In article ,
Parallax wrote:
I recently read somewhere a story about one of the first underground
nuclear tests called Bernallilo in which the vertical shaft was capped
with a massive steel plug. After the shot which was intentionally
vented to the atmosphere, that the steel cap wasn't found.
Calculations indicated that its velocity far exceeded earth escape.
Apocryphal or plausible? A search on underground nuclear testing
reveals nothing?

Half-apocryphal. According to people who were there, the shaft (a steel
tube) was capped with a welded-on steel plate -- not terribly massive --
as an "oh, what the hell" afterthought. A quick back-of-the-envelope
calculation suggested that its *initial* velocity might exceed escape
velocity. This was not verified in detail, nor was any attempt made to
determine whether the plate would survive passage through the atmosphere.
The plate was gone after the test, but its exact fate was not determined.
(One film frame showed a blur that might have been the plate being blown
off -- not really enough data to deduce anything from.)
--
MOST launched 30 June; first light, 29 July; 5arcsec | Henry Spencer
pointing, 10 Sept; first science, early Oct; all well. |