Atomic Energy Films; 1 Or 4; The Story of Camp Century: City Under the Ice
- Series
- Atomic Energy Films
- Episode Number
- 1 Or 4
- Producing Organization
- Army Pictorial Center
- Contributing Organization
- Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/512-s756d5qf95
- NOLA Code
- ATEF
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- Description
- Episode Description
- The program concerns the construction by Army Engineers of Camp Century, a nuclear-powered, US Army arctic research laboratory buried below the Greenland ice cap. Although the film tells the entire story of the planning and construction of Camp Century, it contains a significant section devoted to the nuclear power plant for electricity and space heating. The program covers selection of the isolate camp site 150 miles from Thule; delivery of supplies and equipment by motorized bob sleds; digging and construction of 23 tunnels in the ice (trenches covered with steel arches and snow); construction of foundations for pre-fabricated buildings; erection of pre-fabricated buildings; obtaining water supplies; installation of insulated piping and sewage lines; how the men eat and sleep. Then the film shows the digging of four deep trenches for the nuclear power plant, the construction of the frame for the reactor buildings, arrival of the power plant (400 tons of piping, machinery, and components) by sea, delivery of the heavy components (including a 21-ton vapor container) by sled over the ice cap, unloading of the power plant, opening of labeled boxes of piping and wiring, reassembly of major components, and movement of the 15-ton condenser into the tunnel. Also described are the work to activate the power plant, the sub-critical tests, the careful loading of the reactor core with fuel elements after inspection and cleaning, the gradual activation of the reactor, and reaching critically. Today, powered by its nuclear reactor, the arctic research center is in full operation. THE STORY OF CAMP CENTURY: CITY UNDER THE ICE: a production of the Army Pictorial Center. Running Time: 31:51 (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Series Description
- These six films coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the activation of the worlds fair nuclear reactor. The run from between 10 minutes to thirty minutes long. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Broadcast Date
- 1962-00-00
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Documentary
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Producing Organization: Army Pictorial Center
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2325593-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Atomic Energy Films; 1 Or 4; The Story of Camp Century: City Under the Ice,” 1962-00-00, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 2, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-s756d5qf95.
- MLA: “Atomic Energy Films; 1 Or 4; The Story of Camp Century: City Under the Ice.” 1962-00-00. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 2, 2026. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-s756d5qf95>.
- APA: Atomic Energy Films; 1 Or 4; The Story of Camp Century: City Under the Ice. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-s756d5qf95