High-altitude nuclear explosions
(under construction)
by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 29 May 2006
Effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions
The familiar effects of low-altitude nuclear explosions are flash, blast, and prompt radiation. These are significantly different for explosions above most of the atmosphere. Since blast is the shock wave transmitted through air, this is attenuated with height and is absent for explosions in space. Flash is the visible and infrared light pulse from the fireball formed from heated air. With higher altitude, the fireball formation is significantly different with effects on flash. Prompt radiation includes ionizing radiation from the nuclear reactions in the warhead and decay of fission products left by the explosion. These radiations, particularly neutron radiation, are significantly attenuated by the atmosphere for low altitude bursts. For explosions above most of the atmosphere, ranges of prompt radiation effects would be greater.
Several effects are relatively unique to high altitude bursts:
- Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is important only for high altitude bursts. For such detonations, ionization of the upper atmosphere can produce a brief intense pulse of radio frequency radiation which can damage or disrupt electronic devices. For explosions above most of the atmosphere, EMP can affect large areas.
- Ionization of the atmosphere from explosions in the atmosphere can interfere with radar and radio communications for short periods.
- Charged particles produced by explosions above the Earth's atmosphere can be captured by the Earth's magnetic field, temporarily creating radiation belts that can damage spacecraft and injure astronauts/cosmonauts in orbit.
Nuclear tests at high-altitudes
From 1958 to 1962, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. conducted over a dozen nuclear tests in the Earth's upper atmosphere or in space--the highest at an altitude of 480 km. The table below lists information on these tests.
| nation | test name | date | time (UT) | lat. (°) | long. (°) | alt. (km) | location | yield (kt) | warhead |
|---|
| USA | HARDTACK I-Yucca | 28 Apr 58 | 0240 | 12.617 N | 163.025 E | 26.2 | Pacific Ocean | 1.7 | W-25, plutonium implosion? |
| USA | HARDTACK I-Teak | 01 Aug 58 | 1050 | 16.744 N | 169.533 W | 76.8 | Johnston Island | 3800 | W39, thermonuclear, 50% fission |
| USA | HARDTACK I-Orange | 12 Aug 58 | 1030 | 16.358 N | 169.536 W | 43 | Johnston Island | 3800 | W39, thermonuclear, 50% fission |
| USA | Argus I | 27 Aug 58 | 0228 | 38.5 S | 11.5 W | 200 | South Atlantic Ocean | ~1.5 | W-25, plutonium implosion? |
| USA | Argus II | 30 Aug 58 | 0318 | 49.5 S | 8.2 W | 240 | South Atlantic Ocean | ~1.5 | W-25, plutonium implosion? |
| USA | Argus III | 06 Sep 58 | 2213 | 49.5 S | 9.7 W | 540 | South Atlantic Ocean | ~1.5 | W-25, plutonium implosion? |
| USSR | #88 | 06 Sep 61 | | 48.45 N | 44.3 E | 22.7 | Kapustin Yar | 10.5 | R-12? |
| USSR | #115 | 06 Oct 61 | | 48.45 N | 44.3 E | 41.3 | Kapustin Yar | 40 | |
| USSR | #127 K-2 | 27 Oct 61 | | 49 N | 46 E | 150 | Kapustin Yar | 1.2 | |
| USSR | #128 K-1 | 27 Oct 61 | | 49 N | 46 E | 300 | Kapustin Yar | 1.2 | |
| USA | DOMINIC II-Starfish Prime | 09 Jul 62 | 0900 | 17.2 N | 169.1 W | 399 | Johnston Island | 1400 | W-49, thermonuclear |
| USA | DOMINIC II-Checkmate | 20 Oct 62 | 0730 | 16.0 N | 169.5 W | 147 | Johnston Island | ~6? | XW-50X1 |
| USSR | #184 K-3 | 22 Oct 62 | 0341 | 49 N | 65 E? | 290 | Kapustin Yar | 300 | R-5M?, thermonuclear? |
| USA | DOMINIC II-Bluegill Triple Prime | 26 Oct 62 | 0859 | 16.9 N | 169.2 W | 48.2 | Johnston Island | 400 | W50, boosted fission |
| USSR | #187 K-4 | 28 Oct 62 | 0441 | 49 N | 46 E | 150 | Kapustin Yar | 300 | R-5M, thermonuclear |
| USSR | #195 K-5 | 01 Nov 62 | 0912 | 49 N | 46 E | 59 | Kapustin Yar | 300 | R-5M?, thermonuclear? |
| USA | DOMINIC II-Kingfish | 01 Nov 62 | 1110 | 16.6 N | 169.4 W | 96.3 | Johnston Island | 400 | W50, boosted fission |
| USA | DOMINIC II-Tightrope | 04 Nov 62 | 0630 | 17.1 N | 169.1 W | 21 | Johnston Island | ~6? | W31 |
The figure below plots, for all nuclear detonations, altitude versus geographic latitude. High altitude explosions fall in three groups, from left to right: U.S. tests over the South Atlantic (Operation Argus); U.S. tests near Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean; and Soviet tests near Kapustin Yar (southern Russia near Kazakhstan).
