you are about to see the official film
report of operation greenhouse
greenhouse was one of a series of tests
conducted at the atomic energy
Commission's proving ground at Ana we
talk it was completed in the spring of
1951 greenhouse was routine in one sense
but should not be confused with previous
test greenhouse has a place to stinked
and a pause VAR crossroads tested the
effect of atomic bombs and sandstone
concentrated on weapon improvement
studies greenhouse was planned to
further both of these achievements and
more specific purposes of operation
greenhouse now accomplished standout a
lighter more and more efficient weapons
are atomic arsenal be offensive and
defensive effects information on animals
structures aircraft tanks and so forth
see basic experiments of the
thermonuclear problem we believe this
film to be a true presentation of the
operation it stresses underlying theme
the reasons for greenhouse it cannot
always give credit to the thousands of
individuals who made it possible as
commander of Joint Task Force 3 I invite
you to see a documentary portrayal of an
operation which many agencies and
unnumbered men achieved in the Central
Pacific an atomic test
it's all over now
only the radioactive dust of the four
test shots remained operation greenhouse
is history but if this be history what
does it say what was learned from a
shots fire that run it at ng be at every
room in the spring of 1951 what was done
to one of the expenditure of thousands
of man-hours of work of millions of
dollars just what significance does
green house have in the gallery of
atomic tests operation green house Joint
Task Force three starts like a puzzle
with a thousand scattered pieces one of
these pieces fits into place at 12th of
Constitution Washington DC this is
headquarters for Joint Task Force 3 here
during the greater part of 1950 activity
centers around complex organizational
problems this is the clearing house the
meeting place where both the services
and the scientists work out you to a
problem here man will come to grips with
the million and one details connected
with an operation of the magnitude of
green house details that can become as
where is someone heavy as an aching
tooth but which also cannot be ignored
consider just one item transportation
docks and ships airfields and plane
plotted on sheets of paper on schedule
14 to 15 thousand tons per month by
water outward bound from San Francisco
high days to Hawaii
six days Danny we top transportation for
normal cargo or high-priority cargo
transportation by air seven thousand
three hundred passengers nine hundred
forty tons of freight from the United
States to quash array 20 we talk yes
planning organization phasing the tale
the story of headquarters Joint Task
Force three during these hectic
preparatory days is a story of the
valuable function of
for support a part of the how of
greenhouse but not the why the why of
greenhouse starts in the summer of 1948
starts at Los Alamos New Mexico begins
in this an isolated experimental factory
set up for a specific purpose to design
and develop atomic weapon in the shadow
where the Hamer's mountains word
progresses steadily as it has from the
laboratories beginning in 1943 since
then to the summer of 1948 men from this
plateau have left this country twice
before to test the weapons they have
created
go ahead Los Alamos we return to the
hill from the sandstone tests with new
and important information information
that would enable us to make a sizable
contribution to the generally rising
curve of man's knowledge of atomic
weapons information that would help us
tackle basic problems involved in high
explosive systems hip designs core
Arrangements initiators information that
would enable us to increase the small
percentage of active material that
actually burns during fission the more
efficient use of fissionable material
has been and continues to be one of our
main objectives for it is the fissile
material itself whether uranium-235 or
plutonium that is the expensive the
elaborately complicated material to
produce the nuclear material is the
heart of all our attempts to make bombs
economically feasible at Trinity in 1945
we proved a self-sustaining reaction
could become an explosive force and that
the implosion principle was sound
we had a starting point the drops on
Japan were strictly a war measure at
Hiroshima we tried the gun principle and
also used uranium for the first time the
Nagasaki weapon was an implosion type
using plutonium little or no controlled
experimentation was possible
thus little data was obtained which
furthered the progress of weapon design
as a result of the Japan detonations the
effects from an atomic explosion became
a prime concern to the armed forces thus
crossroads with its to plutonium type
weapons both using an implosion system
at Crossroads since we were mainly
interested in testing naval materiel
little data was obtained from the able
and Baker shots on weapon development
however significant effects knowledge
was obtained stateside laboratory
research in the meantime developed new
weapons for the samstone test at
sandstone we were once again able to
tackle the big problem more efficient
use of fissile material here we were
able to utilize uranium-235 in an
implosion type weapon so as time went on
we had increased our knowledge of weapon
design and had therefore increased yield
per kilogram of active material this is
where we stood by the end of sandstone
but while this was satisfying progress
new possibilities already loomed on the
horizon even while still unpacking our
suitcases from the sandstone tests
thinking was in order for the next
operation for a new test program
greenhouse it is apparent that
controlled testing such as that at
Trinity and sandstone is essential for
continued progress in the development of
atomic weapons it is equally obvious
that testing at a proving ground is to
be a permanent feature of our work so a
proof test division known as J division
is organized dr. Alvin C Graves is
selected to head this division a unit
with the specific job of testing weapons
by autumn of 48 a test program is framed
this calls for experimentation of new
weapon designs with the objective of
again moving our knowledge curve
upward to a more effective level
operation greenhouse a logical sequence
to samstone is in the making
once more we propose to better yield per
kilogram invested greenhouse may take us
a long way in the direction of smaller
weapons for the first time
deliverability in terms of size and
weight is expected to make its mark in
improved weapon design greenhouse will
