Source:
http://empcommission.org/docs/empc_exec_rpt.pdf
PART - ONE
Threat From Electromagnetic Pulse Attack
The current vulnerability of our critical infrastructures can both invite and reward attack if not corrected. Correction is feasible and well within the Nation's means and resources to accomplish.
FOR FULL DETAILS PLEASE READ HERE
http://empcommission.org/docs/empc_exec_rpt.pdf
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PART - TWO
Nukes in Space-The Rainbow Bombs
(Published on Jun 18, 2013)
PART - THREE
ADDITIONAL BACK GROUND INFORMATION
Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #62
(Uploaded on Sep 25, 2007 )
Previous:
http://empcommission.org/docs/empc_exec_rpt.pdf
PART - ONE
Threat From Electromagnetic Pulse Attack
Report of the Commission to Assess the
Threat to the United States from
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack
Volume 1: Executive Report
2004
ABSTRACT
Several potential adversaries have or can acquire the capability to attack the United States with a high-altitude nuclear weapon-generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication.
A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication.
EMP is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences. EMP will cover the wide geographic region within line of sight to the nuclear weapon. It has the capability to produce significant damage to critical infrastructures and thus to the very fabric of US society, as well as to the ability of the United States and Western nations to project influence and military power.
The common element that can produce such an impact from EMP is primarily electronics, so pervasive in all aspects of our society and military, coupled through critical infrastructures. Our vulnerability is increasing daily as our use of and dependence on electronics continues to grow. The impact of EMP is asymmetric in relation to potential protagonists who are not as dependent on modern electronics.
The current vulnerability of our critical infrastructures can both invite and reward attack if not corrected. Correction is feasible and well within the Nation's means and resources to accomplish.
FOR FULL DETAILS PLEASE READ HERE
http://empcommission.org/docs/empc_exec_rpt.pdf
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PART - TWO
Nukes in Space-The Rainbow Bombs
(Published on Jun 18, 2013)
"Nukes in Space" provides an interesting overview of the development of the military space program of missiles and space-based nuclear weapons testing with spectacular, never-before-seen images.
Starting with the V-1 and V-2, this film takes you through missile development of ICBM's with nuclear warheads, the Cuban Missile Crisis through anti-ballistic missile systems and what implications the they hold for the future of our nation's security.
During the heart of the Cold War, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched and detonated a combined total of over 20 thermo nuclear weapons in the upper atmosphere and near space region of earth in an effort to test the effects of launching an offense as well as countering an offense. Even during the Cuban Missile Crisis!
Almost unknown to the public, much of the information on theses tests has been kept secret for over 35 years until recently, when newly declassified test footage and secret government documents obtained from both countries reveals everything from the ICBM to outer space testing to ABM.
From filmmaker Peter Kuran, creator of the award-winning film "Trinity and Beyond" .
Starting with the V-1 and V-2, this film takes you through missile development of ICBM's with nuclear warheads, the Cuban Missile Crisis through anti-ballistic missile systems and what implications the they hold for the future of our nation's security.
During the heart of the Cold War, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched and detonated a combined total of over 20 thermo nuclear weapons in the upper atmosphere and near space region of earth in an effort to test the effects of launching an offense as well as countering an offense. Even during the Cuban Missile Crisis!
Almost unknown to the public, much of the information on theses tests has been kept secret for over 35 years until recently, when newly declassified test footage and secret government documents obtained from both countries reveals everything from the ICBM to outer space testing to ABM.
From filmmaker Peter Kuran, creator of the award-winning film "Trinity and Beyond" .
Narrated by William Shatner. Music performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206179/
http://www.vce.com/nukes.html
http://www.vce.com/nukes.html
PART - THREE
ADDITIONAL BACK GROUND INFORMATION
A Very Scary Light Show:
Exploding H-Bombs In Space
Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #62
(Uploaded on Sep 25, 2007 )
0800062 - Starfish Prime Test Interim Report by Commander JTF-8; Fishbowl Auroral Sequences - Silent; Dominic on Fishbowl Phenomenon -Silent; Fishbowl XR Summary - Silent - 1962 - 1:01:25 - Black&White and Color - Four Films on One Video
Starfish Prime Test Interim Report by Commander JTF-8 - 7:45 - Sound - STARFISH PRIME, was one of the high-altitude nuclear tests in the Operation Fishbowl series conducted in the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. It was launched in the Johnston Island area to an altitude of about 400 kilometers by a Thor rocket and had a yield of 1.4 megatons.