Sources for high altitude test data:
- Cochran, Thomas B., William M. Arkin, Robert S. Norris, and Jeffrey I. Sands, 1989, Nuclear Weapons Databook Vol. IV: Soviet Nuclear Weapons, Harper and Row (New York, NY).
- Defense Nuclear Agency, 198-, Operation Argus, 1958, Report DNA6039F, Department of Defense (Washington, DC).
- Defense Nuclear Agency, 1983, Operation Dominic I, 1962, Report DNA6040F, Department of Defense (Washington, DC).
- Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, Dec. 2000, United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992, U.S. DOE (Las Vegas, NV), on line at Nevada Site Office [http://www.nv.doe.gov/news&pubs/publications/historyreports/pdfs/DOENV209_REV15.pdf].
- Haave, C. R., A. J. Zmuda, and B. W. Shaw, 1965, "Very low-frequency phase perturbations and the Soviet high-altitude nuclear bursts of October 22 and 28, 1962," Journal of Geophysical Research, 70:4191+
- Hansen, Chuck, 1995, The Swords of Armageddon, Vol. 8, Chukelea Publ. (Sunnyvale, CA).
- Hoerlin, Herman, Oct. 1976, United States High-Altitude Test Experiences: A Review Emphasizing the Impact on the Environment, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
- Keppler, E., G. Pfotzer, and W. Riedler, 1964, "Radioactive debris from nuclear explosions in high altitudes," Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 26:429-436.
- Norris, Robert Standish, and Thomas B. Cochran, 1 Feb. 1994, "United States nuclear tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992," Nuclear Weapons Databook Working Paper NWD 94-1, Natural Resources Defense Council (Washington, DC).
- Podvig, Pavel, ed., 2001, Russian Strategic Forces, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA).
- RFNC-VNIIEF, 1998, USSR Nuclear Tests, Hydronuclear Experiments, Plutonium Inventory, RFNC-VNIIEF (Sarov, Russia), on line at Analytic Center for Non-Proliferation Problems [http://npc.sarov.ru/english/issues/plutonium/plutonium_e.pdf].
- Stevens, J. L., I. I. Divnov, D. A. Adams, J. R. Murphy, and V. N. Bourchik, 2002, "Constraints on infrasound scaling and attenuation relations from Soviet explosion data," Pure and Applied Geophysics, 159:1045-1062.
- Yang, Xiaoping, Robert North, and Carl Romney, Aug. 2000, "CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3)," on line, SMDC Monitoring Research [http://www.rdss.info/database/nucex/report/explosion.pdf].
- Zaloga, Steven J., 2002, The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC).
- Zmuda, A. J., C. R. Haave, and B. W. Shaw, 1966, "VLF phase perturbatiosn produced by the Soviet high-altitude nuclear explosion of November 1, 1962," Journal of Geophysical Research, 71:899+
© 2005, 2006 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 29 May 2006.
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