Report to the Test Director: Secondary Missiles Generated by Nuclear-Produced Blast Waves; [Operation Plumbbob Nevada Test Site May-October 1957 Project 33.2 WT-1468]

480 pages [stated]. Illustrations. Tables. Four-hole punched with two, two-hole binding clips. Ink notation on spine. Cover has some wear and soiling. Mailing information on back cover. Contents include: Introduction; Missile-Absorbing Techniques and Methods of Analysis; Prediction of Translational Velocities by Use of Measured Blast-wave and Missile Parameters; Shot Priscilla, Experimental Procedure and Results; Shot Smoky, Experimental Procedure and Results; Shot Galileo, Experimental Procedures and Results; Discussion and Summary' and appendix. The generation of secondary missiles by blast waves was investigated in Operation Plumbbob for three nuclear detonations with etimated yields of 11. 38, and 44.5 kt. A trapping technique was used to determine the impact velocities for 17,524 missiles (stones, glass fragments,spheres, and military debris or steel fragments) which occurred in open areas, houses, and an underground shelter with an open entryway. The equivalent ideal-wave peak overpressure computed from measured blast data for the open-area stations varied from 3.8 and 65 psi, respectively. The effect of hill-and-dale terrain on the production of missiles was investigated on one of the shots. Missile velocities measured at all stations except the underground shelter were compared with those computed by use of a model based on an ideal blast wave. Operation Plumbbob was a series of nuclear tests conducted between May 28 and October 7, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site, following Project 57, and preceding Project 58/58A. The operation consisted of 29 explosions, of which only two did not produce any nuclear yield. Twenty-one laboratories and government agencies were involved. While most Operation Plumbbob tests contributed to the development of warheads for intercontinental and intermediate range missiles, they also tested air defense and anti-submarine warheads with smaller yields. They included forty-three military effects tests on civil and military structures, radiation and bio-medical studies, and aircraft structural tests. Operation Plumbbob had the tallest tower tests to date in the U.S. nuclear testing program as well as high-altitude balloon tests. One nuclear test involved the largest troop maneuver ever associated with U.S. nuclear testing. In addition to Desert Rock activities, scientific tests to assess the effects of each nuclear detonation were conducted by four test groups of the Nevada Test Organization (NTO). The Weapons Effects Test Group was sponsored by Field Command, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP). The two Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) weapons development laboratories sponsored the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) and the University of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL) Test Groups. Finally, the Federal Civil Defense Administration sponsored the Civil Effects Test Group (CETG), which evaluated the effectiveness of civil defense measures. Although the Weapons Effects Test Group was the only DOD-sponsored test group, DOD personnel took part in the experiments of the other three groups. The primary objective of the PRISCILLA shot was to correlate the yield and characteristics of the device with its effects on military equipment, materiel, structures, and ordnance. Reprint from the Defense Technical Information Center--from 2001 from date in document.…