 6.4km of electromagnetic coil and vacuum tubes to discover the secrets of the universe. How do you turn a beast like that off?

Two buttons, both specially designed for the express purpose of saying goodbye to this once-great monster machine. The first, labelled BEAM, shut down the particle beam, and the second, labelled RAMP, killed the power. Huh, surprisingly simple. [Slate]

Discuss

(11 Comments)
  • [–]

    Drongo

    Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    How Do You Shut Down The 2nd Most Powerful Particle Accelerator? You get that guy from Die Hard to say “Shut it down, shut it down now!”

    • [–]

      Michael

      Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 5:36 PM

      I think you mean Ghostbusters. The “dickless” guy says it. Don’t know his actual name in the movie.

      • [–]

        CGB

        Monday, October 3, 2011 at 8:14 AM

        it was in die hard, technically it was the electrical company guy following orders from the fed guy..
        ” No shit it’s my ass. I got a big problem here, Shut it down now.”

        but the douche guy from ghostbusters was funnier :)

    • [–]

      Andrew

      Monday, October 3, 2011 at 5:37 PM

      Dark City: “Shut it down, shut it down forever!”

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ZSDCvUwN8

  • [–]

    Joel

    Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Two buttons?
    I’ve been in a professional recording studio and it takes two people and 4 or 5 switches.. I think they’re doing it wrong lol

  • [–]

    Lars

    Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    Funny. It’s making me think of the scene in Ghostbusters where they forced the shut down of the containment grid…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vxEimC3HME&noredirect=1

  • [–]

    Brendan

    Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 8:53 PM

    lol two buttons but what I want to know is how many people to coordinate to push the buttons, probably 100 or so.

  • [–]

    Mike

    Monday, October 3, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Ok first button name makes sense, but why “RAMP” to kill the power? I’d assume that button just intensifies shit.

    • [–]

      Sam

      Monday, October 3, 2011 at 12:20 PM

      Remove All Main Power? idk, just a though

      • [–]

        Zac

        Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 11:40 AM

        Thats the first thing i thought of too

  • [–]

    anonymouse

    Monday, October 3, 2011 at 12:29 PM

    You get Gordon Freeman to shut it down, that’s how. With his trusty crowbar.

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