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more related material is at the /Military. page at doc pdf URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_Site Area-51 & Nevada Test Range
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The Nevada Test Site is broken down into areas. Some of the areas and their uses include the following:
Area 1
Area 1 held 8 nuclear tests for a total of 9 detonations. 4 early atmospheric tests were conducted above Area 1 in the early 1950s as well as three underground tests in 1971 and 1990. In 1955, a Civil Defense experiment (called Operation Cue in the press) studied nuclear blast effects on various building types. A few structures still stand.
Heavy drilling equipment and concrete construction facilities are sited in Area 1. Non-destructive X-ray, gamma ray, and subcritical detonation tests continue to be conducted in Area 1.
2 The radioactivity present on the ground in Area 1 provides a radiologically contaminated environment for the training of first responders.
Area 2
Area 2 is a division of the Nevada Test Site in the Mojave Desert. The area is located 18 miles southwest of Area 51.
Area 2 was the site of 144 tests comprising 169 detonations. Shot "Gabbs", intended for 1993, was abandoned in place.
Area 3
Area 3 held 266 nuclear tests for a total of 288 detonations (more than in any other area of the NTS).
As part of Operation Tinderbox, on 24 June 1980 a small satellite prototype (DSCS III) was subjected to radioactivity from the "Huron King" shot in a vertical line-of-sight (VLOS) test undertaken in Area 3. This was a program to improve the database on nuclear hardening design techniques for defense satellites.
The final nuclear test detonation at Nevada Test Site was Operation Julin's "Divider" on 23 September 1992 just prior to the moratorium temporarily ending all nuclear testing. Divider was a safety experiment test shot that was detonated at the bottom of a shaft sunk into Area 3.
In 1995 and 1997, plutonium-contaminated soil from "Double Tracks" and "Clean Slate 1" of Operation Roller Coaster (1963) was picked up from the Tonopah Test Range and brought to the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site as a first step in eventually returning Tonopah Test Range to an environmentally neutral state. Corrective action regarding the contaminated material from the "Clean Slate 2" and "Clean Slate 3" tests has yet to be agreed upon.
Area 4
Area 4 held 40 nuclear tests for a total of 44 detonations. It is home to the Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF).
Area 5
Area 5 held 19 nuclear tests. 5 atmospheric tests were detonated starting on 27 January 1951 at Area 5 as part of Operation Ranger. These were the first nuclear tests at NTS. Further tower detonations were studied at Area 5 and the Grable shot which was fired from a M65 Atomic Cannon located in Area 11 exploded in Area 5. The Priscilla test was conducted at Area 5 on 24 June 1957.
5 underground tests were set up at Area 5. Four of those suffered accidental release of radioactive materials. On 16 March 1968, physicist Glenn T. Seaborg toured the upcoming Milk Shake shot of Operation Crosstie. Milk Shake's radioactive release was not detected outside of NTS boundaries.
Area 6
Area 6 held 4 nuclear tests for a total of 6 detonations. The only 2 towns to be established within the boundaries of NTS prior to 1947 -- BJ Wye and Mule Lick -- are located in Yucca Flats in Area 6. The 3 area features an asphalt runway that was constructed on top of a dirt landing strip that existed since the 1950s. Some buildings including a hangar are situated near the runway.
The Device Assembly Facility (DAF) was originally built to consolidate nuclear explosives assembly operations. It now serves as the Criticality Experiments Facility (CEF).
The Control Point is the communication hub of the NTS. It was used by controllers to trigger and monitor nuclear test explosions.
In 1982 while a live nuclear bomb was being lowered underground, the base came under attack by armed combatants. The combatants turned out to be a security team conducting an improperly scheduled drill.
Area 7
Area 7 held 92 nuclear tests. During Operation Buster, 4 successful tests were conducted via airdrop with bomber aircraft releasing nuclear weapons over Area 7.
It is also the site of Matthew Reilly's book called Area 7.
