The Los Angeles Times had an interesting story Sunday about one small unanswered question from the atomic testing era at the Nevada Test Site. Naturally, Howard Hughes played a role.
Among the hundreds of atomic tests of the Cold War era, just one of them occurred at what is known as the Central Nevada Test Area, a remote area northeast of Tonopah. There has been speculation for decades as to why this detonation, code-named Faultless, took place where it did on Jan. 19, 1968, and why no further tests were conducted in this area far to the north of where most of the other atomic tests occurred.
The Times, however, interviewed Philip Coyle, former test director at the Nevada Test Site, who says the test was conducted at the distant outpost in response to pressure from Hughes, who was then living on the ninth floor of the Desert Inn and was among the earliest critics of atomic testing. The atomic blasts were known to shake the hotels on the Strip, alarming guests and employees alike. Hughes also was deeply worried about radiation exposure from the blasts.
According to the Times report: "The Atomic Energy Commission was under so much heat from Hughes, as well as other hotel owners, that the agency ordered a test to see whether a big detonation farther from the Strip would reduce the shaking there."
It turned out that Faultless, an extremely large explosion, still shook the Strip hotels. In addition, according to the Times, it "caused the earth to sink eight feet and opened gaps three feet across."
In short, Faultless proved to the AEC that detonating a bomb a little farther away from Las Vegas wasn't going to solve its dispute with Hughes.
To read the full article, go here.
Monday, June 29, 2009
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4 comments:
What we know know about the effects of radiation just proves again, that Hughes was right to be concerned and the gov was right.
BTW: When IMHO all the story is told (if ever) we will find that Hughes through INTERTEL set up Nixon for Watergate in payback for not stopping the tests as he promised in exchange for campaign contributions (do you really think, we know about all of them???).
The gov was wrong (correction) dang piece of junk for a computer! lol
Sounds like some one gave Palin an order she couldn't refuse. Ohhhh, I wonder what the leverage was???? Probably nothing that will ever be publically known! But remember the scene in the Aviator where Hughes talked to the Red sympathic reporter, It may well have been something similar!
The Neo cons are doing a much better job destroying the R party than the Dems ever could! lol
One positive test down, 2 to go in the DNA business. That's the news I hear.
I hear the money is quickly being taken and the tests done!
Now Mr. Winn, Looks like you may have missed your chance for a payday!
Have a nice day!
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