Tonopah Test Range: An Outdoor Laboratory Facility

0800071 - Tonopah Test Range: An Outdoor Laboratory Facility - 1964 - 12:27 - Color - The Tonopah Test Range, operated for the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies by Sandia National Laboratories, was opened in 1960 near the town of Tonopah, NV. The purpose of the range is to test non-nuclear ordnance and engineering designs.

Tonopah, the video shows, is actually four test ranges on one. It has concrete target and operations buildings with tracking radar, cameras, and other instrumentation. The range provides a high-level bombing range over dry lakes, a low-level bombing range with concrete and land targets, a rocket launching range, and facilities for test firing artillery shells.

Featured in this early 1960s video are scenes of flight impact of a B-61 weapon casing from an A-6, balloon instrumentation launches, artillery firing, airdrop/parachute deployment of a weapon casing from a B-52 bomber, rocket launches, and numerous weapon impact tests.

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

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Tonopah
• Test
• Range
• department
• energy
• sadia
• national
• laboratory
• nevada
• ordanance
• rocket
• artillery
• bombing
• DOE
• NNSA/NSO
• Historical
• Films

[goldcreekfilms]

The test site is a cool place - lots of mysteries in the desert!

[covermewithaleaf33]

whats there? my friends dad always goes there. looks like a shit hole town.

[fast80]

yes, just keep that secret stuff to yourself :-D

....its best we didnt know.....

[OsanBlackCat5RS]

no comment ;)

[OsanBlackCat5RS]

been there... worked there... loved it there... and miss the desert so much...

[airbus91]

cool