The test evaluated the capabilities of an antiballistic missile to operate in a nuclear environment and the vulnerability of a U.S. reentry vehicle to survive a nearby nuclear blast. It also provided information on the ability of a U.S. radar system to detect and track reentry vehicles. Another goal was to discern the effects of a high-altitude blast on command and control systems, which were shown to be vulnerable in earlier high-altitude tests. The final goal was to obtain information on the feasibility of testing in outer space.
Fishbowl Auroral Sequences - 7:50 - Color - Silent - BLUEGILL and STARFISH were high-altitude nuclear tests, part of Operation Fishbowl, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. These tests produced auroral effects, a special feature of explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball.
The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora could be observed in the Samoan Islands, 2000 miles from the detonation. These auroras could be seen for approximately 20 minutes. The video shows footage of the auroras from Somoa, Mauna Loa (Hawaiian Islands) and Tongtapu (Tonga Islands) at various film speeds.
Dominic on Fishbowl Phenomenon - 1:12 - Color - Silent - Operation Fishbowl was the high-altitude testing portion of a larger Operation Dominic I. This video is a compilation of footage of the five nuclear tests comprising Operation Fishbowl conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. A high-altitude burst is one occurring above 100,000 feet. The video does not identify the date, time or name of the tests.
When a nuclear weapon detonates at a high altitude, many of the effects are attenuated. Most of the x-ray energy is absorbed in the air, which decreases the fireball temperature. Absorption of thermal x-ray energy also decreases the energy available for a shock wave. This all results in the development of a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the usual mushroom shape of ground or near ground explosions.
This also shows the auroral effect of high-altitude explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball. The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora can be observed from as far away as 2000 miles. These auroras can be seen for approximately 20 minutes.
Fishbowl XR Summary - 34:38 - Black&White - Silent - The video shows the five, rocket-launched, Operation Fishbowl tests at various camera speeds and from different camera locations. Operation Fishbowl was the Department of Defenses high-altitude testing portion of Operation Dominic I, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. In a high-altitude blast, many of the effects are attenuated, resulting in a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the mushroom cloud from a surface burst. These weapons-effects tests, launched by Strypi, Thor, and Nike Hercules rockets, were as follows:
STARFISH PRIME, July 9, 400-kilometer altitude, 1.4 megaton
CHECKMATE, October 20, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
BLUEGILL 3 PRIME, October 26, tens of kilometers altitude, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
KINGFISH, November 1, tens of kilometers altitude; submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
TIGHTROPE, November 4, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
Two goals of these tests were to determine if radiation and blast and heat effects of high- altitude detonations were capable of neutralizing an enemy reentry vehicle and capable of determining the blackout effects on radar and communications of various yields and altitudes of bursts
Starfish Prime Test Interim Report by Commander JTF-8 - 7:45 - Sound - STARFISH PRIME, was one of the high-altitude nuclear tests in the Operation Fishbowl series conducted in the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. It was launched in the Johnston Island area to an altitude of about 400 kilometers by a Thor rocket and had a yield of 1.4 megatons.
The test evaluated the capabilities of an antiballistic missile to operate in a nuclear environment and the vulnerability of a U.S. reentry vehicle to survive a nearby nuclear blast. It also provided information on the ability of a U.S. radar system to detect and track reentry vehicles. Another goal was to discern the effects of a high-altitude blast on command and control systems, which were shown to be vulnerable in earlier high-altitude tests. The final goal was to obtain information on the feasibility of testing in outer space.
Fishbowl Auroral Sequences - 7:50 - Color - Silent - BLUEGILL and STARFISH were high-altitude nuclear tests, part of Operation Fishbowl, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. These tests produced auroral effects, a special feature of explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball.
