Operation Upshot-Knothole Nevada Proving Grounds Report of the Feputy Test Director March-June 1953

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NO. 18' of 70 copies, h riesA REPORT OF THE DEPUTY TEST DIRECTOR Los Nunos &IenUflc Labmatory Loa Alames. New Mdco

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1.3 Teat Schedule, September 1952 ....e 1.4 Ted Schedule, December 1052 . . 12 CBAPTER 2 SCOPE OF TEST REQUIREMENTS . . 13 2.2.2 Weapon Development Teat Group Experiments 2.2.3 Civil Effects Teat Group Experiments (Progmms 2.4 Other Official Obmervers . 2.4.1 Cleared Laboratory, AEC, and DOD Observers .2.4.2 Congremsiorul Visitors .

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CHAPTER 4 FIRINQ SCHEDULE AND TEST PARTImATION 4.2 Test Participation .4.3 Desert Rock Participation CHAPTER 5 TEST OPERATIONS . 5.2 Re motion for a Detonation . 53.8 TY un rior to ffects . . 84 CHAPTER 6 OPERATIONAL AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS . . 118 6.1 General Operational and Construction Costa . . 118 6.2 Accounting System for Projects. . . 123 APPENDIX A BCHEDULE OF PROJECT PARTICIPATION . . 137 APPENDIX B CLASSIFICATION GUIDE FOR OPERATION CHAPTER 1 ESTABLISHMENT OF TEST8

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CHAPTER 2 SCOPE OF TEST REQUIREMENTS 2.1 Aerial View of Camp Desert Rock . . .. CHAPTER 4 FIRlNG SCHEDULE AND TEST PARTICIPATION 4.1 Yucca Flat Targets, Showing Upshot-Knothole Detonations 6.4 Project 24.3 Recod- Station 610, Area 3 . 5.5 Interior of AEC Communnl Shelter, Area 3 . 5.6 Miscellaneous Gages Mounted on AEC Shelter, Station 601, 5.7 FCDA House 3500 Ft from Zero at Instant of Detonation . 5.8 FCDA House Just Before Blast Wave Arrived . 5.9 FCDA Bouse, Showing Blast-wave Action . 5.11 FCDA House Nte hot, Area 3 . 5.13 Mannequins in FCDA House 7500 Ft from Zero, Befor 5.14 Mannequins in FCDA House 7500 Ft from Zero, Afte rs on Optical Apertures at High-speed-camera Station, ollimator System Used in Area 4

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6.18 Special Antenna Uoed by Project 16.4 for Electromagnetic 6.17 ~ .pot roni cphoto 01 mt 2.12 ldsec After 6.28 Rapatroaic Photo ol 5.36 Rpdiolo@cal Situation. Area 4, Xvcca Fl& 9.8 Msec After Detonation 6.43 Baae of Tower Used fo 5.49 Alpha-recording Shelter Practically Finished, Frenchman Flat 5.50 Transite Plpe Installation, Frenchman Flat . 5.51 Alpha-detector Station Along Coax Line, Frenchman Flat . 5.52 Effects Shot Before Formation of Dust Stem . 5.53 Effects Shot, Showing Dust Stem Rising from Ground . 6.54 Late Cloud Plchue of Effeeta Shot vlce, Frenchman Flat . Flat, Gun Shot . 5.60 Climax Shot Before Dust Stem Reached Cloud 5.61 Climax Shot, Dust CHAPTER 6 OPERATIONAL AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS 8.2 hterlor of 8-man Room, Permanent Barracks, Camp Mercury 6.3 Aerial View of Control Point &ea . 6.4 Aerial View of Camp Mercury . 6

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1.1 Test Schedule as of Dec. 16,1952, Showing Proposed Firing Dates . . 11 CEAPTER 1 EBTAELIBEMENT OF TESTS CEAPTER 4 FlRlNG SCEEDULE AND TEST PARTICIPATION 4.1 Actual Firing Schedule, operatton Upahot-Knothole .4.2 Actual Troop Participation, Exercise Desert Rock V . CEAPTER 8 OPERATIONAL AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS 6.2 Utilization of Test Structures . . 123 6.3 Chart of Special Test Accounts, Qeneral Items of Cost . . 124 6.4 Consolidated AEC Test Cost Report, Upshot--le . . 124 6.6 Coat and Pund Report, Civil Effect8 Programs and Projects, 7.1 Mnjor Technical Accompliahments, Weapon Development . . 133

