| Operation Tumbler–Snapper | |
|---|---|
 Tumbler-Snapper Dog, 19 kilotons | |
| Information | |
| Country | United States |
| Test site |
|
| Period | 1952 |
| Number of tests | 8 |
| Test type | free air drop, tower |
| Max. yield | 31 kilotonnes of TNT (130 TJ) |
| Test series chronology | |
Operation Tumbler–Snapper was a series of nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in early 1952 at the Nevada Test Site. The Tumbler–Snapper series of tests followed Operation Buster–Jangle and preceded Operation Ivy .
The Tumbler phase, sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission, consisted of three airdrops intended to help explain discrepancies in the actual and estimated blast shock wave damage noted on previous detonations and to establish more accurately the optimal height of burst.
The Snapper phase, sponsored by the Department of Defense, consisted of one airdrop and four tower shots intended to test various new weapons developments. [1]
The military exercise Desert Rock IV , involving 7350 soldiers, took place during the test series. They trained during the Charlie, Dog, and George shots and observed shot Fox. [2]
The Tumbler-Snapper detonations included some particularly fallout-heavy weapons. Of particular note is shot George, which contaminated more citizens than any other nuclear test in the United States. George alone accounted for some 7 percent of all population exposure to radiation during the 1,032 nuclear tests performed by the United States. [3] [4]
| Name [note 1] | Date time (UT) | Local time zone [note 2] [5] | Location [note 3] | Elevation + height [note 4] | Delivery, [note 5] Purpose [note 6] | Device [note 7] | Yield [note 8] | Fallout [note 9] | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Able | April 1, 1952 17:00:07.5 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 5 36°47′54″N115°56′11″W / 36.7983°N 115.9364°W | 940 m (3,080 ft) + 240 m (790 ft) | free air drop, weapon effect | Mk-4 | 1 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 140 kCi (5,200 TBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | U-235 core, same as Ranger Able . Same scale height as Hiroshima and Buster Baker in order to recreate similar blast conditions on a different type of surface. |
| Baker | April 15, 1952 17:29:57.1 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 7 37°05′03″N116°01′13″W / 37.0841°N 116.0203°W | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) + 340 m (1,120 ft) | free air drop, weapon effect | Mk-4 | 1 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 140 kCi (5,200 TBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Repeat of Tumbler Able but on the Buster area at a higher height of burst. |
| Charlie | April 22, 1952 17:30:10.0 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 7 37°05′04″N116°01′16″W / 37.0844°N 116.0211°W | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) + 1,050 m (3,440 ft) | free air drop, weapon effect, weapons development | Mk-4 | 31 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 4.6 MCi (170 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Same scale height as Tumbler Baker in order to check the applicability of cube root blast scaling. Proof test of new core (?). First blast broadcast live on TV. Desert Rock IV. |
| Dog | May 1, 1952 16:29:59.1 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 7 37°05′03″N116°01′16″W / 37.0841°N 116.0211°W | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) + 320 m (1,050 ft) | free air drop, weapon effect, weapons development | TX-7 | 19 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 2.9 MCi (110 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Same scale height as Buster Charlie and Easy. First boosted fission test in CONUS. Tested deuterium (without tritium) gas fusion boosting. First detection of a precursor pressure wave. Desert Rock IV. |
| Easy | May 7, 1952 12:14:59.3 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 1 37°03′11″N116°06′23″W / 37.053°N 116.1064°W | 1,294 m (4,245 ft) + 90 m (300 ft) | tower, weapons development | Mk-12 "BROK-1" | 12 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 1.8 MCi (67 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | First use of beryllium as tamper. |
| Fox | May 25, 1952 11:59:59.6 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 4 37°05′44″N116°06′23″W / 37.0955°N 116.1064°W | 1,300 m (4,300 ft) + 90 m (300 ft) | tower, weapons development | TX-5 "XR1" | 11 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 1.6 MCi (59 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Designed to test the initiation/yield curve. Calibration test for TOM polonium/beryllium internal initiator. Desert Rock IV. |
| George | June 1, 1952 11:54:59.8 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 3 37°02′53″N116°01′19″W / 37.048°N 116.022°W | 1,229 m (4,032 ft) + 90 m (300 ft) | tower, weapons development | TX-5 "XR-2" | 15 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 2.2 MCi (81 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Tested an external betatron initiator that shot x-rays into the core, which induced neutrons by photofission. Desert Rock IV. |
| How | June 5, 1952 11:55:00.3 | PST (−8 h) | NTS Area 2 37°08′19″N116°07′07″W / 37.1386°N 116.1187°W | 1,370 m (4,490 ft) + 90 m (300 ft) | tower, weapons development | TX-12 "Scorpion" | 14 kt | iodine-131 venting detected, 2.1 MCi (78 PBq) | [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | First test to use a beryllium neutron reflector/tamper. |
Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after Tumbler-Snapper and before Upshot–Knothole. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Islands.