The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora could be observed in the Samoan Islands, 2000 miles from the detonation. These auroras could be seen for approximately 20 minutes. The video shows footage of the auroras from Somoa, Mauna Loa (Hawaiian Islands) and Tongtapu (Tonga Islands) at various film speeds.
Dominic on Fishbowl Phenomenon - 1:12 - Color - Silent - Operation Fishbowl was the high-altitude testing portion of a larger Operation Dominic I. This video is a compilation of footage of the five nuclear tests comprising Operation Fishbowl conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. A high-altitude burst is one occurring above 100,000 feet. The video does not identify the date, time or name of the tests.
When a nuclear weapon detonates at a high altitude, many of the effects are attenuated. Most of the x-ray energy is absorbed in the air, which decreases the fireball temperature. Absorption of thermal x-ray energy also decreases the energy available for a shock wave. This all results in the development of a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the usual mushroom shape of ground or near ground explosions.
This also shows the auroral effect of high-altitude explosions where the extreme brightness of the fireball is visible at great distances. Within a second or two after the burst, a brilliant aurora appears from the bottom of the fireball. The formation of the aurora is attributed to the motion, along the lines of the earths magnetic field, of beta particles emitted by the radioactive fission fragments. About a minute after the detonation, the aurora can be observed from as far away as 2000 miles. These auroras can be seen for approximately 20 minutes.
Fishbowl XR Summary - 34:38 - Black&White - Silent - The video shows the five, rocket-launched, Operation Fishbowl tests at various camera speeds and from different camera locations. Operation Fishbowl was the Department of Defenses high-altitude testing portion of Operation Dominic I, conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific Proving Ground in 1962. In a high-altitude blast, many of the effects are attenuated, resulting in a toroidal or donut-shaped cloud instead of the mushroom cloud from a surface burst. These weapons-effects tests, launched by Strypi, Thor, and Nike Hercules rockets, were as follows:
STARFISH PRIME, July 9, 400-kilometer altitude, 1.4 megaton
CHECKMATE, October 20, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
BLUEGILL 3 PRIME, October 26, tens of kilometers altitude, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
KINGFISH, November 1, tens of kilometers altitude; submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
TIGHTROPE, November 4, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
Two goals of these tests were to determine if radiation and blast and heat effects of high- altitude detonations were capable of neutralizing an enemy reentry vehicle and capable of determining the blackout effects on radar and communications of various yields and altitudes of bursts
Since we're coming up on the Fourth of July, and towns everywhere are preparing their better-than-ever fireworks spectaculars, we would like to offer this humbling bit of history. Back in the summer of 1962, the U.S. blew up a hydrogen bomb in outer space, some 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean. It was a weapons test, but one that created a man-made light show that has never been equaled — and hopefully never will. Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9Y8UDupb1Gg
Published on Jul 1, 2014
PART - FOUR
Some of the images in this video were until recently top secret. Peter Kuran of Visual Concept Entertainment collected them for his documentary Nukes In Space
If you are wondering why anybody would deliberately detonate an H-bomb in space, the answer comes from a conversation we had with science historian James Fleming of Colby College.
"Well, I think a good entry point to the story is May 1, 1958, when James Van Allen, the space scientist, stands in front of the National Academy in Washington, D.C., and announces that they've just discovered something new about the planet,"
he told us.
Van Allen described how the Earth is surrounded by belts of high-energy particles — mainly protons and electrons — that are held in place by the magnetic fields.
There are two Van Allen radiation belts that circle the Earth (shown here in purple): an inner belt and an outer belt. The belts are contained by the Earth’s magnetic field (pictured as gray lines). Red marks a radiation-safe orbit path for satellites.
NASA
Today these radiation belts are called Van Allen belts. Now comes the surprise: While looking through the Van Allen papers at the University of Iowa to prepare a Van Allen biography, Fleming discovered "that [the] very same day after the press conference, [Van Allen] agreed with the military to get involved with a project to set off atomic bombs in the magnetosphere to see if they could disrupt it."
