Nuclear tests: databases and other material--Johnston's Archive
Tsar Bomba nuclear test, 1961
compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last modified 6 November 2006
Date:
30 October 1961
Location:
Novaya Zemlya, Russia, USSR
Type of event:
burn injury from atmospheric nuclear test
Description:
At 8:33 UT on 30 October 1961 the USSR conducted the world's largest nuclear test. The device was designated RDS-220 and nicknamed "Vanya" or "Tsar Bomba" (King of Bombs); it was a three-stage thermonuclear device with a mass of 24.8 metric tons. The full design yield is reported as 100 megatons or 150 megatons, but in the test device the uranium sleeve on the tertiary stage was replaced with lead to reduce the yield to about 50 megatons. The RDS-220 was air-dropped from a Tupolev-95V bomber, a Tu-95 version specially modified to carry the device, from an altitude of 10,500 meters. It descended by parachute, allowing the bomber and chase planes to reach a distance of 45 km before detonation at an altitude of 3,500 meters with a yield of 58 megatons. Although the delivery bomber and chase planes had been painted with reflective paint to avoid thermal damage, cables were ignited on one Tupolev-16 chase plane, causing burns to one crew member.
Consequences:
1 injury.
References:
- Adamsky, Viktor, and Yuri Smirnov, "Moscow's Biggest Bomb: the 50-Megaton Test of October 1961, by Viktor Adamsky and Yuri Smirnov," Cold War International History Project Bulletin, no. 4, on line at Cold War International History Project [http://wwics.si.edu/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=library.document&id=302].
- Andryshin, I. A., N. P. Voloshin, R. I. Ilkaev, A. M. Matushchenko, A. B. Selverov, V. G. Strukov, Yu. M. Styazhkin, and A. K. Tehernyshev, USSR Nuclear Tests, Hydronuclear Experiments, Plutonium Inventory, 1998, RFNC-VNIIEF (Sarov, Russia), pp. 11-15, on line at Analytic Center for Non-Proliferation Problems [http://npc.sarov.ru/english/issues/plutonium/plutonium_e.pdf].
- Cochran, Thomas B., William M. Arkin, Robert S. Norris, and Jeffrey I. Sands, Nuclear Weapons Databook Vol. IV: Soviet Nuclear Weapons, Harper and Row (New York, NY).
- Crampin, Stuart, 1966, "Higher-mode seismic surface waves from atmospheric nuclear explosions over Novaya Zemlya," Journal of Geophysical Research, 71:2951-2958
- Donald, David, ed., 2001, Tupolev Bombers, AIRTime Publ. (Norwalk, CT).
- Donn, William L., and Maurice Ewing, 1962, "Atmospheric waves from nuclear explosions," Journal of Geophysical Research, 67:1855+
- IAEA, Dec. 2004, "Nuclear explosions in the USSR: The North Test Site reference material, version 4," IAEA Dept. of Nuclear Safety and Security, on line [http://www-ns.iaea.org/downloads/rw/waste-safety/north-test-site-final.pdf]
- Podvig, Pavel, ed., 2001, Russian Strategic Forces, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA).
- RFNC-VNIIEF, 1996, USSR Nuclear Weapons Tests and Peaceful Nuclear Explosions 1949 through 1990, RFNC-VNIIEF (Sarov, Russia), on line at Analytic Center for Non-Proliferation Problems [http://npc.sarov.ru/english/issues/peaceful/peaceful_e.pdf].
- Sakharov, Andrei, 1990, Memoirs, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY).
- Stevens, Jeffry L., David A. Adams, G. Eli Baker, Heming Xu, John R. Murphy, Igor Divnor, V. N. Bourchik, Ivan Kitov, "Infrasound scaling and attenuation relations from Soviet explosion data and instrument design criteria from experiments and simulations," 21st Seismic Research Symposium, on line at SMDC Monitoring Research [http://www.rdss.info/librarybox/srr/srr1999/papers5/stevens.pdf].
- Sublette, Carey, 21 June 2002, "The Tsar Bomba ('King of Bombs')", on line, Nuclear Weapons Archive [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/TsarBomba.html].
- Yang, Xiaoping, Robert North, and Carl Romney, Aug. 2000, "CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3)," on line, SMDC Monitoring Research [http://www.rdss.info/database/nucex/report/explosion.pdf].
- Zaloga, Steven J., 2002, The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC).
© 2006 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 6 November 2006.
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