Shot "Icecap" planned for 1993 was abandoned in Area 7 following 1992's testing moratorium. The tower, shaft, and wiring remain in place along with a crane intended to lower the nuclear test package into the shaft.
Area 8
Area 8 held 13 nuclear tests for a total of 15 detonations.
Area 8 hosted the "Baneberry" shot of Operation Emery on 18 December 1970. The Baneberry 10 kt (42 TJ) test detonated 900 feet (270 m) below the surface. But its energy cracked the soil in unexpected ways causing a fissure near ground zero and the failure of the shaft stemming and cap. A plume of fire and dust was released raining fallout on workers in different locations within NTS. The radioactive plume released 6.7 megacuries (250 PBq) of radioactive material, including 80 kCi (3.0 PBq) of 131I.
Area 9
Area 9 held 115 nuclear tests for a total of 133 detonations.
In Area 9, the 74 kt (310 TJ) "Hood" test on 5 July 1957 (part of Operation Plumbbob) was the largest atmospheric test ever conducted within the continental United States; nearly 5 times larger in yield than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. A balloon carried Hood up to 460 meters above the ground where it was detonated. Over 2,000 troops took part in the test in order to train them in conducting operations on the nuclear battlefield. 11 megacuries (410 PBq) of Iodine-131 (131I) were released into the air.
Area 10
Area 10 held 57 nuclear tests for a total of 71 detonations.
4 The first underground test at NTS was the "Uncle" shot of Operation Jangle. Uncle detonated on 29 November 1951 within a shaft sunk into Area 10.
The "John" shot of Plumbbob on 19 July 1957 was the first test firing of the nuclear-tipped AIR-2 Genie air-to-air rocket designed to destroy incoming enemy bombers with a nuclear explosion. The 2 kt (8.4 TJ) warhead exploded approximately 3 miles above 5 volunteers and a photographer who stood unprotected at "ground zero" in Area 10 to show the apparent safety of battlefield nuclear weapons to personnel on the ground. The test also demonstrated the ability of a fighter aircraft to deliver a nuclear- tipped rocket and avoid being destroyed in the process. A Northrop F-89J fired the rocket.
The "Sedan" test of Operation Storax on 6 July 1962 was a 104 kt (440 TJ) shot for the Operation Plowshare which sought to discover whether nuclear weapons could be used for peaceful means in creating lakes, bays or canals. The explosion displaced 12 million tons of earth creating the Sedan crater which is 1,280 feet (390 m) wide and 320 feet (100 m) deep.
Area 11
Area 11 held 9 nuclear tests. Four of the tests were weapons safety experiments conducted as Project 56. They spread so much harmful radioactive material around the test sites that Area 11 has been called "Plutonium Valley". As is the case with Area 1, background radiation levels make Area 11 suitable for realistic training in methods of radiation detection.
Area 12
Area 12 held 61 nuclear tests between 1957 and 1992, one of which involved 2 detonations. All tests were conducted below Rainier and Aqueduct mesas.
Area 12 was the primary location for tunnel tests and used almost exclusively for that purpose. The tunnel complexes mined into Rainier and Aqueduct Mesa include the B-, C-, D-, E-, F-, G-, I-, J-, K-, N- , P-, and T-Tunnel complexes and the R- and S- shafts.
Area 13
There is no "Area 13" within NNSS, though such a name is attached to a section of Nellis Air Force Range which abuts the northeastern corner of Area 15. Project 57's weapons safety test was conducted here on 24 April 1957 spreading particles emitting alpha radiation over a large area.
Area 14
Area 14 occupies approximately 26 square miles (67 km2) in the central portion of the NNSS. Various outdoor experiments are conducted in this area. No atmospheric or underground nuclear tests were conducted in Area 14.
Area 15
3 underground detonations took place in area 15 in the 1960s.
Pile Driver was a notable Department of Defense test. A massive underground installation was built to study the survivability of hardened underground bunkers undergoing a nuclear attack. Information
5 from the test was used in designing hardened missile silos and the North American Aerospace Defense Command facility in Colorado Springs.