Discover It, Then Blow It Up
The plan was to send rockets hundreds of miles up, higher than the Earth's atmosphere, and then detonate nuclear weapons to see:
a) If a bomb's radiation would make it harder to see what was up there (like incoming Russian missiles!);
b) If an explosion would do any damage to objects nearby;
c) If the Van Allen belts would move a blast down the bands to an earthly target (Moscow! for example); and — most peculiar —
d) if a man-made explosion might "alter" the natural shape of the belts.
The scientific basis for these proposals is not clear. Fleming is trying to figure out if Van Allen had any theoretical reason to suppose the military could use the Van Allen belts to attack a hostile nation. He supposes that at the height of the Cold War, the most
pressing argument for a military experiment was, "if we don't do it, the Russians will."
And, indeed, the Russians did test atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs in space.
In any case, says the science history professor,
"this is the first occasion I've ever discovered where someone discovered something and immediately decided to blow it up."
Code Name: Starfish Prime
The Americans launched their first atomic nuclear tests above the Earth's atmosphere in 1958. Atom bombs had little effect on the magnetosphere, but the hydrogen bomb of July 9, 1962, did. Code-named "Starfish Prime" by the military, it literally created an artificial extension of the Van Allen belts that could be seen across the Pacific Ocean, from Hawaii to New Zealand.
In Honolulu, the explosions were front page news.
"N-Blast Tonight May Be Dazzling: Good View Likely," said the Honolulu Advertiser. Hotels held what they called "Rainbow Bomb Parties" on rooftops and verandas. When the bomb burst, people told of blackouts and strange electrical malfunctions, like garage doors opening and closing on their own. But the big show was in the sky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9Y8UDupb1Gg
Published on Jul 1, 2014
High-altitude nuclear explosions (HANE) have historically been nuclear explosions which take place above altitudes of 30 km, still inside the Earth's atmosphere. Such explosions have been tests of nuclear weapons, used to determine the effects of the blast and radiation in the exoatmospheric environment. The highest was at an altitude of 540 km (335.5 mi).
The only nations to detonate nuclear weapons in outer space are the United States and the Soviet Union. The U.S. program began in 1958 with the Hardtack Teak and Hardtack Orange shots, both 3.8 megatons. These warheads were initially carried on Redstone rockets. Later tests were delivered by Thor missiles for Operation Fishbowl tests, and modified Lockheed X-17 missiles for the Argus tests. The purpose of the shots was to determine both feasibility of nuclear weapons as an anti-ballistic missile defense, as well as a means to defeat satellites and manned orbiting vehicles in space. High-altitude nuclear blasts produce significantly different effects. In the lower reaches of vacuous space, the resulting fireball grows much larger and faster than it does near the ground, and the radiation it emits travels much farther.
List of high-altitude nuclear explosions
The debris fireball and aurora created by the Starfish Prime test, as seen from a KC-135 aircraft at 3 minutes.
The Starfish Prime flash as seen through heavy cloud cover from Honolulu, 1,300 km away.