also give us direction as to what road
to follow in the development of a
thermonuclear weapon this is the
beginning the first step in the long
road to make greenhouse Louella it is
desirable to obtain an early approval of
the test program what a major lesson had
been learned from samstone bus time is
an essential ingredient time for
preparation time for organization with
time the most value for a given dollar
spent will be a company besides time to
prepare for active participation is
indispensable to the military service we
in the services receive the announcement
of the proposed 51 tests with high
interest there were many tests we hadn't
had an opportunity to run during
Operation sandstone as a result that
we're gaping holes in our offense to the
defense of thinking about atomic weapon
naturally then we were anxious to
conduct experiments and an operation
such as greenhouse at first each service
worked on its own program separately
working independently in this way there
was overlapping and duplication later we
began to condense our tests into a
unified workable program after we have
met with AEC scientists and understood
more about the test shots and the
limitations facing it and so while the
play is being written the actors
selected the Military Liaison Committee
recommends to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
but now the time is right to tie all the
loose ends together to start the ball
rolling
general Quesada is nominated as past
Force Commander and heads a temporary
joint proof test committee this
committee functions for some five months
based largely on experience gained from
operation samstone it develops the basic
plan for green house the proof test
committee gradually merges gathering
members into a full-fledged unit Joint
Task Force 3 a unit operational by
November 1949 this task forces an
organization made up of four integrated
parts for task groups bus task force
three for green house reaches of
objective not entirely realized in
sandstone this is a true quadrilateral
unit and we teach task group is assigned
the job for which it is best suited the
game is functional efficiency rather
than service interest in essence the
mission of the scientific task group is
to prepare arm and fire the test weapon
to conduct the experimental programs for
the Atomic Energy Commission and the
Department of Defense and to operate and
maintain the necessary base and
laboratory facilities for conducting
experiments the Army Task Group will
provide the necessary men and equipment
to rehabilitate any we talked Island and
will continue to operate and maintain
the island during the operational period
in addition the army will operate port
facilities and ensure the physical
security of the alcohol the Navy Task
Group is charged with the responsibility
of maintaining surface security over the
an elite our danger area it will
transport the experimental weapons and
provide assembly facilities the Navy
will provide logistic support for the
operation and augment facilities for
infra a toll water transportation the
Air Force Task Group will provide an
operate aircraft necessary for the
experimental programs and the airbase
facility is necessary to maintain these
aircraft it will assist the scientific
task group and collecting test data also
it will maintain a continuous display on
the air situation operate
search-and-rescue activity and provide
documentary film coverage
poor task groups representing civilian
and military personnel now work together
as a unified team as a task force any we
talk at all the proving ground
established as a permanent site for
firing atomic weapon since this at all
have been used in the nineteen forty
eight tests there were some buildings
living facilities and test installations
available but two years of past repair
is needed expansion is necessary clean
up construction and maintenance on all
islands of the at all except any we talk
Ireland is handled by the civilian
engineering firm of Holmes and Arbor in
Los Angeles the first step of their
engineers is to get a clear picture of
the requirements to make a survey and
while in the Far Pacific the isolated
proving ground is being prepared in
other parts of the world events occur
which give added significance to and
have a profound effect on planning for
operation greener a hydrogen bomb a
fusion bomb a thermonuclear weapon call
it what you will the moment for decision
arrived the world situation offers no
other choice but to push the development
of this type atomic weapon
a thermonuclear reaction we know the
reactions on the Sun are of this kind
probably the slow lucien of hydrogen
taking place over millions of years our
problem is also to produce a fusion
reaction but that is as far as the
similarity with the Sun goes we can't
wait a million years ours must be here
and now and explosive a tall order but
because of the urgent need to know if a
man-made thermonuclear reaction is
possible we are going to burn the
midnight oil until we have an answer by
now we know the blueprint for mass and
energy we know how to cause the
splitting our fission of heavy atoms to
produce an explosive chain reaction in
the case of uranium and plutonium when
efficient occurs the total mass of the
two fragments is less than that of the
original mass that difference is energy
fusion as the term implies is a fusing
together of two atoms into a single
nuclear unit the direct opposite of
fission but still four light atoms the
new mass is less than the combined
masses of the original atoms the
difference again is energy however
energy from fusion weapons theoretically
at least is unlimited
unlike the critical mass limitations of
uranium and plutonium any given amount
of active usable material can be
assembled to produce an explosive force
all this is true if a suitable material
is available ordinary hydrogen the
common element used so frequently and
inexpensively uses em produces energy on
the Sun but on earth ordinary hydrogen
atoms do not easily suit simple hydrogen
is definitely not suitable as a
thermonuclear fuel but it is believed
rare forms of hydrogen will work so one
of our first problems is to experiment
with an isotope or isotopes of hydrogen
work with materials capable of
undergoing and ignitable self-sustaining
nuclear reaction if we can prove that it
is possible to achieve a self-sustaining
nuclear fusion reaction in a small
quantity of material we will have a
starting point we're going to try to be
ready to attempt the test of a
measurable thermonuclear reaction in a
little over a year on operation
greenhouse not only is work intensified