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ESTABLISHMENT OF TESTS Toward the end of Cperation Tumbler-Snapper in the spring of 1952, it appeared quite llkely that the Loa Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LABL) muld require a conthental test series soon after Operation Ivy, which was to be held in the Paclfic in the fall of 1952. This series of tests was to be known an Wperation Upehot,” and the earliest temt date appeared to be the wring of The Drpprtment of Drfenae (DOD) had independently planned to make military effects tests on M atomic weapon, and this operation was designated ‘’mothole.” The Federal Civil Defenae Administration (FCDA) particlpated to a small extent in Operation Tumbler-Snapper and at that time had plane to make full-scale “open’’ nhot tests utilizing an atomic weapon specifically ass i p e d for thls purpose. With the proposed Operation Upshot scheduled for the wring of 1953, both the DOD and the FCDA accelerated their planning with a view in mind that their tests might be coordinated with Operation Upshot, in the matter of time at least. After Tumbler-Snapper the DOD made a very desirable change in their orgPnimtion by establishhg the Directorate, Weapons Effects Tests (DWET) under the Field Command, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP), Sandia Base, N. Mex. DWET would provide the direct liaison between the DOD and the Santa Fe Operations Office (SMO) of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the headquarters of the test organization, both for accomplishing the military effects tests and for providing military services as required by the test organhatton. 1.2 LABORATORY, DOD,AND CNIL GROUP PARTICIPANTS By June 1952, agreements were reached by the AEC and DOD that the wring 1953 tests would be a combined operation h o r n aa Wpnhot-Knothole”; and at the name time the FCDA had aacertplned that their budget w c d d not accommodPte a full-scale FCDA test, and they planned only to participate to some extent in the AEC-DOD tests. On the basis of what appeared to be the scope of the tests Involved in Operation Upshot-Knothole, the Test Director held diacusslons with reprcaentatives of the groups involved, and by the first of September 1052 the orgnniePLLon rhoam in Fig. 1.1 wan decided upon. The FCDA tests would be included In the Civil Effects Teste, with key FCDA representatives acting as certaln program directors. 1.3 TEST SCHEDULE. SEPTEMBER 1952 b of Sept. 1, 1952, the nuclear devices to be tested in Upnhot-hothole were not at pll firm, but It appeared likely that LASL desired to test at leut five devicer, the newly formed

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-0 0 type gadget be fired from 28O-mm cmnon. It wao alm clear st th& time that cims in an -ration known as "Desert Rock V." The FCDA bad alrw- preodng for one of the tests in the serier to be an open shot to Which the F C M wmld invlte a reamnable number o( uncleared peluonml, Ineluding the pres# and key lltate and city FCDA personnel. I Teat Dlrector II On Bept. 16. 1052, at the second staff meeting of the Test Director (reference J-14484, LASL internal document), the tent schedule .horn in Table 1.1 waa announced as tentative for The plan for firlog these dericen was to utllize tower and airdrop arean In Yucca Flat for all except tbe Effects .hot, and, slnce the tent program for thln shot Involved a several million dollar construction schedule includlng colllliderable blast meonurements to be correlated with the Tumblcr-8nnpper data, it was decided to u W z e Frenchman Flat for the DOD test. It will be remembered that the firit Tumbler-Snapper rhot wan a mllitary dfectn teot conducted on Frenchman Flat, md the plan was to utillee M much an possible d the eldoting instrumentation ral changes ae LML, UCRL, and DOD planning progressed. bad received DOD approval, and negoUPUonn were AEC to hclude it in the tent program. to be fired at the end of

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It be pointed out here that tower and bloekhoulc construction bad necesmarily already begun, and it wan Only h e to the great vernatillty of the permanent facilities at the Nevada Proving Grounds W G ) U t late changen in devices to be detonated could be accommodated without cbnging the firing dmtes. hrring thtr period the Test Director's mtaff met on several OCCMIOIIIwith reprennntativer of the thres tent grows. r e r i m their progmm~and tent requlrementa~The plra of thlr dfice wan to get both the schedule of shot0 and the experimental partlcfpltion d tent groups h the various shot. firmed up well enough by the mlddle of December 1952 M that an operatiom p h for Up.hot-Kaotbolt could be prenented for approval to the Tent bfumger and the Division of wary Application (DW of the AEC. 1.4 TEST BCHEDULE, DECEMEER 1962 The &deer to be tented in Ilplhot-Ihothole were firmed up by the middle of December 1952, aa @own in Tuble 1.2. Thl.table gi9es the firha dater an propovd on Dncember 16. The .hots were h d u l s d so that (1) no detonation came on Sunday; (1) the torcr rhotr were one week aput; and 8)the Interval r and an airdrop wan four day minimum and the U m e between the Effects UI a minimum d two weeb. The 'bo Eundaf' ncheduling was made at the requ r a n d ru bawd on the number of mmplaintn received m thin nubject during previous continental test.. The one-week interval between tower .hots wan k e d on the time required by Edgerton, Qermeuhuusen 4 Grier (EODC),alpha, photogrpphic, and t h i n g moupn to change tent locationn rod alno to provide a on week for test pernonuel. The two-week interval between the Effecte an request of the Milltary Effects Tent Grcup no p r damage rod reactivate certPin etatiom before name target area.

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SCOPE OF TEST REQUIREMENTS An LML letter* eontaim a detailed diacullaion of the purpone for each of the W L - nponsored teats. However, in order to establish the seope of the teat requirements, the teat organization, and operational procedurea, a very brief description of the purpose of each teat will be included here, dong with the required measurements. *Letter from the Director, LASL to DMA,AEC, Jan. 6, 1953, CX-763-9A.

