This challenge closed on 22/04/2020. See below for the correct answers.
Practice Challenge 3A, Something to generate concern
SPDDN,
T BZY'G GSTYV GSTF TF PRZHG PWOSLXN. GSL LYLDMN PYB DPJ XPGLDTPWF DLCHTDLB GZ ADZBHOL IPWHPRWL LWLXLYGF PDL EPD GZZ LKALYFTIL GZ XPVL GSTF ADPOGTOPW, PYB YZ-ZYL VYZJF SZJ GZ BZ TG. TG TF AZFFTRWL GSPG BTL PWOSLXTFGLY PDL EZOHFFLB ZY GSTF, RHG TE FZ GSLN PDL YZ GSDLPG GZ PYNZYL PG GSL XZXLYG. GSPG BZLFY'G XLPY JL SPIL YZGSTYM GZ JZDDN PRZHG. GSL APGLYG ETWLB RN WLZ FQTWPDB JPF EZD P ADZGZGNAL YHOWLPD DLPOGZD. FQTWPDB TF PY LYMTYLLD PYB ASNFTOTFG, PYB FPJ OZOVDZEG'F OWPTX GSPG GSL YHOWLPD GDPYFXHGPGTZY DLPOGTZY OZHWB YZG NTLWB LYLDMN "ZY PY LYMTYLLDTYM FOPWL" PF P OSPWWLYML GZ RL RLPGLY. GDPYFXHGPGTZY ZOOHDF JSLY PY PGZX TF STG RN PY LYLDMLGTO YLHGDZY, PYB STF TBLP JPF GZ GDTMMLD P ADZOLFF HFTYM WTMSGLD LWLXLYGF GSPG ADZBHOL P WZG ZE YLHGDZYF PF JLWW PF LYLDMN JSLY STG, FZ GSPG GSL ADZOLFF TF FLWE-FHFGPTYTYM. FZ EPD, STF PGGLXAGF GZ HFL LWLXLYGF WTVL RLDNWWTHX PYB TYBTHX SPIL RLLY HYFHOOLFFEHW, RHG TY GSL WPFG NLPD SPSY PYB FGDPFFXPY FHOOLLBLB JSLDL SL EPTWLB, HFTYM HDPYTHX, PYB TG TF AZFFTRWL GSPG GSTF OZHWB WLPB GZ P ADPOGTOPW LYLDMN MLYLDPGTZY ADZOLFF. TE GSPG TF JSPG BTL PWOSLXTFGLY PDL JZDVTYM ZY GSLY JL SPIL P XHOS RTMMLD ADZRWLX. YHOWLPD ADZOLFFLF NTLWB P XTWWTZY GTXLF XZDL LYLDMN EZD LPOS MDPX ZE EHLW GSPY GSL OHDDLYG OSLXTOPW DLPOGTZYF WTVL RHDYTYM OZPW, PYB TE GSL YPQTF OZHWB SPDYLFF GSPG GSLY GSLTD FGLLW PYB PWHXTYTHX ADZBHOGTZY JZHWB XPFFTILWN TYODLPFL MTITYM GSLX P SHML PBIPYGPML TY JPD. JL BZY'G VYZJ SZJ EPD GSLN SPIL MZG JTGS GSTF GLOSYZWZMN, RHG T GSTYV JL FSZHWB PFFHXL GSPG GSLN PDL PSLPB ZE HF PYB GDN GZ ETYB ZHG SZJ EPD.
Correct Answer
Harry, I don’t think this is about alchemy. The energy and raw materials required to produce valuable elements are far too expensive to make this practical, and no-one knows how to do it. It is possible that Die Alchemisten are focussed on this, but if so they are no threat to anyone at the moment. That doesn’t mean we have nothing to worry about. The patent filed by Leo Szilard was for a prototype nuclear reactor. Szilard is an engineer and physicist, and saw Cockroft’s claim that the nuclear transmutation reaction could not yield energy “on an engineering scale” as a challenge to be beaten. Transmutation occurs when an atom is hit by an energetic neutron, and his idea was to trigger a process using lighter elements that produce a lot of neutrons as well as energy when hit, so that the process is self-sustaining. So far, his attempts to use elements like beryllium and indium have been unsuccessful, but in the last year Hahn and Strassman succeeded where he failed, using Uranium, and it is possible that this could lead to a practical energy generation process. If that is what Die Alchemisten are working on then we have a much bigger problem. Nuclear processes yield a million times more energy for each gram of fuel than the current chemical reactions like burning coal, and if the Nazis could harness that then their steel and aluminium production would massively increase giving them a huge advantage in war. We don’t know how far they have got with this technology, but I think we should assume that they are ahead of us and try to find out how far.Practice Challenge 3B, Aurora Borealis
CSTW, T BX SABETYI HZ GMAEAY HZ GCABV MTHS WTGA XATHYAF. GSA MBG CBFH ZL HSA HABX MSZ GCWTH HSA BHZX BYE HZIAHSAF MTHS LFTGRS SBG MZFVAE ZJH HSA EAHBTWG ZL SZM TH MZFVG. GSA TG B OFTWWTBYH RSAXTGH BG MAWW BG B CSPGTRTGH BYE T BX SZCTYI GSA RBY GSAE GZXA WTISH ZY SZM WTVAWP TH TG HSBH HSBH ETA BWRSAXTGHAY RZJWE EAKAWZC B YJRWABF CZMAF IAYAFBHTZY GPGHAX LFZX HSA CFZRAGG.
ZY HSA MBP OBRV, T CWBY HZ BWGZ KTGTH GZXA CAZCWA T VYZM TY YZFMBP. B YAM CZMAF GZJFRA MTWW OA ZL YZ JGA HZ HSA YBQTG MTHSZJH HSA FBM XBHAFTBWG LZF XBYJLBRHJFTYI, BYE B WZH ZL HSA XBUZF OBJNTHA GXAWHAFG TY AJFZCA BFA OBGAE TY HSA RZJYHFP. AKAY MTHSZJH B YAM GZJFRA ZL CZMAF HSA IAFXBY XTWTHBFP CWBYYAFG MTWW SBKA HSATF APA ZY GJCCWP WTYAG BYE HSA YZFMAITBY BWJXTYTJX RZXCBYTAG XJGH OA ZYA ZL HSATF CFTXA HBFIAHG. T HSZJISH T MZJWE EFZC TY BYE HFP HZ IAH B GAYGA ZL SZM MAWW EALAYEAE HSAGA CWBRAG BFA. HSAFA XBP BWFABEP SBKA OAAY BCCFZBRSAG LFZX IAFXBYP BG CBFH ZL HSATF BFXG OJTWE-JC BYE TH MZJWE OA IZZE HZ VYZM HSBH HZZ. TL HSA MZFGH SBCCAYG BYE YZFMBP TG TYKBEAE, HSAY T MBYH HZ SBKA GZXA BIAYHG BWFABEP AXOAEEAE TY HSA YBHTZYBW TYLFBGHFJRHJFA BYE MA YAAE HZ HSTYV BOZJH SZM MA MZJWE GARJFA RZXXJYTRBHTZYG TY BY ZRRJCTAE RZJYHFP. TL PZJ ZF HSA BIAYRP SBKA BYP RZYHBRHG HSAFA HSAY WAH XA VYZM. MTHS B WTHHWA WJRV T XBP AKAY IAH HZ GAA HSA YZFHSAFY WTISHG MSTWA T BX HSAFA.