at Los Alamos and many other labs and
installations in the United States but
also in any we talk at all engineering
work is rushed to make possible the test
by the spring of 1951 construction
starts from the ground up and grows into
the
while work progresses in the Pacific
preparations keep pace in the CI
preparations based on eight experimental
program program one los alamos tests
designed to obtain answers to several
key questions relating to the national
stockpile of fish and weapon to effects
which nuclear weapons are capable of
producing and to possibilities in the
direction of thermonuclear weapons
program to biomedical sponsored by the
Atomic Energy Commission in the
Department of Defense it will consist of
the measurements and recording of the
effects of the atomic explosion on
animal and plant tissues program three
sponsored by the three services the
response of various types of buildings
to the atomic explosion will be measured
and analyzed and will provide a test of
various types of blast resistant
construction program for cloud physics
sponsored by the Air Force will consist
of the measurement of physical
phenomenon accompanying the cloud which
is formed after the atomic explosion
program five radiological instrument
evaluation is sponsored by the Army and
Navy its object is to evaluate equipment
which has been designed by the services
for use in detecting the radiation
produced in an atomic explosion program
six physical tests and measurements will
consist of 10 separate projects to
determine the effects of atomic
explosions on various kinds of military
equipment and the effectiveness of
decontamination method program 7 an Air
Force project to determine the
effectiveness of detecting atomic
explosions at long range this project is
widely dispersed by JCS decision date
ef3 was responsible for only that small
portion of the program conducted at any
we taught there for this film does not
include details of program 7
Grahame aid effects on aircraft will
measure and record the effects of the
atomic explosion on aircraft in flight
and uncertain airplane components on the
ground while all over the country men
work to make green house a reality
during this preparatory stage new events
of world importance occur which cast
their shadow on the operation however
national policy dictates that the vital
atomic test program must be maintained
but weapons development work must
continue at any cost
true some schedules are altered some
drawings revised in order to still make
green house a reality in the spring of
1951 but actually a shift in plans is
not strange to those who work on this
operation modifications have happened
before they'll happen again since green
house is a remote outdoor laboratory
situation a series of experiments change
will be the order of the day up to and
including the actual operational period
even during test time homes annarbor
will have a small working force
available to make last-minute
installation changes so work continues
in the CI at an accelerated pitch until
at last the time arrives when most plans
can be laid away blueprints rolled up
and put in drawers instruments gauges
meters act for the big move out to the
Pacific test island the scientific test
group will control the experimental
program but the largeness of the total
project means that individual
experiments have been farmed out to
dozens of different bureaus laboratories
institutes offices
some of us have never seen any we talked
at all before we had studied charts of
course but we were more interested from
the real thing especially in the
headquarters Islands the test island any
we talk Island is headquarters for the
Army and Air Force Task Group Perry
island is headquarters for Joint Task
Force 3 and for the scientific task
group this operation unlike samstone is
land-based headquarters for the Navy
Task Group is aboard the Curtiss
anchored in any we talked Lagoon moving
north up the chain run it as the site of
the first shot codenamed dog still
moving north Ebury rule island is the
location for the third shot codename
George
ng B is at the top of the chain and as
the test islands the second shot
codenamed easy and for a possible fourth
shot codename item over the spread out
at saw laboratory and over the
surrounding rectangular danger area 150
by 200 miles
the Navy patrol maintaining a security
watch the five thousand mile trip from
San Francisco to enemy talk is over we
settle down in the tropical aluminum
barracks that are be our home for the
next five months there isn't much to do
out in the islands but work and there is
plenty of that instrument footings
recording stations coax cables and the
like are in but this is just the
beginning all of the elaborate test
instruments brought from the States must
be installed
but before green house came to this
point the actual operational period
before the test Islands were set before
the exact weapons to be tested were
chosen and date settled on many events
of importance have influenced the aims
and purposes of the 51 test okay Fred
let's go ahead on that basis then you'll
have to check up with EG&G to see if
they're set up for that sort of thing
right okay Fred so what's your problem
going isn't history being written Fatima
I'm afraid to fast
graves I have trouble trying to keep up
with it in preparing the chapter on
selection of weapons the green house
report I have difficulty and falling
through the historical development I
wonder if you could give me a summary of
the changes I can understand your
difficulty things have certainly changed
often enough where it's let me discuss
briefly this business of change
flexibility in our work from our point
of view of flexibility and testing is a
necessity we were completely sure about
our weapons if everything were cut and
dried there wouldn't be much point in
running a test such as green house being
absolutely sure is a tall order and
being mere men we're not infallible as
we must anticipate program changes I can
understand the necessity for change it's
the historical sequence that bothers me
well now to outline the more important
changes after Sam stone in the latter
part of 1948 and 49 we were thinking in
terms of a three-shot program where it
starts to run it zero island for the
first test shot the plan is to
concentrate on one test shot at a time
so effort now centers on this finger
shaped bit of coral soil the 300-foot
tower to hold the first test weapon is
ready as close to 7 April as will be
feasible
our is 100 feet higher than any tower
used in a previous atomic test this
increased height will allow a better