The abandoned Crystal and Climax mines are found in Area 15. Storage tanks hold contaminated materials.
From 1964 to 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency operated a 36-acre (150,000 m2) experimental farm in Area 15. Extensive plant and soil studies evaluated the uptake of pollutants in farm-grown vegetables and from the forage eaten by a dairy herd of some 30 Holstein cows. Scientists also studied horses, pigs, goats, and chickens.
Area 16
Area 16 held 6 nuclear tests.
Area 17
No nuclear tests took place in Area 17.
Area 18
Area 18 held 5 nuclear tests and includes the Pahute Mesa Airstrip.
Area 19
Pahute Mesa is one of 4 major nuclear test regions within the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies 243 square miles (630 km2) in the northwest corner of the NNSS. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as Area 20.
A total of 85 nuclear tests were conducted in Pahute Mesa between 1965 and 1992. Three of them (Boxcar, Benham and Handley) had a yield of over 1 megaton. 3 tests were conducted as part of Operation Plowshare and one as part of Vela Uniform.
(Area 20)
Area 22
No nuclear tests took place in Area 22. Area 22 once held Camp Desert Rock, a staging base for troops undergoing atmospheric nuclear blast training. As many as 9,000 troops were camped there in 1955. Desert Rock Airport's runway was enlarged to a 7,500 ft (2,300 m) length in 1969 by the Atomic Energy Commission. It is a transport hub for personnel and supplies going to NNSS and also serves as an emergency landing strip.
Area 23
No nuclear tests took place in Area 23. The town of Mercury, Nevada lies within Area 23. The area is the main pathway to and from NNSS test locations by way of U.S. Route 95. An open sanitary landfill is located to the west of Mercury and a closed hazardous waste site abuts the landfill.
6 Mercury is also the main management area for the site which includes a bar and large cafeteria, printing plant, medical center, warehousing, fleet management, liquidation and recycling center, engineering offices, dormitories, and other administrative areas for both the O&M contractors, LLNL, LANL, and SNL personnel. At its height in the 1950s and '60s, it also held several restaurants, a bowling alley, a movie theater, and a motel.
Area 25
Area 25 is the largest named area in the Nevada National Security Site at 254 square miles (660 km2) and has its own direct access from Route 95. Area 25 is commonly called "Jackass Flats" because it is composed primarily of a shallow alluvial basin by that name. No nuclear explosions took place within Area 25.
Area 25 is the site of the now decommissioned Nuclear Rocket Development Station (NRDS). It was built in support of Project Rover to test prototype nuclear rocket engines. The complex includes 3 test stands; the Engine Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (E-MAD) facility; the Reactor Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (R-MAD) facility; a control point/technical operations complex; an administrative area; and a radioactive material storage area.
The R-MAD Facility was built to support the nuclear rocket program and was operational from 1959 through 1970. It was used to assemble reactor engines and to disassemble and study reactor parts and fuel elements after reactor tests. Project Rover was successful, but ultimately canceled.
Portions of Area 25 are used by the military for training exercises. The U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory conducts open-air and X-tunnel tests using depleted uranium.
On July 8, 2010, it was announced by Harry Reid, Steven Chu and Ken Salazar that a 25-square-mile (65 km2) portion of this area was being reassigned as a development and test area for new solar technologies.
One of the test stand of Area 25, the Reactor Maintenance, Assembly, and Disassembly (R-MAD) facility has been demolished. The non-radiologically contaminated portions of the facility were demolished in late 2005. Demolition activities for the radiologically contaminated portions of the R- MAD Facility were initiated in October 2009 and completed on July 15, 2010.
Area 26
No nuclear tests took place in Area 26, the most arid section of the NNSS. An old abandoned mine (the Horn Silver Mine) was used for waste disposal between 1959 and the 1970s. Some of the waste is radioactive. Water flow past the shaft could pose a human health risk, so corrective action has been planned.
