War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; A Bigger Bang for the Buck; 103; Atomic Weapons Orientation

The ball of fire. And incandescent sphere of glowing gases. Whose internal temperature is measured in thousands of degrees starts to climb into the sky. This particular fireball a fraction of a second old as an energy equivalent to 20000 tons of conventional explosive its internal pressure is measured in thousands of pounds per square in. As Little known as fireball grows to its eventual thousand foot diameter gamma rays and neutrons are released to produce their own lethal looked at. Thermal or heat radiation ignites and flammable materials and inflicts personnel Burns at relatively long ranges. The blast wave separates from the fireball traveling faster than the sound that moves outward to batter the target area. This polarizing shock where you forms of dust which seems to follow the

rising cloud developing into the characteristic mushroom shape of a low altitude. Losing rapidly the fireball was colored an orange brown by the release of oxides of nitrogen from the. Popular stole glowing. It shoots upward with an initial velocity of more than 100 miles per hour. As incandescence disappears condensing water vapor begins to white in the cloud of still greater heights. Ice crystals form and flow will be the engines of the cloud to form a pure white color. Under certain atmospheric conditions. Ice caps may form above the clouds. Eventually and this cloud with a diameter of about three miles may reach an out of huge of 50000 feet and then slowly drifts away

mingling and blending with the clouds of the air until it can no longer be identified by the human eyes. The destruction caused by a relatively long wheeled weapon can result in many square miles of rooms and account for thousands of human casualties. But how did it all come about. What caused this destruction. What can we do to increase the destructive effect. Or conversely how can we protect ourselves from. Generally speaking rather than damaging the facts of a nuclear weapon detonated within the atmosphere in our blast heat and nuclear radiation. To add to our knowledge of the blast effects of a nuclear detonation on structures of known strains and extensive test program has been carried out

here remotely controlled cameras record the impact of an atomic blast such a shockwave as a very long duration compared to that of conventional explosives. And the comic shop where you can develop a structure and completely destroy it by pressure and dynamic wind effect. The damaging effects of the shockwave are maximized by a phenomenon called the mock stem. This is a reinforcement of a class where you buy it reflected where you are from the ground. Research fact provides the basis for selecting an optimal height of words associated with a particular yield to produce maximum destruction. With a higher yield of thermonuclear weapons. The distance at which destructive overpressure levels

can extend and the duration time of the overpressure are increased to greatly extend the area of damage. In our tests remark Stemmons been used against every type of structure masonry steel frame building. Reinforced building and the wooden frame construction. The side on the pressure which hits a large building can build up several times the pressure level occurring in the open. This was caused by the air piling up against the building. A secondary but very important aspect of blast effects on buildings and structures is the number of exposed and unprotected persons who will be killed or injured by the flying debris produced by the passage of the blast wave. This blast

wave as a double destructive effect and that it is lethal to not only study structures but also to the city's people. An interesting phenomenon in connection with the blast wave is called the precursor. It formed as a result of the heating of a surface layer of air by the radiation. Light although not a primary casualty producer can cause temporary blindness to under seal dives. In addition anyone looking directly at a nuclear explosion may suffer a permanent eye damage even a very large ranges. Readily visible. Day or night. The intense flash of white light is an easy identifying mark of the nuclear bursts. No other type of explosion can equal it. Thrown away to Asians starts fires and causes serious burns on unprotected

and or lightly protected skin at long ranges. The combination of fire kindling and casualty producing capabilities makes thermal radiation the most damaging single weapon effect against urban targets. As seen of these remote camera view ignition of easily flammable fuels is almost instantaneous. Skin burns occur when similar speeds. In most cases invasive action from a brief flash of heat cannot be accomplished. However anything that casts a shadow will afford some protection from dust. Ordinary clothing as light colored loose fitting as possible offers excellent protection at distances greater than 1 mile. With an inflammable target. Primary fires joined with the secondary fires caused by ruptured gas lines electrical short circuits and a life to form a conflagration

which may multiply the initial damage many times. In wooded areas. There is a possibility of starting forest fires which might have a great effect on tactical situations. In an air burst of radiation is not the most serious consideration here. The largest percentage of the radiation is carried out by the nuclear cloud and dispersed throughout the upper air presenting no problem to troops on the ground. The initial nuclear radiation is half over. One second back to detonation. And all over in from ten seconds to one minute after the appearance of the white light. Penetration of initial gamma radiation is reduced by dense materials.

One and one half inches of still. 6 inches of concrete. Or 7 and 1 1/2 inches of water Mary dirt will cut gamma radiation by 50 percent. Take cover. Is the best philosophy for protection against nuclear radiation as well as from blast and heat. Even in the US nuclear in the foxhole is still a soldier's best friend. All of the Arab wrist weapons that comprise the largest part of our stockpiles. Underwater underground and a surface burst weapons also play an important part in military planning. As a part of a Test series underwater bursts were conducted against an array of target ships. Since the fireball is beneath the surface and the thermal radiation is absorbed by the

water. There is no surface thermal effect. When the explosion bubble vents through the surface and outward traveling the shockwave is formed in the air. However there is no augmentation of pressure by the lockstep as in the case of an Arab's. Significant from a military standpoint however as the tremendous column of water is thrown up by that amazing. This water collapse the Persian fragments and those are radiated by the neutron flux. When the column of rain moves out of the target area it contaminates the target. The violent underwater shot makes a nuclear weapon capable of underwater detonation extremely effective against ships and submarines submarine. In the case of surface vessels the surface water waves may also be destructive. In some aspects of the

effects of an underground detonation are similar to an underwater burst. As in the case of an underwater burst. There are no direct thermonuclear radiation the fact some surface targets. The arable as is somewhat lower than from a comparable surface or local air a burst weapon while underground shock is maximized. Most of the radioactive fission fragments are trapped in the dirt. Thrown up by the explosion. Radioactive particles fall out on the target area creating dangerous surface contamination. As in the case of the underwater detonation this residual radiation will tend to restrict occupation of the area for a considerable length of time. A weapon with the yield around 20 kilo tons burst in dry soil 30 feet below the surface will produce a crater of approximately 650 feet in diameter and 140 feet deep. This

cratering action plus residual radiation effectively denies the area to personnel making an underground detonation attractive against specific targets including underground structures. The surface burst has some characteristics of both underground and air birds in a ground level burst low profile attack may be degraded due to absorption by the ground and the dust. Blast overpressure however is much greater than what the underground birds. Residual radiation being so much greater than a militarily significant amount left after an air burst contaminate large areas and they have a definite effect upon tactical situations. The crater made by a surface burst is sizable. All its dimensions are much less than those from an underground detonation of comparable yield.

All types of nuclear bursts must be evaluated since each type I was specific areas of greatest impact of most. Residual radiation to contaminate Arians. Blast to destroy structures from a line of nuclear radiation to kill all personnel. A nuclear weapon represents potentials outside the concepts of conventional weapons. But this is not an ultimate weapon nor one calling for an reason to fear. It is merely another arm another admission to our national arsenal. With prompt action based on a kind of understanding of nuclear effects our chance for survival in a nuclear war can be greatly increased.