fireball to develop and therefore
provide a better measurement of yield
this added height also cuts down ground
dust lessening fallout contamination
natural phenomenon is under continuous
observation by the meteorologist he
closely watches earth and sky and sees
much more than just heat or cold wind or
rain for 2 reasons weather is an
important factor in every atomic test
first a day must be picked when
visibility is good for photographic
records second a day and time must be
selected when wind and rain do not
adversely affect radiological safety
talk about a spread out project weather
units are all over the map an aerial
recon unit is based on fraudulent this
unit is made up of 12 b-29 modified for
weather reconnaissance work they fly
three triangular tracks every day out of
Kwajalein and radio and weather
information every 100 miles and there
are four fixed weather task units and
outlying Island at koozai Naru
and Errol and vacati here is one of the
station's Majuro
on this self-contained outpost the men
make a surface observation every three
hours a complete upper air observation
is made every six hours in between these
observations they work on a cloud
development study which is part of the
research on Tropical Meteorology all of
the weather data is funneled in here to
Task Force weather central on any we
talk Island the job of the central is to
forecast weather for the day an hour of
shot time all effort now centers on job
number one
those of us from the scientific task
group are here essentially to confirm or
disprove theoretical calculations to
learn what is not always possible to
prove in a conventional laboratory to
learn more about the atom bomb we divide
our testing into two major areas
diagnostic testing and effects testing
more specifically diagnostic tests are
an extensive examination of the
phenomena occurring during the initial
phases of the explosion
effects test study the external
manifestations of the explosion the
effects of the weapon to gain an
intimate understanding of interior
weapon behavior three kinds of
diagnostic measurements are made these
are the time it takes to start the
nuclear reaction that's its time the
rate at which the chain reaction
multiplies alpha measurement and
measurements of the total energy
released in the nuclear reaction yield
most of the diagnostic data is available
only during the early microseconds of
the nuclear reaction and extensive
instrumentation is required for each
detonation transit time data which gives
information on the AC system is cabled
down to a recording station and measured
by sweep oscilloscopes transit time
instruments are wired into the same
circuit that triggers the detonators of
the weapon because they are activated by
the same impulse they can literally
measure the duration of the implosion or
the time necessary to condense the
nuclear material to criticality transit
time is the interval them between the
impulse and the appearance of the first
gamma ray which signals the beginning of
the fission process the oscilloscopes
are extensively photographed during
their microseconds of operation since
transit time is an important index of
implosion efficiency and offers a good
check
weapon design the second phase of
diagnostic experimentation giving
information on the internal workings of
the car is the alpha measurement one way
to obtain this data is to locate an
ionization chamber adjacent to the
weapon itself other ionization chambers
located at ground level detect later
stages of the Alpha phenomenon
measurements of alpha give valuable
information on the modifying qualities
of the fissionable assembly the
multiplication rate is vital it tells us
of the growth of fishin's in a given
length of time if we are to have more
efficient atomic weapons we must
increase the rate at which visions
multiply as radiations from the
fishing's are detected a signal is sent
down the coaxial cable to a recording
station the rate of increase of signal
strength is recorded by some of the
fastest recording equipment in existence
today in addition to the types of time
and alpha diagnostic experiments we have
several methods of detecting the success
of new weapon designs in terms of yield
yield is the determination of the total
energy released by the nuclear material
undergoing fission this energy is
usually expressed in kilotons 1 kiloton
being the energy released in a thousand
tons of high explosive one means of
measuring yield is to attach filter
traps to drone aircraft and send them
into the car of the atomic cloud
immediately after the blast nuclear
ashes are samples of the residue
material saturating the cloud are
collected in the traps for radio
chemical analysis to determine the total
number of fishin's that have occurred
since we know the yield per fission and
measure the total number of fishin's the
yield of the bomb can be computed the
snap sampler a device new to atomic
testing is another way of collecting
debris for radio chemical analysis
members of the air type and samplers of
the ground type are arranged in a
semi-circle close to the base of the
tower in addition to these methods of
collecting samples of fission fragments
greenhouse will test rockets for the
first time to see if they are practical
as sample collectors the rockets will be
fired just prior to shopton they will
travel in a long arc and pass through
the cloud at approximately 5000 feet it
is hoped that on the pass-through they
will collect samples in much the same
way as drone aircraft another major of
yield is made with high speed still and
motion picture cameras which record the
rate of growth of the fireball the more
energy developed is a reaction the
faster it expands to repeat the
diagnostic experiments are concerned
with the behavior and phenomena of the
weapon itself however we are also
concerned with the for physical effects
produced by a nuclear explosion blast or
pressured eat our thermal radiation
light or visible radiation and nuclear
radiation in the form of neutrons and
gamma rays to measure the pressure of
the blast on the ground several types of
instruments are arranged in a blast wall
a number of these blast walls called
collectively a blast line are situated
in a straight line path to the shockwave
each blast wall contains instruments to
measure pressure as a function of
distance and time one excellent method
of obtaining peak pressures at various
distances is through the measurement of
the velocity of the shock wave
since high shock velocities are
associated with higher pressures blast
or pressure of the weapon can be
obtained this type of instrumentation on
