Operation Fishbowl - High-Altitude Weapons Effects

0800063 - Operation Fishbowl - High-Altitude Weapons Effects - 1962 - 28:10 - Black&White - Operation Fishbowl, the Department of Defense's high altitude testing portion of Operation Dominic I, was conducted in the Johnston Island area of the Pacific testing area in 1962. These five weapons-effects tests, launched by Strypi, Thor, and Nike Hercules rockets, were as follows:

STARFISH PRIME, July 9, 400-kilometer altitude, 1.4 megaton
CHECKMATE, October 20, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)
BLUEGILL 3 PRIME, October 26, tens of kilometers altitude, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
KINGFISH, November 1, tens of kilometers altitude; submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)
TIGHTROPE, November 4, tens of kilometers altitude, low (less than 20 kt)

Two goals of these tests were to determine if radiation and blast and heat effects of high- altitude detonations were capable of neutralizing an enemy reentry vehicle and capable of determining the blackout effects on radar and communications of various yields and altitudes of bursts.

-From DOE NNSA/NSO Historical Test Films http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/films/testfilms.aspx

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Johnston
• Island
• Pacific
• testing
• Strypi
• Thor
• Nike
• Hercules
• rockets
• radiation
• blast
• heat
• detonations
• neutralizing
• enemy
• DOE
• NNSA/NSO
• Historical
• Test
• Films

[krbosak]

@patellaman Evaporated ;-)

[Nshoroh]

25 July 1962

Operation Fishbowl, detonated on launch pad by range safety officers shortly after ignition due to rocket motor failure, destroyed the Thor launch facility and contaminated it with plutonium, requiring three months of repairs and decontamination

[patellaman]

where's the rest? :(