Re: OT: Questions on Bikini Tests Able & Charlie

From: Carey Sublette (careysub_at_earthling.net)
Date: 01/28/05 

Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:22:22 GMT

"Derek Lyons" <fairwater@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:41fd439b.10768821@supernews.seanet.com...
> OM <om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_research_facility.org>
> wrote:
>
>>...Just for mood adjustments, I'm watching Kuram's "Trinity and
>>Beyond", and some questions came to mind concerning the Bikini tests:
>>
>>1) Was the reason for the bombadeer's 800 yard miss of the intended
>>target ever determined? I assume the possibility of a faulty Norden
>>bombsight, but did the AAC even investigate this error?
>
> The drop point was miscalculated by the bombardier.
>
>>2) Test Charlie was canceled after Test Baker irradiated the
>>surrounding waters far in excess of what was expected. How deep was
>>Charlie planned, and what was done with the device after the test was
>>cancelled?
>
> Depth, unknown. Probably the device was returned to stock as it was a
> WR weapon in the first place.
>
>>3) With regards to the Baker contamination levels, how long was the
>>Navy and the AEC forced to delay entering the area to investigate the
>>effects?
>>
>>3a) How wide was the area of contamination, for that matter?
>>
>>4) To our knowledge, was only one camera in operation during JOE-1?

There were probably several. Access classified materials from the Stalin era
is spotty at best for many reasons.

>>5) Back to Test Bikini-Abel for a minute: From where did the B-29 take
>>off from with the device? My first guess is Tinian, considering that
>>the facilities existed already for A-bomb support.

No. Tinian is a l-o-o-ong way from Bikini. They planes operated from
Kwajalein.

>>
>>6) Kuram uses an animation short of Little Boy that depicts half of
>>the uranium core going from the back of the device to the front where
>>the other half is stored. However, two other documentaries I've seen
>>show that the front half is propelled back by the initiator charge.
>>Which is correct, and does it really matter?
>
> The 'target' was in the nose, and the projectile was fired from the
> rear.
>
>>7) There's footage of a high-speed film that's used to discuss the
>>implosion method. It's been shown on pretty much every nuke
>>documentary, and is of a sphere whose contents appear to be compressed
>>inward uniformly. What *is* this device, and where did this footage
>>originate?

It would be a non-nuclear implosion experiment conducted most probably at
Los Alamos where the requisite high speed flash radiography was first
available.

>>8) While not mentioned in the film itself, other documentaries have
>>noted that the observer plane that accompanied the Enola Gay to
>>Hiroshima failed to photograph the explosion. What was the official
>>reason determined by the AAC review board for this mission failure?
>>
>>9) On a related note, the Nagasaki footage is intact, but the actual
>>moment of detonation is never shown. Were the cameras turned on only
>>after the flash?

No "cameras". Camera. The observation plane equipped for photography was not
present, having missed its rendezvous. The photography was an ad hoc affair
by a crew member.

>>
>>10) Have the full, uncut versions of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
>>post-bombing flyovers ever been released?
>>
>>11) Back again to the Bikini tests: has a complete list of ships and
>>the damage they suffered - comparing that between Abel and Baker -
>>ever been released?

A common emphasis in these questions 8, 10, and 11 is "official" and "full",
"uncut", and "complete". Generally the records for these operations are
available now in their entirety to researchers who have the time, funding,
interest and often requisite professional status to look at them.
Considerable information has also been published over the years.

>>12) How was the 1KT TNT calibration test prior to Trinity detonated? I
>>assume the outer layer was rigged to blow at once to simulate an
>>implosion effect, but for all I know the Army could have simply
>>ordered some poor private to light a long fuse and run like hell...

It was initiated at the center to make a symmetric blast.

>>13) Back *again* to Bikini: were any cameras set up on any of the test
>>ships to observe blast effects, and if so did any survive with intact
>>footage?

I think the answer would be yes to both. They probably did have cameras set
up in such an elaborate operation, and any set up would be expected to
survive.

>>
>>14) There is no 14. Cue Henry :-)
>
> Far better to xpost to alt.war.nuclear where Carey (the nuclear
> equivalent of Henry) and John S. hang out. (Which I have done.)
>
> D.
> --
> Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.
>
> -Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
> Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

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