ATOM BOMB 1946.
Early atomic weapons testing film. Total Runtime Appx. 7 minutes.
OPERATION CROSSROADS 1946.
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946. Its purpose was to test the effect of nuclear weapons on naval ships. The series consisted of two detonations each with a yield of 23 kilotons. Able was detonated at an altitude of 520 feet (158 m) on 1 July 1946; Baker was detonated 90 feet (27 m) underwater on 25 July 1946. A third planned burst Charlie was canceled. Total Runtime Appx. 27 minutes.
Special Delivery 1946.
Airplanes and missions of the U.S. Army Air Forces emphasizing Operation Crossroads (the Bikini Island atomic bomb tests). Total Runtime Appx. 13 minutes.
TRINITY through BUSTER-JANGLE 1952.
Originally made in 1952 this carefully sanitized film to edit out sensitive technical information was declassified in 1997. It covers the first test at Trinity in 1946 to the BUster-Jangle test in 1951. Highly detailed with very informative explanations on each of the tests. A must have for historical refernce to the early atomic weapons program. Total Runtime Appx. 22 minutes.
Military Participation on BUSTER-JANGLE 1951.
Operation Buster-Jangle was a series of seven (six atmospheric one underground) nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in late 1951 at the Nevada Test Site. Buster-Jangle was the first joint test program between the DOD and Los Alamos National Laboratories. 6500 troops were involved in the Desert Rock I II and III exercises in conjunction with the tests. The last two tests evaluated the cratering effects of low-yield nuclear devices. This series preceded Operation Tumbler-Snapper and followed Operation Greenhouse. Total Runtime Appx. 75 minutes.
Exercise Desert Rock 1951.
Exercise Desert Rock was a 1951 experiment by the Atomic Energy Commission working with the US Army to "allay fears and uncertainty regarding nuclear radiation and gamma and x-ray effects on humans and animals". The test was done at the Nevada Proving Grounds with an estimated 5000 troops in a tent encampment approximately 27 miles from ground zero. Total Runtime Appx. 27 minutes.
Operation GREENHOUSE 1951.
Was the fifth American nuclear test series the second conducted in 1951 and the first to test principles that would lead to developing thermonuclear weapons (hydrogen bombs). Conducted at the new Pacific Proving Ground all of the devices were mounted in large steel towers to simulate air bursts. Succeeded Operation Ranger Preceded Operation Buster-Jangle.
Greenhouse represented new and aggressive designs for nuclear weapons. The main idea was to reduce the size weight and most importantly reduce the amount of fissile material necessary for nuclear weapons while increasing the destructive power. With the Soviet Union's first nuclear test just a year and half earlier the United States had begun stockpiling the new designs before they were actually proven. Thus the success of Greenhouse was vital before the development of thermonuclear weapons could continue.
A number of target buildings including bunkers homes and factories were built on Mujinkarikku Island to test weapon effects.
The "George" explosion was the world's first thermonuclear burn though it was just a test design unsuitable for weaponization. Shaped like a torus the "George Device" had a small amount of liquid hydrogen placed at its center. The vast majority of its yield derived from fission; the energy output from fusion was insignificant in comparison. However it validated the principles which would be used for the first full thermonuclear device test Ivy Mike a year later. "Item" was the first boosted fission weapon nearly doubling the normal yield of a similar non-boosted weapon. Total Runtime Appx. 22 minutes.
Operation IVY 1952.
Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests coming after Tumbler-Snapper and before Upshot-Knothole. The purpose of the tests was to help upgrade the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons in response to the Soviet nuclear weapons program. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Islands.
The first device codenamed Mike was notable for being the first successful test of a multi-megaton thermonuclear weapon design (the Teller-Ulam design) usually considered the world's first hydrogen bomb test. It used liquid deuterium as its fusion fuel kept cold with an expensive and cumbersome cryogenic system. Too unwieldy to be deployed as a weapon it was built to demonstrate the power and possibility of using nuclear fusion as a principle for larger-yield nuclear weapons than previously possible. It was detonated on Elugelab Island in the Enewetak atoll of the Marshall Islands. It yielded 10.4 megatons of explosive power almost 500 times the power of the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. 8 megatons of the yield was from fast fission of the uranium tamper. The detonation obliterated Elugelab leaving an underwater crater 6240 ft (1.9 km) wide and 164 ft (50 m) deep where an island had once been.
