Effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions, summary:

The familiar immediate effects of low-altitude nuclear explosions are flash, blast, and prompt radiation. Effects are significantly different for explosions above most of the atmosphere. Since blast is the shock wave transmitted through air, this is attenuated with height and is absent for explosions beyond the atmosphere. Flash is the visible and infrared light pulse from the fireball formed from heated air. With higher altitude, the fireball formation is significantly altered with consequent effects on flash. Prompt radiation includes ionizing radiation from the nuclear reactions in the warhead and decay of fission products left by the explosion. These radiations, particularly neutron radiation, are significantly attenuated by the atmosphere for low altitude bursts. For explosions above most of the atmosphere, ranges of prompt radiation effects are greater than for atmospheric bursts.

Several effects are relatively unique to high altitude bursts:

• Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is important only for high altitude bursts. For such detonations, ionization of the upper atmosphere can produce a brief intense pulse of radio frequency radiation which can damage or disrupt electronic devices. For explosions above most of the atmosphere, EMP can affect large areas.
• Ionization of the atmosphere from explosions in the atmosphere can interfere with radar and radio communications for short periods.
• Charged particles produced by explosions above the Earth's atmosphere can be captured by the Earth's magnetic field, temporarily creating artificial radiation belts that can damage spacecraft and injure astronauts/cosmonauts in orbit.

Effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions, detail:

(under construction)

See: [7,19,20]

Nuclear tests at high altitudes, summary:

From 1958 to 1962, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. conducted over a dozen nuclear tests in the Earth's upper atmosphere or in space--the highest at an altitude of 540 km. The table below lists information on all tests above 20 km altitude.

nation	test name	date	time (UT)	lat. (°)	long. (°)	alt. (km)	location	yield (kt)	warhead	sources
USA	HARDTACK I--Yucca	28 Apr 1958	02:40:00.3	12.617 N	163.025 E	26.2	Pacific Ocean	1.7	W-25, plutonium implosion?	4,6,14
USA	HARDTACK I--Teak	01 Aug 1958	10:50:05.6	16.744 N	169.533 W	76.8	Johnston Island	3800	W39, thermonuclear, 50% fission	4,6,14
USA	HARDTACK I--Orange	12 Aug 1958	10:30:08.6	16.358 N	169.536 W	43	Johnston Island	3800	W39, thermonuclear, 50% fission	4,6,14
USA	Argus I	27 Aug 1958	02:28	38.5 S	11.5 W	200	South Atlantic Ocean	~1.5	W-25, plutonium implosion?	2,4,6,9,14
USA	Argus II	30 Aug 1958	03:18	49.5 S	8.2 W	240	South Atlantic Ocean	~1.5	W-25, plutonium implosion?	2,4,6,9,14
USA	Argus III	06 Sep 1958	22:13	49.5 S	9.7 W	540	South Atlantic Ocean	~1.5	W-25, plutonium implosion?	2,4,6,9,14
USSR	#88	06 Sep 1961	?	48.45 N	44.3 E	22.7	Kapustin Yar	10.5	R-12?	11,12,14
USSR	#115	06 Oct 1961	?	48.45 N	44.3 E	41.3	Kapustin Yar	40	?	10,11,13,14
USSR	K PROJECT--#127 K-2	27 Oct 1961	?	49 N*	46 E*	150	Kapustin Yar	1.2	?	10,11,14,16
USSR	K PROJECT--#128 K-1	27 Oct 1961	?	49 N*	46 E*	300	Kapustin Yar	1.2	?	10,11,14,16
USA	DOMINIC I/FISHBOWL--Starfish Prime	09 Jul 1962	09:00	17.2 N	169.1 W	399	Johnston Island	1400	W-49, thermonuclear	4,6,9,14
USA	DOMINIC I/FISHBOWL--Checkmate	20 Oct 1962	07:30	16.0 N	169.5 W	147	Johnston Island	<20*	XW-50X1	3,4,6,14
USSR	K PROJECT--#184 K-3	22 Oct 1962	03:40:45	49 N*	46 E*	290	Kapustin Yar	300	?	1,5,8,10,11,14
USA	DOMINIC I/FISHBOWL--Bluegill Triple Prime	26 Oct 1962	08:59	16.9 N	169.2 W	48.2	Johnston Island	400	W50, boosted fission	3,4,6,7,14
USSR	K PROJECT--#187 K-4	28 Oct 1962	04:41:20	49 N*	46 E*	150	Kapustin Yar	300	R-5M, thermonuclear	1,5,10,11,14
USSR	K PROJECT--#195 K-5	01 Nov 1962	09:12	49 N*	46 E*	59	Kapustin Yar	300	?	10,11,14,17
USA	DOMINIC I/FISHBOWL--Kingfish	01 Nov 1962	11:10	16.6 N	169.4 W	96.3	Johnston Island	400	W50, boosted fission	3,4,6,7,14
USA	DOMINIC I/FISHBOWL--Tightrope	04 Nov 1962	06:30	17.1 N	169.1 W	21	Johnston Island	<20*	W31	3,4,6,14