our near the ground measures Mach region
pressures or the composite of the
initial shock front and the reflected
shock wave for some time we have been
interest
in free air pressures that is pressures
not influenced by the reflected way we
are attempting this free air measurement
in a new way by suspending telemeter in
transmitters from plastic balloons
inflated with helium the balloon and its
cable ride close to the tower at an
altitude of about 2,000 feet as the
shock front strikes the balloon barn
instruments time of arrival signals are
sent to a recording station on airy
island with such data we hope we can
determine effective height outburst for
any type of atomic weapon the amount and
distribution of thermal energies emitted
directly from the bomb and penetrating
to a great distance will be determined
information on the heat produced is a
prime interest to both the scientists
and the military since thermal radiation
is an extremely potent effect of an
atomic explosion the spectrum and
intensity of light or visible radiation
will be measured by high-speed
spectrographs and photocells and the
fireball will be photographed from one
hundred to several million frames per
second the fourth category of our
effects testing is concerned with gamma
and neutron radiation the photographic
Neutron experiment fonox
will enable us to learn more about all
portions of the neutron spectrum fonox
converts neutrons to protons which are
recorded in a photographic emulsion
additional data about neutron radiation
will be obtained from threshold
detectors samples of gold sulfur iodine
and other elements are attached to a
land cable which can later be hauled
back to a safe recovery point such
elements are made radioactive by
neutrons above a threshold energy and
again provide a measure of the number
and energy of neutrons gamma radiation
is observed in several fashions
spectrometers placed that several
distances will measure the energy
spectrum of gamma radiation at the same
distances
spatial distribution of the delayed
gamma source is measured at four
locations detectors will measure
absolute gamma intensity versus time in
short we want to know what kind where
when and how much delayed gamma
radiation is present these measurements
are needed if we are to calculate the
shielding properties of our shelters or
to estimate the required shielding at a
given distance thus all effects
measurements are made to help us in both
civil defense and military planning only
one day over schedule
now in dramatic pre-dawn darkness the
drone aircraft are ready to take off on
their mission giant planes without a
living man on board and with all their
tons of weight and thousands of
horsepower flown by a remote control
officer on the ground through an
incredible gadget in his head on signal
the first safety crew abandons its drone
comes now the fantastic achievement of a
four motor bomber taken safely off into
the air by those distant magic fingers
which then would even mightier magic
switch the manless controls of a drone
aircraft to a mother plane the law each
mother hovering and patiently to take
its cruise baby on through the darkness
guiding it into the unknown
to top the fantasy of the cruellest
bombers come the fighters for the first
time an airplane history drone jets
pilot this clueless at SuperSpeed flown
up into the night sky controlled only by
a driver and over driver another jet
aircraft will electronically guide the
destinies of their jet flow
the general location of all aircraft
must be known for safety purposes but
the exact location of each blast
measurement aircraft and filter
collecting drone is an absolute must and
so the air operations center takes over
the meticulous task of advisement and
control this is the hub the center of
all three-point-four activity here in
the center is maintained a continuous
display of all their activity in the any
week talk area their defense for the
protection of its atomic proving ground
search-and-rescue operation but the main
concern of air operations is during shot
time when test aircraft hold the center
of the state their critical flight paths
are displayed on an air defense board
followed and checked and sometimes nurse
to zero position at h-hour these drone
ships are guided through the blast area
by close support msq one unit radar
tracking coupled with the electronic
computers takes over control from the
mother aircraft while the drone is in
the blast area all these plots are of
sufficient accuracy and timeliness to
permit the air Task Group commander to
make his report to the task force and
all aircraft are in position and ready
the many points outside the danger area
now look Telemachus I'm has come shot
number one is ready to be fight
you
one of the most impressive
manifestations of any atomic plant is
the cloud containing the unburned
particles of the reaction the heavily
radioactive nuclear ashes opportunities
to study an atomic cloud are rare to
learn more of its characteristics a
separate program cloud physics makes a
detailed study of phenomena associated
with it while drone aircraft are used
primarily to gather samples for radio
chemical analysis of clouds and to study
past effects on aircraft we take full
advantage of them in running additional
experiments instruments of the aircraft
automatically recorded air temperature
humidity pressure and air speed in
addition to the 50 aircraft besides
their regular mission of blast
measurements mount cameras which record
the dimensions rate of rise and the
diffusion of the cloud this type
information gives us better
understanding of cloud construction and
behavior such information would have
particular importance in developing a
warning system which would tell air
crews when they are approaching a
radioactive cloud so that they may turn
aside to avoid damaging radiation the
cloud physics program is also making a
detailed study and wind measurement to
gain a more complete understanding of
the structure of the negative wind or
after win following the blast wave here
we return to collect the records from
one of our wind measuring devices
altogether there are 27 such instruments
located at varying distances from point
0 all of the studies under the cloud
physics program will help contribute to
a better understanding of the aftermath
phenomena of an atomic blast
drone plane practically every one of the
eight programs has some test gadget in
or out of or hanging onto this remotely
control guinea pig as soon as each shot
is completed the task of compiling and
computing test data moves into high gear
some of the test measurements as for