The second test King was a test of the largest nuclear weapon ever built at the time which utilized only nuclear fission as the source of its energy (it had none of its energy added from fusion or fusion boosting). It was dubbed the "Super Oralloy Bomb" and was intended as a backup if the fusion weapon was a failure. It had a yield of 500 kilotons 25-40 times more powerful than the weapons dropped during World War II. Total Runtime Appx. 62 minutes.
Military Participation on TUMBLER-SNAPPER 1952.
Operation Tumbler-Snapper was a series of atomic tests conducted by the United States in the spring of 1952 at the Nevada Test Site. The Tumbler-Snapper Series of tests preceded Operation Ivy and followed Operation Buster-Jangle.
The Tumbler phase consisted of four daytime airdrops which were intended to help explain discrepancies in the actual and estimated blast shock wave damage noted on previous detonations and to establish more accurately the optimum height of burst.
The Snapper phase consisted of 4 tower shots fired during the nighttime on the 7th and 25th of May and the 1st and 5th of June. Total Runtime Appx. 47 minutes.
The 280 mm Gun at the Nevada Proving Ground 1953.
The Grable Event part of Operation Upshot-Knothole was a test of a 15-kiloton atomic artillery shell fired from a 280-mm cannon on May 25 1953 at the Nevada Proving Grounds.
The testing of the Mark 9 atomic artillery shell was the Grable event part of a much larger series of nuclear detonations under the umbrella of Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE in 1953. Total Runtime Appx. 11 minutes.
Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE 1953.
Operation Upshot-Knothole was a series of eleven nuclear test shots conducted in 1953 at the Nevada Test Site.
Over twenty-one thousand soldiers took part in the ground exercise Desert Rock V in conjunction with the Grable shot. Grable was a 280mm shell fired from the “Atomic Cannon” and was viewed by a number of high-ranking military officials.
Operation Upshot-Knothole followed Operation Ivy and preceded Operation Castle. The test series was notable as containing the first time an atomic artillery shell was fired (Shot Grable) the first two shots (both fizzles) by University of California Radiation Laboratory—Livermore (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and for testing out some of the thermonuclear components that would be used for the massive thermonuclear series of Operation Castle. Total Runtime Appx. 35 minutes.
Operation CASTLE Commander's Report 1954.
Operation Castle was a United States series of high-energy (high-yield) nuclear tests by Joint Task Force SEVEN (JTF-7) at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954. It followed Operation Upshot-Knothole and preceded Operation Teapot.
Conducted as a joint venture between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DoD) the ultimate objective of the operation was to test designs for an aircraft-deliverable thermonuclear weapon.
Operation Castle is (largely) considered to be a success for the "dry fuel" design. One device failed to produce its predicted yield. Two other devices detonated with over twice their predicted yields. One test in particular Castle Bravo resulted in extensive radiological contamination of nearby islands (including inhabitants and U.S. soldiers stationed there) as well as a nearby Japanese fishing boat resulting in one direct fatality and continued health problems for many of those exposed. Public reaction to the tests and an awareness of the long-range effects of nuclear fallout has been attributed as being part of the motivation for the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Total Runtime Appx. 20 minutes.
Operation CASTLE Military Effects Studies 1954.
Operation Castle was a United States series of high-energy (high-yield) nuclear tests by Joint Task Force SEVEN (JTF-7) at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954. It followed Operation Upshot-Knothole and preceded Operation Teapot.
Conducted as a joint venture between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DoD) the ultimate objective of the operation was to test designs for an aircraft-deliverable thermonuclear weapon.
Operation Castle is (largely) considered to be a success for the "dry fuel" design. One device failed to produce its predicted yield. Two other devices detonated with over twice their predicted yields. One test in particular Castle Bravo resulted in extensive radiological contamination of nearby islands (including inhabitants and U.S. soldiers stationed there) as well as a nearby Japanese fishing boat resulting in one direct fatality and continued health problems for many of those exposed. Public reaction to the tests and an awareness of the long-range effects of nuclear fallout has been attributed as being part of the motivation for the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Total Runtime Appx. 39 minutes.
Operation Teapot 1955.
Operation Teapot was a series of fourteen nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in the first half of 1955.
During shot "Wasp" ground forces took part in Exercise Desert Rock VI which included an armored task force "Razor" moving to within 900 meters of ground zero under the still-forming mushroom cloud.
The Civil Defense "Apple-2" shot on May 5 1955 was intended to test various building construction types in a nuclear blast. A few of the buildings still stand at Area 1 NTS. A documentary film was produced showing the buildings being damaged by the blast; in the film the test is called "Operation Cue". Total Runtime Appx. 30 minutes.
