66
A 25 February message from Teller answered the query from Starbird on tne
eer
as well lasas five
developed
C
i
a: with a list of six devices now being
Livermore devices
;
i
bing.
devices just about ready for entry into the stockpil2
without
testing.
eleven devices,
the
&
po-aheead was
°
fo
for tes tiLng
ten of them could be available
given
gi
for develo ment and
ip
-
be ready by the following April of 61.
Pp
1
NP 2
Off these
byry the next Sevtember
if
=
preparation of 2 tunnel
Dp
whereas one could
¥
.
in the
About half of these are the same as in th
list from Starbird.
A 25 February letter from Hertford to Bradbury notes the request trat ALOO is
me
NE
going to make to DMA for construction at the NTS in the remainder of the fiscal year
for LASL purposes as follows: "deepening one of the exsisting 500 foot noles in Yucca
Flat to 800 feet; start drilling of two holes to a depth of 1200 fect or less (“or less"
depending upon the amount of drilling which can be accomplished within the funds of this
fiscal ycar);> or der two hoists suitable for 1800-foot depth;
5 and3 order
ier long lead lead time
tim
i
,
items for the surface facilities."
's specific
specifi criteri
iteria on these items so
He asks LASL's
that they may pursue them as soon as possible given authorization.
D1S
Another moratorium project by
LRL was the Stardust program whi
ch is documented
in a letter to Starbird from
Gerald Johnson, Associate Dir
ect
or
of Livermore,
dated 25 February1960,and number
AS
ed COPAA-60-6. Several quotes from
Will describe the program. "
the lette
i,
.
It has been postulated that the
become filled with sea water unde
void could
r a certain class of accidents.
Chemical
experiments have shown that Plut
onium reacts with water to form
a precipitate
and that the reaction continues
until either the metal or the
water is depleted.
Hence it is important to esta
blish whether or not an acci
dentally flooded pit
Might go critical.
-+-wWe now propose to flood a slig
htly medified
with sea water and to monitor its
__.
subsequent behavior. We are call
ing this
proposed experiment Project Star
dust.
-*-We plan to carry out the Star
experiment in the Ranger (ZKAY) bunk
dust
er at the Nevada Test Site on appr
oxim
1 May 1960.
ately
-+-K bunker was chosen for this
experiment because it was the
Most adequate expendable structur
e in existence at NTS. The maximum
expected
yield, as stated in Foster's mess
age to vou (CA-66-59, 5 October
1959
),
is
i.
fissions.
+--Ficld construction for this prog
ran: must; Commenced
two months prior to the ready
date.
We, thus, request the authorit
y to carry
ont this program be granted prior
to March 10, 1960."
‘