In 1983 the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency performed the NUWAX-83 tests near Port Gaston in Area 26 simulating the explosion of a nuclear-armed helicopter and the resulting spread of nuclear debris over 65 acres. The radioactive material used to simulate the accident became inert in less than 6 months.
An eight-square-mile complex was constructed in Area 26 in support of Project Pluto. It consisted of six miles of roads, the critical assembly building, the control building, the assembly and shop buildings, and utilities. Those buildings have been used recently as mock reactor facilities in the training of first responders. 7
Area 27
It occupies approximately 49 square miles (130 km2) in the south-central portion of the NNSS. A portion of Area 27 was originally known as Area 410. No tests of nuclear devices took place in Area 27.
Area 27 is home to the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) Facility.[1]
JASPER uses a 2-stage high-energy shock gun to achieve shock pressures, temperatures, and strain rates similar to those attained in a nuclear weapon. It is specifically designed to conduct research using plutonium and surrogate materials as targets. Data from these experiments is used to determine material equations of state and to validate computer models of material response for weapons applications. JASPER experiments support the Stockpile Stewardship Program and complement subcritical experiments conducted in Area 1.
The facility is located in a decommissioned weapons assembly complex and was established in 1999. By April 2003, qualification testing using non-nuclear materials was complete. By May 2007, a series of tests comparing new plutonium weapons pits with old ones had confirmed that the plutonium cores in US weapons stockpiles were less subject to deleterious aging effects than previously anticipated.
Area 28
Area 28 no longer exists. It was absorbed into Areas 25 and 27.
Area 29
No nuclear tests took place in Area 29. The rugged terrain of Area 29 serves as a buffer between other areas of NNSS. A helipad is present at Shoshone Peak.
Area 30
Area 30 occupies approximately 59 square miles (150 km2) at the center of the western edge of the NNSS. Area 30 has rugged terrain and includes the northern reaches of Fortymile Canyon. It is used primarily for military training and exercises.
Area 30 was the site of a single nuclear test -- the Crosstie Buggy row charge experiment, part of Operation Plowshare which involved 5 simultaneous detonations.
Area 1 U1a The U1a Complex is an underground laboratory used for 37.00819°N subcritical experiments. Physics experiments that obtain 116.05894°W technical information about the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. U1h and U1g -- shafts which add data access, ventilation and other utilities to the facility -- are just north of this entrance.
8 Area 1 Industrial Area Houses $20 million worth of mining tools. Contains an area for 37.06561°N creating site grout and stemming mixes. 116.13411°W Area 1 Survival City The alternative to Doomtown. Used in the Teapot Desert/Rock 37.05305°N exercises and the Civil Defence/PR effort Operation Cue. Name 116.10339°W taken from "News of the Day" newsreel about the Apple 2 test. Area 1 Fortune Training Fortune was a training facility for building bomb test sites. Site Area reused for Unicorn subcritical test in 2005–06. 36.98689°N 116.04384°W Area1 Apple-2 houses Three "typical American" houses built for the Apple-2 civil 37.04434°N defense event. The one on the left is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the 116.07397°W 29kt blast; the right one 2 miles (3.2 km). The left one is on the monthly tour bus route. The 2 towers are from later seismic studies. Area 1 NNSS-CTOS Counter Terrorism Operations Support - a location for training in 37.05263°N emergency preparedness in radiological emergencies. 116.10308°W Area 2 Operation Gabbs Operation Gabbs was another shaft detonation scheduled for 1993 37.13796°N that was laid to rest by the 1992 test ban treaty. 116.07353°W Area 2 Gun Turret Used in calibration of Whitney, Shasta, Diablo and Smoky tests. 37.13945°N Made of "old" steel from 1940s U.S. heavy cruiser (USS 116.10904°W Louisville CA 28) damaged from kamikaze on January 5, 1945. It was "aimed" at the shot cab to get radiation data. Area 3 Area 3 RWMS Low level Radioactive Waste Management Facility. Waste 37.04445°N (mostly dirt) is buried in a selection of old subsidence craters. 116.02425°W Area 4 Original Bren Original site of the Bare Reactor Experiment in Nevada (BREN), Tower a reactor on a tower which emulated bomb explosions for medical 37.09869°N studies. A Japanese village was constructed around it because it 116.09685°W focused on war bomb injuries. BREN was later moved to Area 25. Area 4 BEEF Big Explosives Experimental Facility 37.09611°N 116.09262°W Area 4 BODF Buried Objects Detection Facility -- area to test and calibrate 37.08068°N mine sweeping equipment against buried objects. 116.08697°W Area 5 Doomtown The original effects test area and close cousin to Survival City in 36.79805°N Area 1. 115.93416°W Area 5 RWMS-5 Radioactive Waste Management Facility, Area 5 36.85758°N 115.9551°W Area 5 Annie Location of “Atomic Annie” (M65 280mm nuclear field artillery) Emplacement emplacement for Upshot-Knothole Grable test. 36.70428°N 115.97387°W Area 5 Bleachers Bleacher area for viewing of Frenchman Flat events.
