50th Anniversary of the Starfish Prime Nuclear Weapon Test Today 190
The Bad Astronomer writes "50 years ago today, the U.S. detonated a nuclear weapon 240 miles above the Pacific Ocean. Called Starfish Prime, it was supposed to help U.S. scientists and the military understand how the Soviets might try to stop incoming nuclear missiles. What it actually did was blow out hundreds of streetlights in Hawaii 900 miles away, damage a half dozen satellites, and create artificial aurorae and intense radiation zones above the Earth. It taught the world what an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) was, and what the effects might be from a powerful solar flare, a nearby supernova, or a gamma-ray burst."
Sounds like fun! (Score:1, Funny)
Let's do it again!
Re:Sounds like fun! (Score:5, Funny)
I know!
What it actually did was blow out hundreds of streetlights in Hawaii 900 miles away, damage a half dozen satellites, and create artificial aurorae and intense radiation zones above the Earth.
Sounds like a successful test to me. :-) Assuming they were testing for AWESOMENESS!
"Are you sure this is safe?" (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sounds like fun! (Score:5, Funny)
I shudder to think of how much atmosphere, ozone, and other vital systems in our atmosphere might have been burned up by these tests.
After all, Nuclear testing is what killed off the Martians,and made mars such an inhospitable wasteland...
There was only ONE! (Score:5, Funny)
blow out hundreds of streetlights
Sounds like an immortal got his head chopped off that day.
Re:Sounds like fun! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Actually? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Sounds like fun! (Score:4, Funny)
Dinosaurs aren't real, they were just made up to discourage time travelers.
You ever heard of the redneck Olympics?
Not everyone gets discouraged so easily....
Re:and gave birth to... (Score:4, Funny)
Hence, it's frigid instead of burning-hot like Venus.
-- Sir Elton John, probably not FRS