The Control Point
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The Control Point in Yucca Pass is the brain -- the nerve
center -- of every test operation at NTS.
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From it radiate the myriad communication lines and channels
required for receiving information and transmitting orders to control a complex operation, There are long distance telephone lines
and teletype circuits to receive information from and provide information to Washington, Los Alamos, Albuquerque, Berkeley and
elsewhere. Into it feeds weather information from a Class A
Weather Center in Mercury which receives information from all over
the world through Air Weather Service networks, as well as up-tothe-minute information on local conditions through stations manned
specifically for these operations,
Beyond this control of the operation there is also the control
of the many experiments themselves, There are filaments to be
turned on, power must be applied to many circuits, camera shutters
must be opened and closed at exact mdments, ultra fast as well as
normal movie cameras must be started, blast proof doors must be
secured, some signal lights must be turned on and others turned
off. In static tests the nuclear device itself must be armed and
fired. These and hundreds of similar details must be taken care
of without fail in proper order and at pre-determined times so
that the desired information can be obtained.
This control of experiments is provided by a device known as
a "sequence timer" located in the control room, The device sends
out electric signals which activate relays to perform the above
tasks; it starts clocks to measure the times at which these signals are transmitted; it measures the time of the detonation; and
it even starts itself -- in case of an air drop -- when the bomb
leaves the dropping aircraft.
All instruments closer than seven miles tc a shot are remotely
operated. A few instruments are completely self-contained and are
activated by light or other characteristics from the nuclear explosion, but most are put into operation by time signals from the Control Room. The early time signals -- from minus an hour to five
minutes -- are used primarily for such things as turning on power
for electrical and other recording equipment, opening protective
blinds, and closing air-conditioning vents. Later signals, coming
within a few seconds of zero time, are used to start high speed
recording equipment and other test instruments which are carefully
programmed and require very accurate timing relative to detonation
time. For instance, at minus five seconds a series of rockets may
be fired to set up rocket trails for observation by high speed
cameras,
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