United States USA -- Hardtack I -- Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean
Yucca 28 April 1958, 1.7 kt, 26.2 km
Teak, 1 August 1958, 3.8 Mt, 76.8 km
Orange, 12 August 1958, 3.8 Mt, 43 km
United States USA -- Argus -- South Atlantic Ocean
Argus I, 27 August 1958, 1.7 kt, 200 km
Argus II, 30 August 1958, 1.7 kt, 240 km
Argus III, 6 September 1958, 1.7 kt, 540 km (The highest known man made nuclear explosion)
Soviet Union USSR -- 1961 tests -- Kapustin Yar
Test #88, 6 September 1961, 10.5 kt, 22.7 km
Test #115, 6 October 1961, 40 kt, 41.3 km
Test #127, 27 October 1961, 1.2 kt, 150 km
Test #128, 27 October 1961, 1.2. kt, 300 km
United States USA -- Dominic I -- (Operation Fishbowl) -- Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean
Bluegill, 3 June 1962, failed
Bluegill Prime, 25 July 1962, failed
Bluegill Double Prime, 15 October 1962, failed
Bluegill Triple Prime, 26 October 1962, 410 kt, 50 km
Starfish, 20 June 1962, failed
Starfish Prime, 9 July 1962, 1.4 Mt, 400 km (The largest man made nuclear explosion in outer space)Checkmate, 20 October 1962, 7 kt, 147 km
Kingfish, 1 November 1962, 410 kt, 97 km
Soviet Union USSR -- Soviet Project K nuclear tests -- Kapustin Yar
Test #184, 22 October 1962, 300 kt, 290 km
Test #187, 28 October 1962, 300 kt, 150 km
Test #195, 1 November 1962, 300 kt, 59 km
The only nations to detonate nuclear weapons in outer space are the United States and the Soviet Union. The U.S. program began in 1958 with the Hardtack Teak and Hardtack Orange shots, both 3.8 megatons. These warheads were initially carried on Redstone rockets. Later tests were delivered by Thor missiles for Operation Fishbowl tests, and modified Lockheed X-17 missiles for the Argus tests. The purpose of the shots was to determine both feasibility of nuclear weapons as an anti-ballistic missile defense, as well as a means to defeat satellites and manned orbiting vehicles in space. High-altitude nuclear blasts produce significantly different effects. In the lower reaches of vacuous space, the resulting fireball grows much larger and faster than it does near the ground, and the radiation it emits travels much farther.
List of high-altitude nuclear explosions
The debris fireball and aurora created by the Starfish Prime test, as seen from a KC-135 aircraft at 3 minutes.
The Starfish Prime flash as seen through heavy cloud cover from Honolulu, 1,300 km away.
United States USA -- Hardtack I -- Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean
Yucca 28 April 1958, 1.7 kt, 26.2 km
Teak, 1 August 1958, 3.8 Mt, 76.8 km
Orange, 12 August 1958, 3.8 Mt, 43 km
United States USA -- Argus -- South Atlantic Ocean
Argus I, 27 August 1958, 1.7 kt, 200 km
Argus II, 30 August 1958, 1.7 kt, 240 km
Argus III, 6 September 1958, 1.7 kt, 540 km (The highest known man made nuclear explosion)
Soviet Union USSR -- 1961 tests -- Kapustin Yar
Test #88, 6 September 1961, 10.5 kt, 22.7 km
Test #115, 6 October 1961, 40 kt, 41.3 km
Test #127, 27 October 1961, 1.2 kt, 150 km
Test #128, 27 October 1961, 1.2. kt, 300 km
United States USA -- Dominic I -- (Operation Fishbowl) -- Johnston Atoll, Pacific Ocean
Bluegill, 3 June 1962, failed
Bluegill Prime, 25 July 1962, failed
Bluegill Double Prime, 15 October 1962, failed
Bluegill Triple Prime, 26 October 1962, 410 kt, 50 km
Starfish, 20 June 1962, failed
Starfish Prime, 9 July 1962, 1.4 Mt, 400 km (The largest man made nuclear explosion in outer space)Checkmate, 20 October 1962, 7 kt, 147 km
Kingfish, 1 November 1962, 410 kt, 97 km
Soviet Union USSR -- Soviet Project K nuclear tests -- Kapustin Yar
Test #184, 22 October 1962, 300 kt, 290 km
Test #187, 28 October 1962, 300 kt, 150 km
Test #195, 1 November 1962, 300 kt, 59 km
PART - FOUR
If you are wondering why anybody would deliberately detonate an H-bomb in space, the answer comes from a conversation we had with science historian James Fleming of Colby College.
"Well, I think a good entry point to the story is May 1, 1958, when James Van Allen, the space scientist, stands in front of the National Academy in Washington, D.C., and announces that they've just discovered something new about the planet,"
he told us.
Van Allen described how the Earth is surrounded by belts of high-energy particles — mainly protons and electrons — that are held in place by the magnetic fields.
There are two Van Allen radiation belts that circle the Earth (shown here in purple): an inner belt and an outer belt. The belts are contained by the Earth’s magnetic field (pictured as gray lines). Red marks a radiation-safe orbit path for satellites.