instance below salamis filter trap
samples need to be quickly shipped back
to the laboratories in the state and
airlift the Pony Express is an operation
for just this purpose dwarfed by the
c-54s the small liaison planes are
another kind of airlift they are Island
hoppers
transporting personnel around the
scattered facilities of this proving
ground at first
traffic was heavy to run it now it
concentrates on engine p0 island for
test shot number two preparations for
this shot are going on up and down the
at home for instance on the way up to n
shipping has a small island near Perry
interesting events are occurring on this
heavily vegetated I seemingly tranquil
and forgotten the midst of all the term
this is the island room of some 200 dogs
200 pigs and a mere 12,000 mice this is
jet an island headquarters for
biomedical program - and this also is
our home while we work with complicated
instruments gauges and chambers our main
instruments are simply animals we
started here nearly a year ago we
brought in parent animals so their young
would be native born completely a
climate of animals this method helps us
avoid alien environmental influences
control as in most of the sciences is
the thing we work hard to attain and
control is the principal reason why mice
pigs and dogs are being used they are
standard laboratory animals we've worked
with three years it's possible to highly
in breed them and produce beasts of the
purest blood strains this means control
for accurate results as we've been here
four months now the young have grown up
and are ready to help us gain valuable
information in fact or the treatment of
human care would be in case of an atomic
war a few hours before zero time we will
gather up our animals and move them in a
position for the entropy blood
the bulk of the ten million dollar
military effects programs are centered
around the ng be shot on both ng BM use
and islands for example stand the
products of program three structures
some appear strange others familiar some
are exposed others hidden a joint
military test program to gain offensive
and defensive knowledge of structural
reactions to an atomic blast important
information for the protection of our
cities important information for the
destruction of enemy cities army
structures a multi-story composite
building seven separate sections
arranged to respond independently
located nine hundred ninety yards from
zero we are after this kind of
information are our design criteria
adequate to our needs
how do various types of construction
respond what are the effects of window
openings blast resistant shelters five
hundred seventy yards from zero build of
reinforced concrete one cubicle and
shape one cylindrical in shape here we
are after defensive facts Navy
structures bomb-proof roofs sixty yards
from zero a solid reinforced concrete
roof five feet six a four layer
laminated roof we have already
successfully tested this for penetration
by TNT bombs will it stand up to a
fission bomb other Navy structures a
powder magazine eleven hundred seventy
yards from zero a concrete arch we ask
another question what is the effect of a
curved surface to atomic blast and still
another question what blast protection
will panel veneer provide in all of this
the Navy is after defensive information
Air Force structures an industrial
building with long spans a building
representative of possible targets in
such industries as aircraft assembly
close by is a scale model of the same
type structure this is representative of
an attempt to gain an understanding of
atomic blasts on structures by using tea
scale models a short span industrial
building representing a light
manufacturing plant a two-story brick
building a structure representative of
urban dwellings in many cities the air
force is mainly interested in offensive
data high diversed
number of bombs zero point although
ensure maximum results on a target
program six physical tests and
measurement generally you might say ours
is a defensive program we're trying to
find out the best ways of protecting
ourselves and our military equipment
from an atomic detonation take tanks for
instance what effect does blast have on
armor and armament what pressure is
built up inside a tank what is the
temperature inside what is the effect of
radiation at various distances on crew
members and can they continue to fight
to answer such questions will you placed
Sherman tanks at 500 at 750 and 1,500
yards from zero and instrumented them
then we would like to know something
about thermal radiation the heat in
light and the effect of such heat at
various distances upon items such as
woods paints plastics another point
we're not satisfied with our knowledge
of the fallout of atomic particles over
a wide area these glass collector plates
coated with Vaseline will be placed on
nine islands of the at all to gather
samples filter materials must be tested
to check their efficiency for gas masks
large air filters and the like
all of these and many more questions to
be answered important questions for
military preparedness important data for
civilian protection although the air
force is dropped my bombs on targets
actually little is known about the
reaction of striking aircraft to atomic
blasts it is the purpose of program 8
effects on aircraft to gather more
control data on the tactical employment
of bombing aircraft and also to find the
modifications necessary to the
structural design of present and future
airplane these tests will take place in
the air and on the ground
or the ground test program we are
setting up aircraft components in the
path of the plant at four stations
placed at various distances from zero
are such items as bended cylinders and
have 47 wing with bended flaps and
ailerons wing panels and SAT fuselage
each side has an instrument station
loaded with recorders strain gauges
pressure and temperature sensing devices
down on any we chart the blast
measurement aircraft are being readied
for tests in the air to man be 50s in a
man b-47 will traverse the blast at high
altitudes drone aircraft will encounter
the blast at lower altitudes to be
Seventeen's and to t-33 jets are
assigned for this purpose to measure and
record the stresses and strains of an
airplane hit by an atomic blast all
planes are heavily instrumented since
one or more of the drones might not
survive the blast key information will
be telemetered down to the recorders on
any we type and so as time passes
quickly the programs on NGB are ready
at Jackson the months of planning and
preparation draw through clothes our
time has arrived with the approach of