Notes: The exact yields of shots Checkmate (20 Oct 1962) and Tightrope (4 Nov 1962) are unknown; the U.S. has reported their yields as 0-20 kt. For the K Project shots (27 Oct-1 Nov 1962), reported locations from [14] refer to the delivery missile launch site at Kapustin Yar; these missiles travelled downrange towards Sary Shagan before detonation.[15] For example, accounts suggest shot #127 K-2 (27 Oct 1961) was detonated near 46 N, 72 E.[15] and shot #187 K-4 (28 Oct 1962) was detonated near 48 N, 66 E [24] or 46 N, 63 E [15]. All shots in the table above were delivered by rocket or missile with the exception of shot Yucca (28 April 1958) which was suspended from a balloon.

The figure below plots altitude versus geographic latitude for all nuclear detonations. High altitude explosions fall in three groups, from left to right: U.S. tests over the South Atlantic (Operation Argus); U.S. tests near Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean; and Soviet tests near Kapustin Yar (southern Russia near Kazakhstan).

Nuclear tests at high altitudes, detail:

(under construction)

The high altitude nuclear tests included these series:

• USA--Three shots during Operation Hardtack I, 1958: these shots were to investigate effects of high altitude detonations. [20]
• USA--The three shots of Operation Argus, 1958: this series was crafted to test aspects of production of trapped particle radiation belts from high altitude nuclear explosions. This was the only U.S. above-ground test series which was conducted in secret; it was not announced until 19 March 1959. [2]
• USSR--Two shots in 1961 at high altitudes.
• USSR--The K Project shots, 1961 and 1962: this series tested the effects of high altitude nuclear explosions on ballistic missile defense systems. [15]
• USA--The five shots of Operation Fishbowl, 1962: this series, during the atmospheric test series Operation Dominic, investigated effects of high altitude nuclear explosions. Bluegill Triple Prime was the third attempt for this particular test, with two previous attempts resulting in destruction of the missile and warhead (the first loss occurred on the pad, resulting in significant contamination of the site). The last shot, shot Tightrope, was the last atmospheric nuclear test by the United States. [3]

The table below lists, for detonations at altitudes over 40 km, the duration of the thermal pulse, data on the geomagnetic field at the shot location, and data on any artificial radiation belts produced. [7,19,21,22,23]

shot data				duration of thermal pulse (s)	magnetic field data at detonation location				radiation belt production
shot	date	altitude (km)	yield (kt)		strength (G)	declination (°)	inclination (°)	L value	characteristics	injected electrons	decay time
Teak	01 Aug 1958	77	3800	0.1	0.332	10.6	30.0	1.12	low altitude	<1021	few days
Orange	12 Aug 1958	43	3800	0.15	0.337	10.6	29.6	1.12	low altitude	<1021	1 day
Argus I	27 Aug 1958	200	1.5		0.263	-25.5	-55.3	1.7	narrow band		0-20 days
Argus II	30 Aug 1958	240	1.5		0.285	-22.6	-58.7	2.1	narrow band		10-20 days
Argus III	06 Sep 1958	540	1.5		0.256	-21.7	-58.4	2.0	narrow band		10-20 days
#115	06 Oct 1961	41	40		0.494	6.9	65.6	1.75
K-2	27 Oct 1961	150	1.2		0.473	6.9	66.0	1.8
K-1	27 Oct 1961	300	1.2		0.442	6.3	65.7	1.8
Starfish Prime	09 Jul 1962	399	1400	<0.001	0.288	10.6	30.0	1.12	wide distribution	1.3x1025	1-2 years
Checkmate	20 Oct 1962	147	<20	<0.001	0.320	10.6	28.7	1.1
K-3	22 Oct 1962	290	300		0.444	6.3	65.8	1.8	wide distribution	3.6x1025	30 days
Bluegill Triple Prime	26 Oct 1962	48	400	0.1	0.336	10.7	30.5	1.12
K-4	28 Oct 1962	150	300		0.474	6.9	66.0	1.8	wide distribution	1.2x1025	30 days
K-5	01 Nov 1962	59	300		0.494	7.3	66.2	1.75	narrow band	1.2x1024	30 days
Kingfish	01 Nov 1962	96	400	0.15	0.328	10.6	29.8	1.12

The radiation belts from Starfish Prime caused damage to several satellites. Operation of Ariel I became intermittent after 7 days; Traac and Transit 4B both showed significant degradation of output from their solar cells before ceasing operations 36 and 24 days after the detonation, respectively. [19]

Sources:

