A-bomb test high res videos

[masraum]

I stumbled across this the other day. Some amazing stuff.

[Hugh R]

In 1960 or so, in elementary school in the Boston area, we did hide under the desk for nuclear bomb drills, like that would save you.

You might find this link interesting, its photos of the chain reactions of a nuclear bomb by a colleague of my Dad's, Harold Edgerton, He did it with really, really fast film speeds, he also invented the strobe light.Here is the link: https://www.google.com/search?channel=cus2&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=high+speed+photography+nuclear+explosion&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjigY3t8fDrAhXJjp4KHWcyAl4QsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=938

I actually met him at a few BBQs at my parents house when I was around 9 or 10, he got/shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, I was too young to understand what that meant. I remember that after he got the Nobel Prize he still drove a 1960 or so VW micorbus.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

In 1960 or so, in elementary school in the Boston area, we did hide under the desk for nuclear bomb drills, like that would save you.

You might find this link interesting, its photos of the chain reactions of a nuclear bomb by a colleague of my Dad's, Harold Edgerton, He did it with really, really fast film speeds, he also invented the strobe light.Here is the link: https://www.google.com/search?channel=cus2&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=high+speed+photography+nuclear+explosion&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjigY3t8fDrAhXJjp4KHWcyAl4QsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1920&bih=938

I actually met him at a few BBQs at my parents house when I was around 9 or 10, he got/shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, I was too young to understand what that meant. I remember that after he got the Nobel Prize he still drove a 1960 or so VW micorbus.

Very cool, thanks, Hugh.

[Scott Douglas]

I remember doing those drills too in elementary school in Santa Monica.

When Dad passed away many years ago, I found a circular calculator for figuring out the effects of an A Bomb blast in his stuff. I have it somewhere here in my desk. He worked on the Minute Man project.

I certainly hope mankind never has to feel the effects of one of those bombs again.

[Hugh R]

LOL my Dad was a nuclear engineer at MIT in the 60s-80s he had a bomb shelter built in our backyard, it was a railroad tanker car reinforced for outside pressure and buried about 20 feet underground. It had air vents, and a slide from the basement to the unit. Obviously never used, thinking back, and I'm no nuclear engineer, I think 10 miles from Boston we would have been convection ovened anyway.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

LOL my Dad was a nuclear engineer at MIT in the 60s-80s he had a bomb shelter built in our backyard, it was a railroad tanker car reinforced for outside pressure and buried about 20 feet underground. It had air vents, and a slide from the basement to the unit. Obviously never used, thinking back, and I'm no nuclear engineer, I think 10 miles from Boston we would have been convection ovened anyway.

I assume it had some sort of heavy duty air filtration? What was the plan/purpose, short term, like days or a week or two or long term, months? I've never known anyone that had one and would love to hear more about it.

And yes, being on the north side of the east coast probably means you would have been toast.

I've always found the whole bomb shelter thing fascinating. I'd love to be able to see/explore some now. I'm sure there weren't that many around because they were probably out of financial reach for most folks, but I often wonder what happened to them.

[Zeke]

Not that many years ago I worked at a house that had a bomb shelter. The entry was just a flip up door in the floor of the pantry much like any other access door to the underside of a house. It led to a set of stairs that were somewhere between a ladder and stairs. At the bottom it was narrow with stepped up sides like a bunk bed or counter, all concrete. There was minimal lighting and no secondary means of support for the ventilation, lights, etc. The vents were somewhat camouflaged but not much more than a dryer or WH vent.

What got me was the echo down there. So much echo that it was uncomfortable to talk. I sure with provisions and occupants, that would subside, but the whole thing was ridiculous.

Nice constant cool temps though. If it wasn't such a PITA to access it would have made a killer wine cellar.

[Cajundaddy]

Pretty incredible forces at work. My dad was in the Navy stationed a Bikini and Eniwetok during some of the testing in 1954. He was there for Castle Bravo which made a much bigger bang than anyone expected and wiped out a lot of their instrumentation.

https://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/1-march-1954-castle-bravo/

[biosurfer1]

The explosions over land are impressive, but the water detonation is pretty incredible. The amount of water thrust up into the sky and wall of waves the follows is almost unbelievable.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

When Dad passed away many years ago, I found a circular calculator for figuring out the effects of an A Bomb blast in his stuff. I have it somewhere here in my desk. He worked on the Minute Man project...

If it came from an early version of the most famous weapons effects book (Glasstone) that could be worth some real money. Most of the collector's versions of the early editions have lost their calculator.

This household has only the reprint paperback and no slide rule

[Evans, Marv]

As a kid in elementary school, the teacher trooped the class over to her house a couple of times to watch A-bomb tests on the TV (B&W). They used to test in the early mornings in Nevada. Some of those mornings, I'd go sit out on the front lawn and face east. When the device exploded, there would be a flash of white light followed a bit later by what sounded like a really sharp, abrupt, medium distant thunder clap.

[masraum]

[masraum]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

The explosions over land are impressive, but the water detonation is pretty incredible. The amount of water thrust up into the sky and wall of waves the follows is almost unbelievable.

How about the potential application of nuclear bombs for "nuclear excavation?"

You've got to wonder if this was a way to test something else or if the goal REALLY was to test nuclear excavation?

[sammyg2]

When they were setting off some of those nukes in Nevada, I was right about here where that arrow points. The second highest doze rating on the chart. Maybe third, hard to see fer sure.
That explains that third eye ....

[sammyg2]

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by masraum

How about the potential application of nuclear bombs for "nuclear excavation?"

You've got to wonder if this was a way to test something else or if the goal REALLY was to test nuclear excavation?

Sedan crater (like the rest of the test site) is cool if you get to see it. Imagine being the guys who designed it and being able to say "I made something you can see from space!".

This is a fun read. Check out the first author...



Somewhere I have scans from the "Plowshare" book that show plans for power generation. Imagine a simple drawing of a drill rig on the surface with a big cavity underground. Bombs and water in -- steam out!

[Bob Kontak]

In OP's second video the Venetian blinds start to smoke as does the paint on the houses before the blast wave gets there.

What are the forces that cause that?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

In OP's second video the Venetian blinds start to smoke as does the paint on the houses before the blast wave gets there.

What are the forces that cause that?

I noticed that as well, sometimes the amount of smoke was greater than others, I assume due to proximity.

My assumption is that the shockwave is travelling at the speed of sound, but the radiation and radiant energy is closer to the speed of light.

[masraum]

Still reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_nuclear_explosions

[Rusty Heap]

Nuclear Testing by Country..................damnnn


Country Tests Percentage by yield

USA 1,032 36.3%
USSR 727 54.9%
UK 88 1.72%
France 217 2.51%