Operation Cue 1955.
Eerie nuclear tests on houses and dummies at the Nevada Test Site. Total Runtime Appx. 14 minutes.
Operation REDWING 1956.
Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Eniwetok atolls. The entire operation followed Operation Wigwam and preceded Operation Plumbbob. The primary intention was to test new second-generation thermonuclear devices. Fission devices intended to be used as primaries for thermonuclear weapons and small tactical weapons for air defense were also tested. Redwing is notable for having demonstrated the first airdrop of a deliverable hydrogen bomb - test "Cherokee". Because the yields for many tests at Operation Castle in 1954 were dramatically higher than predictions Redwing was conducted using an "energy budget" - there were limits to the total amount of energy released and the amount of fission yield was also strictly controlled. Fission primarily "fast" fission of the natural uranium tamper surrounding the fusion capsule greatly increases the yield of thermonuclear devices and contributes the vast majority of the fallout - fusion being a relatively clean reaction. Total Runtime Appx. 31 minutes.
Operation Argus 1958.
Operation Argus was a series of nuclear weapons tests and missile tests secretly conducted during August and September of 1958 over the South Atlantic Ocean by the United States's Defense Nuclear Agency in conjunction with the Explorer 4 space mission. Operation Argus was conducted between the nuclear test series Operation Hardtack I and Operation Hardtack II. Contractors from Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as well as a few personnel and contractors from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission were on hand as well. The time frame for Argus was substantially expedited due to the instability of the political environment [bans on atmospheric and exoatmospheric testing were forthcoming]. Consequently the tests were conducted within a mere half year of conception (whereas "normal" testing took one to two years). Total Runtime Appx. 45 minutes.
Operation HARDTACK Basic Effects Tests 1958.
Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. With test moratoriums on the horizon American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean at Bikini Atoll Enewetak Atoll and Johnston Island.
Hardtack II was carried out later that year at the Nevada Test Site while the US simultaneously carried out the secret Operation Argus over the south Atlantic Ocean in September. Hardtack II consisted exclusively of low-yield atmospheric and underground tests and 17 one-point safety tests. Total Runtime Appx. 26 minutes.
Operation HARDTACK High Altitude Tests 1958.
Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. With test moratoriums on the horizon American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean at Bikini Atoll Enewetak Atoll and Johnston Island.
Hardtack II was carried out later that year at the Nevada Test Site while the US simultaneously carried out the secret Operation Argus over the south Atlantic Ocean in September. Hardtack II consisted exclusively of low-yield atmospheric and underground tests and 17 one-point safety tests. Total Runtime Appx. 25 minutes.
Operation HARDTACK Underwater Tests 1958.
Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958. With test moratoriums on the horizon American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. Hardtack I was carried out in the Pacific Ocean at Bikini Atoll Enewetak Atoll and Johnston Island.
Hardtack II was carried out later that year at the Nevada Test Site while the US simultaneously carried out the secret Operation Argus over the south Atlantic Ocean in September. Hardtack II consisted exclusively of low-yield atmospheric and underground tests and 17 one-point safety tests. Total Runtime Appx. 19 minutes.
Project Dugout 1960.
Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Technical Film Report part-animated showing underground nuclear detonation tests. Total Runtime Appx. 8 minutes.
Operation DOMINIC Nuclear Tests 1962.
Operation Dominic was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 and 1963 by the United States. Those conducted in the Pacific are sometimes called Dominic I. The blasts in Nevada are known as Dominic II. This test series was scheduled quickly in order to take advantage of the Soviet abandonment of the 1958-61 test moratorium. Most of these shots were conducted with free-fall bombs dropped from B-52 bomber aircraft. Twenty of these shots were to test new weapons designs; six to test weapons effects; and several shots to confirm the reliability of existing weapons. The Thor missile was also used to loft warheads into near-space to conduct high altitude nuclear explosion tests; these shots were collectively called Operation Fishbowl.
Operation Dominic I shot Arkansas
Operation Dominic occurred during a period of high Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union since the Cuban Bay of Pigs Invasion had occurred not long before. Nikita Khrushchev announced the end of a three-year moratorium on nuclear testing on August 30 1961 and Soviet tests recommenced on 1 September initiating a series of tests that included the detonation of the Tsar Bomba. President John F. Kennedy responded by authorizing Operation Dominic. It was the largest nuclear weapons testing program ever conducted by the United States and the last atmospheric test series conducted by the U.S. as the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed in Moscow the following year. Total Runtime Appx. 26 minutes.
