70 years ago: Trinity

[Syt]

Well, yesterday 70 years ago, but still.

The Atlantic has this gem:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/the-cartoon-guide-to-surviving-a-nuclear-bomb-test/239384/?utm_source=SFFB

The Cartoon Guide to Surviving a Nuclear Bomb Test

During atomic tests in Nevada, the Atomic Energy Commission attempted to placate nervous citizens with ridiculous images

Between 1951 and 1992, the Atomic Energy Commission tested nearly a thousand nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, a 1,360-square mile patch of desert barely 65 miles north of Las Vegas. Between 1951 and 1992, there were a total of 928 announced nuclear tests, 828 of which were underground.


As the AEC prepared for a Operation Teapot, a series of fourteen nuclear tests, in the first half of 1955, the commission and other government agencies began receiving substantial push-back from local communities. Residents in Nevada, Utah, and California expressed discomfort with atomic weapons being detonated in such close proximity to populated areas, i.e. themselves.

In response to widespread complaints, the AEC distributed an extensive booklet outlining the procedures and dangers to those who might be affected by the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests scheduled for the spring.

John Walker, founder of AutoDesk Inc, scanned and uploaded the document to his personal site after his brother bought a copy at a yard sale. As a U.S. government publication, it is in the public domain. "As you may know, as early as 1953 there was a comprehensive cover-up by the AEC of fallout risk and damages from Nevada atmospheric tests," says Walker, citing Richard A. Miller's 1986 book Under The Cloud. "If you read through the booklet, the document is clearly written to placate them and assure those in the vicinity that they were at no risk."

While the document extensively outlines -- and underplays -- the risks associated with proximity to a nuclear test, the accompanying illustrations are worth reviewing on their own. The drawings, resembling a cross between "School-House Rock" and airplane safety pamphlets, seem designed to project a sense of comfort on rural Nevadans, appealing to the cowboy heritage of Western states and reminding readers that, by risking their lives, they were contributing greatly to "building the defenses of our country and of the free world."

Whether these manuals actually reassured any citizen of Nevada is unknown, but the juxtaposition of unsettling post-detonation instructions and calm, smiling ranchers is bizarre. One has to wonder: what were they thinking?

"Each Nevada test has successfully added to scientific knowledge needed for development and for use of atomic weapons, and needed to strengthen our defense against enemy weapons."


"If you look directly into the sun or at a photographer's flash bulb, you get black spots in front of your eyes and you can't see for a few seconds or a few minutes. If you were much closer to the sun or if you used binoculars, greater eye damage might result. Common sense precautions will protect your eyes from the bright flash of an atomic test." (U.S. Government)


"On-site the thermal (heat) waves which accompany flash can injure eye tissues and cause permanent eye damage if the eye looks directly at the fireball. This is also true in the air immediately above the test site. At shot time all personnel on or above the test site wear extremely dark glasses or turn away; binoculars are prohibited; and road traffic is halted." (U.S. Government)


"For persons outside the nearby area, flash is only an interesting phenomenon. The flash has been seen in Las Vegas in daytime. Predawn shots have been seen in Kalispell (Mont.), in West Texas, and on the Pacific Coast." (U.S. Government)


"The ozonosphere, a layer 20 to 35 miles above the earth, bends waves back at distances from 60 to 150 miles. Usual ozonosphere wind directions cause these waves to reach St. George and Cedar City, Utah, in winter and Bishop, Calif., in summer. Every shot fired in Nevada has been heard either in St. George or Bishop, or both. The slowly oscillating, ozonosphere-borne waves can be as strong as others which break windows and still cause no damage. The sound is similar to distant thunder without sharp cracks or ban" (U.S. Government)


"If the weather remains constant these provide a good indication of where blast will strike, but if the atmosphere changes only slightly the blast may vary by miles. If strong blast is indicated for any community, the shot may be postponed. When a possibility of light damage to any community is indicated, the community is warned to open windows and doors to equalize pressure." (U.S. Government)