h-hour we put our test animals into
exposure containers to make it possible
to quickly establish the numerous
stations before detonation and to
efficiently collect them after blast
trucks equipped with a hoist mechanism
for quick loading and unloading
techniques carry our living laboratory
specimens to the waiting boat while much
information that has been gained from
the two detonations on Japan and from
previous atomic tests this material
lacks the all-important factor of cause
and effect which is indispensable to
medical knowledge our present program is
designed to supply the missing facts
then we are on our way moving up with
our mice babies and dogs at minus 18
hours we're ashore on 0 island to test
casualty production heat and
radioactivity from a full-scale atomic
blast time becomes an all-important
factor now we are dealing with live
animals here beings who can go only so
long without food and water mice will be
spotted to determine lethal radiation
dosage they will be spaced at varying
distances from zero so that the dosage
received will range from several times
lethality to none lethality pigs are the
basis for an interesting experiment
since pig skin is similar to human skin
these animals will give us important
information on thermal burns to make
certain we get this kind of data the
pigs must be anesthetized to keep them
in position
this special station protects the pigs
from blast in nuclear radiation leaving
the way open for our study of thermal
radiation during the explosion a shutter
like a camera shutter will travel across
the cage opening to give information on
the time of burning this will enable our
scientists to make a full range study of
thermal burn
at varying distances from zero filters
are also used to determine whether altro
violet visible or infrared causes the
burn our job is over for the present now
all we can do is wait wait and hope that
what we learn here will make invaluable
contributions to pure science
now it is the night before the second
shot
pain or
the actual fire shall fire at number two
shot is it but the facts to be learned
from it are still in the present roughly
twenty minutes or so after shot time men
approach zero island radiological people
men with beta-gamma counters to measure
rent kills and decide and declare what
is safe biomedical people anxious to set
foot on the island for they must get in
as soon as possible to retrieve their
test animals these precious laboratory
animals representing the possible future
story of human reactions to an atom bomb
are hurriedly gathered and sped away on
trucks meanwhile other men observe their
instruments make their study the Navy as
well as the army feels the vital need
for accurate radiological safety
instruments we are charged with the job
of proving present red-state instruments
adequate or proof testing new types and
to gain sufficient information to
develop others to keep pace with the
rapidly changing field of atomic energy
this in essence is our story of program
5 it can be said of radiological safety
in general that radiation is not as
great an unseen Menace as once believed
radiation is fairly well localized as
for instance there easy shot zero point
once again the men of program three move
them to look at their test structures
this is the aftereffect structures once
so precisely arranged so scientifically
constructed and so carefully
instrumented now our twisted broken and
shattered and strangely some virtually
remain untouched from the shambles
technicians collect their findings dig
through rubble for pressure sensitive
data will be collected from these and
from high-speed photographic records
special cameras that have recorded the
collapsible wall for the sudden
shattering of a complete building
combat vehicles are studied for the
effects of blast heat and radiation
clothing is gathered in Santana we
taught island here a mobile field
laundry operated by a specially trained
quartermaster team handles the
contaminated clothing to determine the
efficiency of decontamination methods
while the thousand-and-one studies
continue while the large and small
conclusions of shot two are being drawn
preparations are already underway for
shot three test shot number three
the thermal nuclear experiment now any
we took 1951 by Guillermo Gordo 1945
becomes a laboratory devoted to a basic
premise in nuclear physics this time the
object is to prove that a
self-sustaining fusion reaction is
possible this will be the first attempt
to produce such a fusion for
thermonuclear reaction on this earth it
may well lead to a new departure and the
applications of nuclear reactions to
warfare our test setup for the
thermonuclear experiment appears complex
from the beginning however the idea was
to make our first experiment as simple
as possible to state the basic plan
thermal energies from efficient reaction
would be focused on a trace quantity of
futile material measurements of this
fusion reaction would give information
necessary for further experimentation it
is still not known what is the heat
generated lasts for a long enough period
to be usable this is one of the
questions to be answered another major
factor in the development of a
thermonuclear weapon is to find out
whether fusion can be made
self-sustaining recording on the fuel we
use for this test to give us the answers
we have selected a combination of the
hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium
deuterium is obtained by relatively
simple chemical needs while tritium is
pyle produced a complex and costly
process
deuterium alone is far and away the most
practical fuel however there is
considerable question regarding its
reaction time its ability to ignite
during the fraction of the microsecond
that the required degree of heat is
available at the present time however we
don't believe that tritium atoms will
fuse with each other on the other hand
our studies indicate a reasonable
probability that tritium will fuse quite
readily with deuterium a mixture of the
two then a DT mixture stands a chance of
successfully reacting this is called the
x-ray experiment since very hot
materials in that soft x-rays the data
by coaxial cable to a recording station
inside the thick walls of the recording
station oscilloscopes receive and record
the data in the fraction of a second
before the tower and all the instruments
are consumed in the explosion another
measurement of the thermonuclear
reaction is the diagnostic Neutron
experiment called dynex for short when
the deuterium-tritium reaction occurs a
high-energy neutron is left over we have
calculated that this Neutron will have
