Operation Crosstie | |
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![]() Crosstie Buggy. | |
Information | |
Country | United States |
Test site | 1 test Farmington, NM; 1 test Central NV; remainder Nevada Test Site |
Period | 1967–1968 |
Number of tests | 48 |
Test type | Underground |
Max. yield | 1.3 megatons |
Navigation | |
Previous test | Operation Latchkey |
Next test | Operation Bowline |
Operation Crosstie[1] was a series of 48 nuclear tests mostly conducted in Nevada during 1967 and 1968. These tests followed the Latchkey series and preceded Bowline.
The blast designated Gasbuggy involved an underground detonation, intended to stimulate production of natural gas by cracking the rock in the underground formation of its deposit. The test was a double-failure, as not only the production did not increase as much as expected, but the customers also refused to buy gas contaminated with traces of radioisotopes. However, the detonation happened mostly as desired.
Buggy was a Plowshare test designed to excavate a channel. It was a simultaneous detonation of 5 devices, placed 150 feet (46 m) apart and 150 feet (46 m) below the surface that resulted in a channel 300 feet (91 m) wide, 900 feet long, and 80 feet (24 m) deep .[2]
The Faultless test was a "calibration test" conducted in a mine cavity 3,200 feet beneath the Hot Creek Valley near Tonopah, Nevada, with a yield of around 1 megatons. This test was conducted to see if the land was fit for testing a 5 megaton thermonuclear warhead for the Spartan Missile,[3] however the "calibration test" failed and was sardonically named Faultless, because of the large degree of faulting that could be seen in the roads and highways throughout the region following the test. As a result of this failed test, it was decided that the land was unfit for multimegaton nuclear tests, so a calibration test was conducted at Amchitka Island, Alaska, in the fall of 1969 during Operation Mandrel.
The individual tests of this series were:
Name | Date | Size |
---|---|---|
VITO | July 14 | < 20 kilotons |
STANLEY | July 27 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
GIBSON | August 4 | < 20 kilotons |
WASHER | August 10 | < 20 kilotons |
BORDEAUX | August 18 | < 20 kilotons |
LEXINGTON | August 24 | < 20 kilotons |
DOOR MIST | August 31 | < 20 kilotons |
YARD | September 7 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
GILROY | September 15 | < 20 kilotons |
MARVEL | September 21 | 2.2 kilotons |
ZAZA | September 27 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
LANPHER | October 18 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
COGNAC | October 25 | < 20 kilotons |
SAZERAC | October 25 | < 20 kilotons |
WORTH | October 25 | < 20 kilotons |
COBBLER | November 8 | < 20 kilotons |
POLKA | December 6 | < 20 kilotons |
GASBUGGY | December 10 | 29 kilotons |
STILT | December 15 | < 20 kilotons |
HUPMOBILE | January 18 | 7.4 kilotons |
STACCATO | January 19 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
FAULTLESS (Hot Creek Valley, Nevada) | January 19 | < 1 megaton |
BRUSH | January 24 | < 20 kilotons |
CABRIOLET | January 26 | 2.3 kilotons |
MALLET | January 31 | < 20 kilotons |
KNOX | February 21 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
TORCH | February 21 | < 20 kilotons |
DORSAL FIN | February 29 | < 20 kilotons |
RUSSET | March 5 | < 20 kilotons |
BUGGY A, B, C, D, E | March 12 | 5×1.08 kilotons |
POMMARD | March 14 | 1.5 kilotons |
STINGER | March 22 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
MILK SHAKE | March 25 | < 20 kilotons |
BEVEL | April 4 | < 20 kilotons |
NOOR, THROW | April 10 | < 20 kilotons |
SHUFFLE | April 18 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
SCROLL | April 23 | < 20 kilotons |
BOXCAR | April 26 | 1.3 Megatons |
HATCHET | May 3 | < 20 kilotons |
CROCK | May 8 | < 20 kilotons |
CLARKSMOBILE | May 17 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
ADZE | May 28 | < 20 kilotons |
WEMBLEY | June 5 | < 20 kilotons |
TUB A, B, C, D, F | June 6 | 5 < 20 kilotons |
RICKEY | June 15 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
FUNNEL | June 25 | < 20 kilotons |
SEVILLA | June 25 | < 20 kilotons |
CHATEAUGAY | June 28 | 20 to 200 kilotons |
References[]
- ↑ http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf
- ↑ Byrne, John; Rich, Daniel (1986). The Politics of Energy Research and Development, Energy Policy Studies, Volume 3. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-88738-653-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=y3YR4jWyAPQC&pg=PA7&cad=0_0#PPA52,M1.
- ↑ latimes... and to placate Howard Hughes
The original article can be found at Operation Crosstie and the edit history here.