Operation Plumbbob

Test Methods

In 1957, the United States conducted a controversial series of nuclear tests known as Operation Plumbbob in Nevada. These tests involved detonating 29 devices using various methods, including towers, balloons, and underground explosions, to study the effects on buildings, pigs, and soldiers 1. The tests were notably close to Las Vegas, only 65 miles away, where mushroom clouds could be seen, leading to public gatherings to witness the blasts 2.

They detonated bombs on towers, from balloons, and even underground. And according to legend, they may have even accidentally launched the first man made object into space.

--- Gary Arndt

Operation Plumbbob marked a significant expansion in nuclear testing, doubling the number of tests from previous series, and included unique experiments like dressing pigs in clothes to assess blast protection 2.

   

Unique Occurrences

Operation Plumbbob was not only significant for its scale but also for its unexpected events, such as the accidental creation of a nuclear cannon. During the Pascal B test, a 2000-pound steel cap was placed over a borehole, which was propelled at an estimated speed of 150,000 mph, potentially making it the fastest human-made object 3. Although it likely vaporized in the atmosphere, some speculate it could have been the first man-made object in space, preceding Sputnik 3.

A glorified manhole cover was the fastest human object in history. It went faster than even Voyager one, the first space probe to leave the solar system.

--- Gary Arndt

This incident highlighted the unpredictable nature of nuclear testing, leading to changes in how underground tests were conducted thereafter 3.