NASA
Why Starfish Prime Created Rainbow Skies
To understand where the colors come from in Starfish Prime, you first have to know a little bit about Earth's atmosphere. Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most abundant gases in our air. The concentration of each gas is different depending on the altitude.
When Starfish Prime detonated, charged particles — electrons — were released from the explosion. According to NASA astrophysicist David Sibeck, those particles came streaming down through the Earth's atmosphere, energizing oxygen and nitrogen atoms, causing them to glow in different colors.
But why?
As electrons collide with the atoms, energy is transferred to the atoms. After holding onto it for a moment, the excess energy is released as light. When many excited atoms release energy together, the light is visible to the naked eye. Depending on the type of atom and the number of atoms, you get different colors.
It's similar to what causes the aurora borealis, although those electrons are coming from the solar wind pounding into Earth. The electrons first encounter a high concentration of oxygen at the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere, causing the atoms to release a red light. Then green appears as the electrons travel to lower altitudes where there are fewer oxygen atoms. Even lower, where more nitrogen atoms are present, the collisions throw off a blue light.
But in the Starfish Prime explosion, charged particles went in every direction. That's why you see the sky filled with a rainbow of colors nearly all at once in the footage. — Meagen Voss
When Starfish Prime detonated, charged particles — electrons — were released from the explosion. According to NASA astrophysicist David Sibeck, those particles came streaming down through the Earth's atmosphere, energizing oxygen and nitrogen atoms, causing them to glow in different colors.
But why?
As electrons collide with the atoms, energy is transferred to the atoms. After holding onto it for a moment, the excess energy is released as light. When many excited atoms release energy together, the light is visible to the naked eye. Depending on the type of atom and the number of atoms, you get different colors.
It's similar to what causes the aurora borealis, although those electrons are coming from the solar wind pounding into Earth. The electrons first encounter a high concentration of oxygen at the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere, causing the atoms to release a red light. Then green appears as the electrons travel to lower altitudes where there are fewer oxygen atoms. Even lower, where more nitrogen atoms are present, the collisions throw off a blue light.
But in the Starfish Prime explosion, charged particles went in every direction. That's why you see the sky filled with a rainbow of colors nearly all at once in the footage. — Meagen Voss
The plan was to send rockets hundreds of miles up, higher than the Earth's atmosphere, and then detonate nuclear weapons to see:
a) If a bomb's radiation would make it harder to see what was up there (like incoming Russian missiles!);
b) If an explosion would do any damage to objects nearby;
c) If the Van Allen belts would move a blast down the bands to an earthly target (Moscow! for example); and — most peculiar —
d) if a man-made explosion might "alter" the natural shape of the belts.
The scientific basis for these proposals is not clear. Fleming is trying to figure out if Van Allen had any theoretical reason to suppose the military could use the Van Allen belts to attack a hostile nation. He supposes that at the height of the Cold War, the most
pressing argument for a military experiment was, "if we don't do it, the Russians will."
And, indeed, the Russians did test atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs in space.
In any case, says the science history professor,
"this is the first occasion I've ever discovered where someone discovered something and immediately decided to blow it up."
Code Name: Starfish Prime
The Americans launched their first atomic nuclear tests above the Earth's atmosphere in 1958. Atom bombs had little effect on the magnetosphere, but the hydrogen bomb of July 9, 1962, did. Code-named "Starfish Prime" by the military, it literally created an artificial extension of the Van Allen belts that could be seen across the Pacific Ocean, from Hawaii to New Zealand.
In Honolulu, the explosions were front page news.
"N-Blast Tonight May Be Dazzling: Good View Likely," said the Honolulu Advertiser. Hotels held what they called "Rainbow Bomb Parties" on rooftops and verandas. When the bomb burst, people told of blackouts and strange electrical malfunctions, like garage doors opening and closing on their own. But the big show was in the sky.
Correction July 14, 2010
In the audio and video versions of this story, it was incorrectly stated that the Starfish Prime bomb was 1,000 times bigger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Starfish Prime was 100 times bigger than the Hiroshima bomb.Previous:
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