9 36.70843°N 115.97412°W Area 5 Hazmat Spill Used to test Hazmat strategies and tactics. Became the Facility Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex in 2005. 36.80138°N 115.95075°W Area 5 Ship of the A massive tracked structure designed to capture neutrons from Desert the Diagonal Line experiment. 36.87486°N 115.92957°W Area 5 The Forest The famous forest on the desert swept by the blasts of Encore and 36.75907°N Grable. 115.95138°W Area 6 DAF Device Assembly Facility: bombs and components are made 36.89827°N ready for testing here. 116.04814°W Area 6 Atlas Pulse The Atlas Pulse Power Facility Power 36.97946°N 116.03965°W Area 6 News Nob The location from which VIPs and news people would watch 36.945°N nuclear tests. 116.05°W Area 6 Rad/NucCTEC Radiological/Nuclear Countermeasures Test and Evaluation 36.89026°N Complex Homeland Security operational nuclear test and training 116.03093°W center Area 6 Lockheed- Aerial Operations Facility. A testing area for Unmanned Aerial Martin AOF Vehicles (UAVs). 36.92692°N 116.00755°W Area 6 Test Control NTS Test control center (CP-1). These 2 buildings controlled the Point tests performed at the NTS. 36.93453°N 116.05482°W Area 7 Operation Icecap Operation Icecap was being built up when the 1992 37.0808°N Comprehensive Test Ban was signed. The equipment was left in 116.04558°W place including the 0.5 million pounds (230,000 kg) instrumentation payload, the crane, the wiring, and many of the recording trailers. Area 11 Plutonium Area contains scattered raw plutonium from plutonium dispersal Valley safety tests. 36.97659°N 115.96228°W Area 12 'B' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'B' Entrance. 37.19345°N 116.19887°W Area 12 'C','D','F' Rainier Mesa, Tunnels 'C', 'D', and 'F' Entrances (separate, but Tunnels very close together) 37.19322°N 116.19999°W
10 Area 12 'E' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'E' Entrance. 37.18816°N 116.19477°W Area 12 'G' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'G' Entrance. 37.1694°N 116.1947°W Area 12 'I' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'I' Entrance. 37.21876°N 116.16036°W Area 12 'J' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'J' Entrance. 37.21884°N 116.16319°W Area 12 'K' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'K' Entrance. 37.21878°N 116.15891°W Area 12 'N' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'N' Entrance. 37.20169°N 116.19187°W Area 12 'P' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'P' Entrance. 37.22906°N 116.1535°W Area 12 'T' Tunnel Rainier Mesa, Tunnel 'T' Entrance. 37.21589°N 116.16711°W Area 12 Camp 12 Camp for miners and others working on the Rainier Mesa in the 37.19598°N 1970s. 116.15624°W Area 12 BACHUS Test Biotechnology Activity Characterization by Unconventional 37.19569°N Signatures (a secret biowarfare simulation facility). 116.1584°W