Operation Tinderbox was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1979–1980 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Quicksilver series and preceded the Operation Guardian series.
Operation Guardian was a series of 14 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1980–1981 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Tinderbox series and preceded the Operation Praetorian series.
Operation Storax was a series of 47 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1962–1963 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Fishbowl series and preceded the Operation Roller Coaster series.
Operation Latchkey was a series of 38 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1966–1967 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Flintlock series and preceded the Operation Crosstie series.
Operation Quicksilver was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1978–1979 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Cresset series and preceded the Operation Tinderbox series.
Operation Ranger was the fourth American nuclear test series. It was conducted in 1951 and was the first series to be carried out at the Nevada Test Site. All the bombs were dropped by B-50D bombers and exploded in the open air over Frenchman Flat (Area 5).
Operation Buster–Jangle was a series of seven nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in late 1951 at the Nevada Test Site. Buster–Jangle was the first joint test program between the DOD and Los Alamos National Laboratories. As part of Operation Buster, 6,500 troops were involved in the Operation Desert Rock I, II, and III exercises in conjunction with the tests. The last two tests, Operation Jangle, evaluated the cratering effects of low-yield nuclear devices. This series preceded Operation Tumbler–Snapper and followed Operation Greenhouse.
Operation Sunbeam was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested tactical nuclear warheads; the most notable was the Davy Crockett.
Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Enewetak atolls by Joint Task Force 7 (JTF7). The entire operation followed Project 56 and preceded Project 57. The primary intention was to test new, second-generation thermonuclear weapons. Also tested were fission devices intended to be used as primaries for thermonuclear weapons, and small tactical weapons for air defense. Redwing demonstrated the first United States airdrop of a deliverable hydrogen bomb during test Cherokee. Because the yields for many tests at Operation Castle in 1954 were dramatically higher than predictions, Redwing was conducted using an "energy budget": There were limits to the total amount of energy released, and the amount of fission yield was also strictly controlled. Fission, primarily "fast" fission of the natural uranium tamper surrounding the fusion capsule, greatly increases the yield of thermonuclear devices, and constitutes the great majority of the fallout, as nuclear fusion is a relatively clean reaction.
The United States's Praetorian nuclear test series was a group of 19 nuclear tests conducted in 1981–1982. These tests followed the Operation Guardian series and preceded the Operation Phalanx series.
Operation Fusileer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1983–1984 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Phalanx series and preceded the Operation Grenadier series.
Operation Grenadier was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1984–1985 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Fusileer series and preceded the Operation Charioteer series.
Operation Charioteer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1985–1986 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Grenadier series and preceded the Operation Musketeer series.
The United States's Cornerstone nuclear test series was a group of 11 nuclear tests conducted in 1988–1989. These tests followed the Operation Touchstone series and preceded the Operation Aqueduct series.
The United States's Sculpin nuclear test series was a group of 7 nuclear tests conducted between October 1990 and September 1991. These tests followed the Operation Aqueduct series and preceded the Operation Julin series.
Operation Anvil was a series of 21 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1975–1976 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Bedrock series and preceded the Operation Fulcrum series.
Operation Roller Coaster was a series of four nuclear tests conducted jointly by the United States and the United Kingdom in 1963, at the Nevada Test Site. The tests did not involve the detonation of any nuclear weapons. Instead, their purpose was to evaluate the distribution of radioactive particles in a "dirty bomb" scenario, or an inadvertent, non-nuclear detonation of a nuclear weapon, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of storage structures in containing the explosion and the particles released. The tests followed the Operation Storax series and preceded the Operation Niblick series.
Project 57 was an open-air nuclear test conducted by the United States at the Nellis Air Force Range in 1957, following Operation Redwing, and preceding Operation Plumbbob. The test area, also known as Area 13, was a 10 miles (16 km) by 16 miles (26 km) block of land abutting the northeast boundary of the Nevada National Security Site.
Operation Dominic was a series of 31 nuclear test explosions ("shots") with a 38.1 Mt (159 PJ) total yield conducted in 1962 by the United States in the Pacific. This test series was scheduled quickly, in order to respond in kind to the Soviet resumption of testing after the tacit 1958–1961 test moratorium. Most of these shots were conducted with free fall bombs dropped from B-52 bomber aircraft. Twenty of these shots were to test new weapons designs; six to test weapons effects; and several shots to confirm the reliability of existing weapons. The Thor missile was also used to lift warheads into near-space to conduct high-altitude nuclear explosion tests; these shots were collectively called Operation Fishbowl.