1. Cochran, Thomas B., William M. Arkin, Robert S. Norris, and Jeffrey I. Sands, 1989, Nuclear Weapons Databook Vol. IV: Soviet Nuclear Weapons, Harper and Row (New York, NY).
2. Defense Nuclear Agency, 1982, Operation Argus, 1958, Report DNA 6039F, Department of Defense (Washington, DC).
3. Defense Nuclear Agency, 1983, Operation Dominic I, 1962, Report DNA 6040F, Department of Defense (Washington, DC).
4. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, Dec. 2000, United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992, U.S. DOE (Las Vegas, NV), on line at Nevada Site Office [http://www.nv.doe.gov/news&pubs/publications/historyreports/pdfs/DOENV209_REV15.pdf].
5. Haave, C. R., A. J. Zmuda, and B. W. Shaw, 1965, "Very low-frequency phase perturbations and the Soviet high-altitude nuclear bursts of October 22 and 28, 1962," Journal of Geophysical Research, 70:4191+
6. Hansen, Chuck, 1995, The Swords of Armageddon, Vol. 8, Chukelea Publ. (Sunnyvale, CA).
7. Hoerlin, Herman, Oct. 1976, United States High-Altitude Test Experiences: A Review Emphasizing the Impact on the Environment, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM).
8. Keppler, E., G. Pfotzer, and W. Riedler, 1964, "Radioactive debris from nuclear explosions in high altitudes," Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 26:429-436.
9. Norris, Robert Standish, and Thomas B. Cochran, 1 Feb. 1994, "United States nuclear tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992," Nuclear Weapons Databook Working Paper NWD 94-1, Natural Resources Defense Council (Washington, DC).
10. Podvig, Pavel, ed., 2001, Russian Strategic Forces, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA).
11. RFNC-VNIIEF, 1998, USSR Nuclear Tests, Hydronuclear Experiments, Plutonium Inventory, RFNC-VNIIEF (Sarov, Russia), on line at Analytic Center for Non-Proliferation Problems [http://npc.sarov.ru/english/issues/plutonium/plutonium_e.pdf].
12. Stevens, Jeffry L., David A. Adams, G. Eli Baker, Heming Xu, John R. Murphy, Igor Divnor, V. N. Bourchik, Ivan Kitov, "Infrasound scaling and attenuation relations from Soviet explosion data and instrument design criteria from experiments and simulations," 21st Seismic Research Symposium, on line at SMDC Monitoring Research [http://www.rdss.info/librarybox/srr/srr1999/papers5/stevens.pdf].
13. Stevens, J. L., I. I. Divnov, D. A. Adams, J. R. Murphy, and V. N. Bourchik, 2002, "Constraints on infrasound scaling and attenuation relations from Soviet explosion data," Pure and Applied Geophysics, 159:1045-1062.
14. Yang, Xiaoping, Robert North, and Carl Romney, Aug. 2000, "CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3)," on line, SMDC Monitoring Research [http://www.rdss.info/database/nucex/report/explosion.pdf].
15. Zak, Anatoly, 2006, "The 'K' Project: Soviet nuclear tests in space," Nonproliferation Review, 13:143-150.
16. Zaloga, Steven J., 2002, The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC).
17. Zmuda, A. J., C. R. Haave, and B. W. Shaw, 1966, "VLF phase perturbations produced by the Soviet high-altitude nuclear explosion of November 1, 1962," Journal of Geophysical Research, 71:899+
18. Glasstone, Samuel, and Philip J. Dolan, 1977, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, 3rd ed., U.S. Dept. of Defense and Energy Research and Development Administration/U.S. Government Printing Office (Washington, DC).
19. Hess, Wilmot N., 1964, The Effects of High Altitude Explosions, NASA TN D-2402, NASA (Goddard, MD).
20. Defense Nuclear Agency, 1982, Operation Hardtack I, 1958, Report DNA 6038F, Department of Defense (Washington, DC).
21. Walt, M., 1977, "History of artificial radiation belts," in The Trapped Radiation Handbook, ed. by J. B. Cladis, G. T. Davidson, and L. L. Newkirk, Report DNA 2524H, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory.
22. Spjeldvik, W. N., and P. L. Rothwell, 1985, "The radiation belts," in Handbook of Geophysics and the Space Environment, ed. by Adolph S. Jursa, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory.
23. Mars, R. E., 13 Nov. 2002, "Contribution of neutron beta decay to radiation belt pumping from high altitude nuclear explosions," Report UCRL-ID-151402, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, on line at LLNL [http://www.llnl.gov/tid/lof/documents/pdf/243731.pdf].
24. --, 28 March 2006, "EMP radiation from nuclear space bursts in 1962," Glasstone Blogspot, on line [http://glasstone.blogspot.com/2006/03/emp-radiation-from-nuclear-space.html]; also Howard Seguine, 17 Feb. 1995, "Memorandum for record," Nuclear Weapon Archive, on line [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/News/Loborev.txt].

© 2005, 2006 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 7 November 2006.
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