an energy of approximately 14 million
electron volts as the reaction goes
through the DT compound there is a rapid
increase in the number of neutrons
emitted if the thermonuclear reaction
occurs with reasonable efficiency a
substantial quantity of 14 MeV neutrons
will be given off since in a normal
fishing reaction there are only a small
number of 14 MeV neutrons emitted the
fusion reaction will appear as a shot-up
swing from the normal fishin curve if
this type curve appears the
thermonuclear reaction will be a reality
Dynex
is the experiment designed to obtain
this curve most of the facilities for
the Dynex experiment are in the power
the detecting instrument itself is
surrounded by a lead coffin the coffin
in turn is entirely surrounded by water
in a steel tank the object of all this
shielding is to filter out all unwanted
products of both deficient and fusion
reactions and permit only the 14 MeV
neutrons to reach the detecting
instrument 14 MeV neutrons will pass
through a collimator and through a lead
window which filters out neutrons of a
lower energy level and permits the 14
MeV neutrons to lodge in a paraffin
light material the impact of the
neutrons knocks a proportionate number
of protons out of this material the path
of the free protons is changed by
magnetic
course and directed down to the
detecting instrument at the bottom of
the tank the detected data is
transmitted by a led shielded coaxial
cable to a distant recording station
with the thermonuclear experiment we
follow the usual scientific philosophy
of covering it from as many angles as
possible we're going to study it with
two additional major experiments 10x +
'g annex NX the temperature Neutron
experiment will measure the time of
flight of the high-energy neutrons will
detect 14 MeV neutrons using a neutron
gamma reaction the gamma rays will be
collimated down through LED blocks to a
detecting station similar to that used
in the x-ray experiment all of these
measurements will give us enough
information to prove or disprove this
particular thermonuclear experiment a
few tenths hours before zero time the
network of circuits and instruments that
will initiate measure and record the
first attempt that a fusion reaction is
given a final check what is learned on
every row Island can have far-reaching
effects on the atomic energy program or
if the correct trace appears on the face
of the oscilloscopes a new enterprise
may be launched in nuclear physics
I thought ahead
hi
I
hyah
Wow
Wow
cloud from the most powerful explosion
ever fired Rises and continues to ride
to tower over its seemingly
insignificant test island at the last
hour George shot was changed to a
daylight test because of adverse weather
conditions and we see it now a magic
Jimmy released from its bottle growing
larger with each passing moment swirling
turning boiling a thing the likes of
which has never before been witnessed
ice caps formed and broken and formed
again from our vantage point at 13,000
feet in the nose of a b-17 the shock
wave finally strikes the cameraman
Toulouse resign that which he follows in
on fascination to his viewfinder closer
and closer to the symbol of 220 kilotons
of energy relief
the order is given by rad safe to turn
away and the George shot Cloud becomes a
thing of record that will live in the
minds of men
down on Ebury loo after moving up to the
island three hours after zero time and
getting clearance from the helicopter
radiological safety monitors they
reenter their laboratory everyone is
understandably excited anxious to at
last learn the decisive conclusions
their instruments have reached the
quantity of fusible material used in
this test was not sufficient to affect
the fireball or produce any other visual
phenomenon but they believe it was
enough to be detected by ultra sensitive
electronic devices their answer their
success or disappointment is inside
these walls
expectant somewhat tense but
persistently careful hands we move the
tell-tale film packets from the
oscilloscope cameras even now with the
tangible perhaps revolutionary facts in
their hands the scientists must wait
until the film is couriered back to the
photographic laboratory on Perry Island
to be processed the seeking minds of
science know now they have produced more
much more than just another fishing
explosion there is not only a trace but
a significant graphic account of the
first self-sustaining nuclear fusion
reaction ever achieved on earth it was a
gamble like most scientific experiments
but it worked with shot number three
over and done with work is pushed on the
tower for the fourth test the item shot
on engine B since the test with the
booster is a type of thermonuclear
experiment instrumentation will be much
the same as that used on the Eagle arrow
shot normal implosion acting upon the
uranium causes fishes to occur at the
same time heat is produced which causes
the beatty mixture to react this fusion
reaction in turn causes neutrons to be
thrown out which causes further fishin's
to occur in the uranium more heat is
produced more neutrons emitted and so on
until the fission reaction is boosted to
a point where it can no longer contain
itself
what item shot from the ocean side of
the atoll at 9,000 feet and judge for
yourself
the story of operation greenhouse comes
to a close the semi-permanent any we
talk proving ground shrinks again to
garrison side the shop is closed until
the time comes when desire for further
information about atomic weapons
dictates another test operation in the
large frame of the atomic program
operation greenhouse was a soundly
successful experiment new and priceless
information and statistics were secured
previously unknown factors were
established we have learned importantly
about trends at times alpha measurements
boosted fission reaction yield
computations radio chemical results
temperatures thermal burns clinical and
pathological findings all of the
thousand and one ramifications of the
atomic idea in the specific pattern this
is what was learned from greenhouse chap
number one door
chop number two easy
number three George
shot number for item a twofold
experiment to determine if the DT fusion
reaction could be initiated in this
manner and to study the booster effect
on the u-235 fission reaction the
experiment was successful a yield of 46
kilotons was obtained fission weapons
proof tested physics experiments run on
thermal nuclear reaction offensive and
defensive military and civil defense
knowledge in measurably increased this
was the accomplishment that runneth that
ends abhi that evilly rule in the spring
of 1951 operation greenhouse