Area 15 EPA’s NTS A dairy and pig farm maintained from 1964 to 1984 by the EPA, Dairy mainly to provide experimental data for uptake of milk 37.20829°N contamination, following Operation Schooner. 116.04037°W Area 15 Climax Mine Location of an old silver mine. Recycled for 3 nuclear tests and 37.22352°N the Spent Fuel Test in which spent nuclear fuel was stored in a 116.05895°W mine drift to study the effects on the granite walls. Area 16 ‘A” Tunnel Shoshone Mountain, Tunnel ‘A’ Entrance. 37.01245°N 116.19565°W Area 16 Divine Strake U16b tunnel entrance complex including Divine Strake proposed 37.02245°N 700t chemical blast tunnel on the north, the latter heavily 116.18203°W protested, delayed, and eventually abandoned. Area 20 Operation The third suspended test was Operation Greenwater, the test of Greenwater the space X-Ray laser system, a part of the Star Wars concept. 37.23086°N The 45 meters (148 ft) tower remains on the site. It is supposed 116.44725°W to be in Area 19 but actually is in Area 20. Area 22 Camp Desert The Army Camp that housed the participants in Operations Rock Desert Rock I-VIII. Across the road is the Pig Hilton where test
11 36.62593°N subjects were housed in barnyard splendor. 116.01937°W Area 23 Mercury The base housing and office area for the Nevada Test Site (NTS). 36.6594°N 115.99642°W Area 25 Yucca Mountain Yucca Mountain radioactive disposal site. This is the north nuclear waste entrance; the south entrance is about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) SSW. repository 36.85282°N 116.42672°W Area 25 'X' Tunnel Two tunnel entrances used by the U.S. Army Ballistic Research 36.74542°N Laboratory for depleted uranium testing. 116.32816°W Area 25 Bren Tower The BREN (Bare Reactor Experiment, Nevada) is a 453 m (1,486 36.78062°N ft) tall tower originally in Yucca Flat used to experimentally 116.24358°W irradiate ground targets with gamma and neutrons. Moved to Jackass Flat for HENRE (High Energy Neutrons Action Experiment). Demolished 23 May 2012. Area 25 Nevada Test Test stand for the nuclear rocket NERVA Stand 36.83162°N 116.27809°W Area 25 KIWI-TNT Test of the NERVA engine to destruction to determine worst-case 36.83285°N scenario for runaway reactor. 1.6 Mci released. 116.27914°W Area 25 E-MAD Engine Maintenance and Disassembly Building used for handling Building radioactive NERVA engines; site being dismantled. 36.80646°N 116.30476°W Area 25 R-Mad Building Reactor Maintenance and Disassembly Building, maintained 36.8161°N radioactive NERVA reactors. Also used in the MX program. 116.23936°W Site being dismantled. Area 25 ETS-1 Test Engineering Test Stand 1 for testing nuclear rockets in a standard Stand upright position. 36.8321°N 116.31217°W Area 25 MX Testing MX missile test track and silo Area 36.69946°N 116.37952°W Area 25 Rock Valley The circles are the Rock Valley Study Area. Environmental Study research area for studying radiation in the desert ecosystem. 36.68406°N 116.19397°W Area 26 Project Pluto Ram-jet nuclear-powered cruise missile engine development 36.81744°N project. Site being dismantled. 116.14906°W Area 26 RBIFF Re-entry Body Impact Fuze Flights 36.81645°N 116.16486°W
12 Area 27 JASPER Houses the Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research, 36.77496°N a 2-stage light-gas gun for shock experiments. 116.11703°W Area 27 Super Kukla A naked reactor test area designed to test equipment under a 36.77907°N hostile radioactive environment, 1965–78. 116.11041°W (Area 28) Area 29 Area 30
Area 51 Groom Lake The famed Air Force base used for testing secret aircraft. 37.23986°N 115.81363°W
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