However, most parties felt this risk was worth taking in order to in-

sure against mission and ground aborts.
No formal meeting was held for the positioning of effects aircraft
for ROMEO.

Seen.

ly

Aircraft were positioned on a

.

=

ewe”

This wide spread of probability was an

outgrowth of BRAVO results, which indicated that thermonuclear fuel
reactions concerning device components were too uncertain at that time
for attempting a high probability yield prediction.

Therefore, it was

informally decided to position the B-36D at 37,000 feet altitude and
at 50,000 feet horizontal range, and the B-47 at 35,000 feet altitude
and a horizontal range of 50,000 feet.

Since the shape of BRAVO's ra-

;

dioactive cloud had persisted for some time, sampling for ROMEO was
extended for a longer period.
Radar scope jamming prevented accurate positioning of the B-47

effects aircraft on ROMEO.

This Jamming was caused by two or more

aircraft operating on the same radar frequency in a smal] area around

Ground Zero. The actual position at Time Zero, as determined by the
Raydist tracking system, was 28,500 feet beyond the assigned horizontal range of 50,000 feet from Ground Zero.

The radar-data-repeater

indicator induced an error in headings and as a result the burst was
ten degrees to the right of a tail-on aspect to the aircraft.

There-

fore, the aircrew felt heat in the cockpit, although they had felt no
heat during BRAVO.
Five of the six GSAP cameras failed because heater thermostats

broke and the brittle film jammed in the magazine.

About ninety per-

cent of the seventy-six recording functions performed their missions.

AFWUHC

a:

a
Go

Select target paragraph3