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h e l p which duplicated that for the Tumbler 1 shot on Frenchman Flat and with thta detonation to conduct numerous tests of specific interest to the DOD. These tests ranged from fundamental blast and radiation studies to the effects upon structures and material. There devel- (a)-me. The purpose of this test w a s to detonate a standard weapon at a scaled (c) Required Measurements. Tine required weapon development measurements were yield ----(d) E m Defonufed. The Effects shot was to be an airdrop wfth bur& height at 2450 f t and with surface meteorological conditions at the target area such that certain blast measurements could be made. Also, since there were to be some 200 camera8 photographing the motion of structures during the detonation, it was necessary to have sufficient daylight. The time of 0830 PST was decided u p n p8 being late enough to give Sufficient photographic light but not too late to prevent the radioactive cloud from being followed to a relatively low background hedule. The preoperat hot to follow the nd then the Eifects on schedule; therefore it was nec It was not easy to change the the necessary instrumentation SO th

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had not been proof (a)purpose. n weapon, developed for use in the Army's 280-mm cannon, DOD desired such a test. Although this nuclear assembly was the name an that used for the Hiroshima drop, m e w e m e n t s of alpha and yield had never been made, and LASL desired to make such measurements. For the weapon development measurements it would have been more desirable to have a tower detonation so that alpha detectors could be placed nearby the device and an early alpha guaranteed. However, compromlse agreements were reached to have the burst at 500 f t nbove terrain and thus Pn13)Device. Thls device shell was launched from the 280-mm artillery piece. military effects experiments, and a high priority was placed on fundamental blast and radiation rneaaurements, with requirements for rather exacting meteorological condltions. fd) Bow Detomted. T be b llc shell waa launched from the 280-mm cannon placed 10,956 yd from the target, with burst lght set for 500 100 it above the Area F target and with an accuracy in rnnge of t 150 ft. The latter requirement originated with the alpha-measurement hots be a &mum of 1.3 days. This was to allow for

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evaluation of the Effects shot results on structures and to allow for reinstrumentmtion of Area In the foregoing sections of this report, we have presented the schedule of nuclear tests which were proposed, along with the purpose of each test and the measurements required to ensure fulfilling the purpose. In addition to the required measurements, there were many other experiments, military training programs, civil defense indoctrination programs, and national press and official visitor activities which became involved i n the test operations. Theae activities were not minor in scope, and, although they were nearly always permitted and included i n the program on a noninterference basis, they involved considerable operational and test planning on the part of the Test Director’s staff so that they did not, in fact, interfere either with the required test measurements or the primary test operations. n e n e extra experiments and test activities will be discussed only a8 they affected the operation. The M l i t a r y Effects Test Group was concerned primarily in making measurements on the WD-sponsored tests, namely, Effects and Gun shots. However, this group was concerned, in general, with making measurements on any nuclear test, when feasible, in the following categories and as the effects pertain to military planning and operations: and in the earth. These include basic air-blast measurements for use in compiling height-ofburst data as well an interpreting blast effects on structures. military equipment, and mateMilitary Effects Test Group Experiments (F’rograms 1 to 9) Program 1, Blast and mock Measurements: Measurements i n free air, on the surface,

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” Program 2, Nuclear MeMuemmts and Effect.: A prcgram including neutron and gamma Program S, Structures, Ykterial, and Equipment: This program involves the stuQ of blast Program 4, Biomedical Erpsriments: EIperiment. which included he evaluation of the flux measurements .nd airborne prrticulate ntudieu. and radiation on model an well M sctual structures rad on material rad eqvlpment af pnrticular interea to DOD. h . w d af flying through an atomic cloud (utilizing the drone aircraft of Program S), air-blnst for blast, thermal, and air-gu6t studies on aircraft at level6 where manued &craft were considered to be hazardous. Program 6, Test on Service Equipment and Operatlolu: A prcgrm invol9hg montly the evaluation of 6ervic.e equipment and operational techniques for use in atomic warfare. Program 7, Long-range Detect io ~A progrPm involving the remote detection of nuclear detonatioas by light, murid, electromagnetic, eeismic, and radioactive-debris methods, Progmams 8, Thermal Meanurement6 and Effects: A program including bMic thermal mem re men b and thermal effect on service material. Program 9, Technical Photography: A program which involved the photographic coverage of the above test proppms. The admldstratlve procedure employed by the DOD a d tert orgealEotion to accomplish the military effects tests is an folloar: The military effects te6t programs originate with AFSWP, which o b t p i ~test proposals from the various military agencies. AFElWP integrates and coordinates the proposed program with the predicted characteristics of the device to be tested The program is then presented to the Research and Development Eoard (m)of the DOD for approval before being forwarded bg AFSWP, Waahic@on, to DWET, 8Mdln m e . It then becomes the responsibility of DWET to implement the …