Pahute Mesa
Pahute MesaorPaiute Mesais one of four major nuclear test regions within theNevada National Security Site(NNSS). It occupies 243 square miles (630 km2) in the northwest corner of the NNSS in Nevada. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.[1][2]
History[edit]
ThePartial Test Ban Treatyof 1963 banned atmospheric nuclear testing. This led to a requirement for an underground test area that could accommodate higher yield tests thanYucca Flat.
Pahute Mesa was seen as ideal due to itsgeologyand distance of over 160 kilometers (99 mi) from Las Vegas. Holes can be drilled to a depth of more than 1,370 meters (4,490 ft). This allows tests in the megaton range to be fully contained with minimalground motionbeing felt in Las Vegas.
Pahute Mesa was thus incorporated into the boundary of the NNSS in late 1963 under an agreement between theUnited States Atomic Energy Commissionand theU.S. Air Force.[3]
Geology and climate[edit]
Pahute Mesa is part of theTonopah Basinand includes the Silent Canyon caldera complex of the Southwest Nevada volcanic field.
Rugged terrain features and harsh winter conditions make year-round operations difficult.
Nuclear testing[edit]
A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992.[2]Three of them—Boxcar,BenhamandHandley—had a yield of over one megaton.[2]Three tests were conducted as part ofoperation Plowshareand one as part ofVela Uniform.[2]
In 1988, as a prelude to the signing of the protocols to theThreshold Test Ban Treatyand thePeaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty,the United States and the Soviet Union conducted two joint tests employing proposed treaty verification techniques. The first wasKearsarge,conducted in Area 19 of the NNSS, the secondShagan,conducted at theSemipalatinsk Test Site.[2]
Radioactive contamination[edit]
The following tests resulted in a release of radioactivity that was detected outside of the NNSS.[2]
| Test | Date | Type | Purpose | Location | Atmospheric release ofiodine-131 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palanquin | 1965-04-14 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 910kilocuries(34PBq)[4] |
| Cabriolet | 1968-01-26 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 6kilocuries(0.22PBq)[4] |
| Schooner | 1968-12-08 | Crater | Plowshare | Area 20 | 15kilocuries(0.56PBq)[4] |
TheSchoonerplume spreadplutoniumand other radionuclides across Area 20 and northward intoNellis Air Force Range.[5]According to measurements taken in 2001, theSchoonercrater has the highest annual mean concentration of radioactivetritiated waterof any area of the NNSS.[6]
Other uses[edit]
TheSchoonercrater area resembles the lunar landscape. It was used along with other areas of the NNSS to train some of the astronauts of theApollo program,among themNeil Armstrong,Dick Gordon,Buzz Aldrin,Dave ScottandRusty Schweickart.In 1970, theApollo 16team ofJohn YoungandCharlie Duketrained at Schooner in thelunar rover.[7]In May 2023, NASA returned toSchoonerto test lunar equipment for theArtemis program.[8]
Supporting infrastructure[edit]
The Pahute Control Point is located in Area 18, south of Pahute Mesa. It was used until 1971 to monitor tests in Pahute Mesa.
ThePahute Mesa Airstrip,also in Area 18, was used to ship supplies and equipment to Pahute Mesa.[1]
References[edit]
- ^abU.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office (July 2011),"chapter 2"(PDF),Draft Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement Nevada
{{citation}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^abcdefU.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (December 2000),United States Nuclear Tests - July 1945 through September 1992(PDF),archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2006-10-12
- ^Hechanova, A.E.; O’Neill, L.J. (May 1998),Description of the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Range Complex Activities in Nevada,Las Vegas, NV: Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada
- ^abc"National Cancer Institute. National Institute of Health. Chapter 2.History of the Nevada Test Site and Nuclear Testing Background."(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-12-21.Retrieved2008-07-10.
- ^Globalsecurity.org. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Library.Nevada Test Site Final Environmental Impact Statement.Figure 4-30: Approximate area of plutonium contamination exceeding 10 pCi/g on the NTS.
- ^Bechtel Nevada Corporation (October 2001),Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2001,doi:10.2172/804926
- ^U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Operations Office (June 2004)."Apollo Astronauts Train at the Nevada Test Site"(PDF).Fact Sheets.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^NASA at the NNSSonYouTube
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom websites or documents of theUnited States Department of Energy.