"The scheduled date of each shot, and usually its scheduled hour, will be announced." (U.S. Government)


"As the fireball rises and forms the atomic cloud, dirt and debris are sucked up, become radioactive, and immediately start falling. As the cloud rises, it expands, begins losing its radioactivity by decaying, and floats away, the heavier particles falling to earth." (U.S. Government)


"The locations of the radiation monitoring stations in the test site region are shown on a map inside the back cover. The whole region has been divided into zones, each of which has one or more headquarters locations. At each headquarters there is a zone commander from the U. S. Public Health Service. He directs fellow USPHS employees in the field as they monitor fall-out beneath the atomic cloud." (U.S. Government)


"Many persons in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and nearby California have Geiger counters these days. We can expect many reports that "Geiger counters were going crazy here today." Reports like this may worry people unnecessarily. Don't let them bother you." (U.S. Government)


"Since the first Nevada test series, the ABC has contracted with the General Adjustment Bureau to receive and to investigate claims for damages arising from test operations. An office is maintained in Las Vegas, Nev. The Bureau's investigative teams are supplemented by engineers, architects, veterinarians, or others in the area from which the claim originates. The investigation is thorough, in order to determine whether or not the claimed loss actually resulted from a test detonation. If found to be justified, settlement is relatively prompt." (U.S. Government)





This almost feels like something out of Fallout.

[Valmy]

For good reason. This is what inspired Fallout's aesthetic.

[lustindarkness]

"Many persons in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and nearby California have Geiger counters these days. We can expect many reports that "Geiger counters were going crazy here today." Reports like this may worry people unnecessarily. Don't let them bother you."

[Syt]

For good reason. This is what inspired Fallout's aesthetic.

Well, yeah, but it's still more lighthearted and naive than I expected.

[Ideologue]

We look back on our nuke-blasting forefathers and contemptuously laugh, while our own lifestyle does as much long-term damage and threatens the continued habitability of the world in a way only equalled by the nuclear world war that never, actually, came.  We're just so great, here in The Future.

[The Brain]

People needed to relax.

[derspiess]

We look back on our nuke-blasting forefathers and contemptuously laugh, while our own lifestyle does as much long-term damage and threatens the continued habitability of the world in a way only equalled by the nuclear world war that never, actually, came.  We're just so great, here in The Future.

Generally agree, but the geiger counter one is kind of bad.

[The Brain]

Geiger counters are safe.

[Syt]

We look back on our nuke-blasting forefathers and contemptuously laugh, while our own lifestyle does as much long-term damage and threatens the continued habitability of the world in a way only equalled by the nuclear world war that never, actually, came.  We're just so great, here in The Future.

Of course, and I look forward to 70 years from now when future generations will laugh at how naive we were about AIs or genetically modified food that will then hunt us for sport. It's a right of passage for every generation.

[Syt]

I also liked, "As the cloud rises, it expands, begins losing its radioactivity by decaying [...]" Technically not wrong, but ...

[The Brain]

I also liked, "As the cloud rises, it expands, begins losing its radioactivity by decaying [...]" Technically not wrong, but ...

In fairness a huge part of the dangerous radiation is very short-lived.

[Syt]

I also liked, "As the cloud rises, it expands, begins losing its radioactivity by decaying [...]" Technically not wrong, but ...

In fairness a huge part of the dangerous radiation is very short-lived.

I seem to recall that gamma rays dissipate very quickly, and that it's the beta radiation particles tend to hang around for long?

[The Brain]

I also liked, "As the cloud rises, it expands, begins losing its radioactivity by decaying [...]" Technically not wrong, but ...

In fairness a huge part of the dangerous radiation is very short-lived.

I seem to recall that gamma rays dissipate very quickly, and that it's the beta radiation particles tend to hang around for long?

Well, it's complimicated.

[Caliga]

No Trinity from The Matrix jokes?  This thread: fails to deliver.

[The Brain]

The first movie wasn't a joke IMHO.