Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #71

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.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Nukes
• Nuclear
• weapons
• WMD
• radiation
• radioactive
• testing
• warhead
• downwinders
• atomic
• cancer

[JetMechMA]

I was a B-52 Crew Chief in the 1980s and we flew thru the Tonopah low level range many times. I've never been there on the ground so this is interesting to see what it looks like. My aircraft actually did drop an actual weapon but with the nuclear material removed. People from Sandia Labs were conducting the test. I think they were testing the trigger mechanism. Nobody knew what they were really doing...we didn't have a "need to know." Interesting, thanks.

[1rawdawg007]

I spent alot of time on this range in the late 70's and early 80's... Its just desert, some dry lake beds, wild Mustangs and sand... But it is beautiful in those small mountain ranges, but since its all closed off to public, and you cant see anything from gate, I advise to not try to "visit"...its a waste of time and fuel..

[streetcornerjames]

love the peaceful music. now I feel brainwashed

[TheCasualTim]

@thenewchance if you look to the left of area 51 you'll see mile wide craters from nuke tests there are literally hundreds of these craters

[thenewchance]

Atomic bombs were invented in the 30s.. Nuclear bombs in the 50s.. Honestly I wonder what they have now.

[1rawdawg007]

I spent alot of time on that Sandia Test Range in the late 70's early 80's... Its really nothing to see, just desert. Pretty much like the rest of Nevada.... some lake beds, some mountains, some wild Mustangs.... It took about 45 minutes to get to the site from Tonopah. Gated, guarded.. so no site seeing, and you cant see anything from the road anyway... Most everything shown here was long gone when I was there..