more at http://scitech.quickfound.net/ Project Dugout was part of Operation Plowshare, testing to see if nuclear explosions could be used for excavation purposes in civil engineering construction. The blasts shown at the Nevada Test Site are of conventional explosives, trials prior to testing with atomic weapons (Buggy , 12 March 1968, and Schooner, 8 December 1968). 'Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Technical Film Report, part-animated... Public domain film from the Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The film was silent. I have added music created by myself using the Reaper Digital Audio Workstation and the Independence and Proteus VX VST instrument plugins. (.pdf doc) http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA396282 ...Project Dugout was a chemical row-charge cratering experiment in hard rock executed as part of the Plowshare Program for development of nuclear excavation. The purpose of the experiment was to develop a more complete understanding of the fundamental processes involved in row charge cratering. Dugout was fired June 24, 1964, at approximately 0806 Pacific Daylight Time or 1506 Greenwich Mean Time. Five separately placed (20 ± 1.5)-ton charges were fired simultaneously. The liquid nitromethane explosive was contained in five mined spherical cavities approximately 10.3 feet in diameter. The centers of the cavities were at a depth of 58.8 ±0.2 feet, and they were spaced 45 feet apart horizontally... http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare Project Plowshare was the overall United States term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes... It was the US portion of what are called Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNE). Despite successfully demonstrating non-combat uses for nuclear explosives, (i.e., for rock blasting and stimulation of tight gas), negative impacts from Project Plowshare's 27 nuclear projects led to the program's termination in 1977, due in large part to public opposition. These consequences included tritium-contaminated water and the deposition of fallout from radioactive material being injected into the atmosphere, which led to an increase in environmental levels of radioactivity across the United States... One of the first plowshare nuclear blast cratering proposals that came close to being carried out was Project Chariot, which would have used several hydrogen bombs to create an artificial harbor at Cape Thompson, Alaska. It was never carried out due to concerns for the native populations and the fact that there was little potential use for the harbor to justify its risk and expense. A number of proof-of-concept cratering blasts were conducted; including the Buggy shot of 5 1-Kt-devices for a channel/trench in Area 21 and the largest being 104 kiloton (435 terajoule) on July 6, 1962 at the north end of Yucca Flats, within the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nevada... Citizen groups voiced concerns and opposition to some of the Plowshare tests. There were concerns that the blast effects from the Schooner explosion could dry up active wells or trigger an earthquake...

• published: 05 Oct 2013
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