Pluto
The
Program
Pluto
tests
facilities
included three areas:
Hot Box,
at
Site
401,
Blow Pipe,
at Mercury,
and Tory II A.
Nevada,
,
The facilities group included operations for control and maintenance of the reactor, the test bunker where the test was per-
formed two miles from the control point,
the disassembly building
where the reactor was dismantled after a run and environmental
effects were observed.
The Facilities group maintained all power
systems.
The Controls Group designed electronic controls, per-
formed environmental tests on equipment.
specified
equipment.
instruments
to be used,
The Instrument Group
and evaluated and selected
Whitney Project
The Whitney program ws concerned with the design of nuclear
explosives for national defense.
the investigation of basic
their effects.
Weapons design research included
processes
of nuclear explosions and
LRL-Nevada
The Nevada Test organization of Lawrence Radiation Laboratory
grew from 18 to 43 (in 1959) to 161 (1961) and, in 1962, 233 per-
mament employees.
The Nevada group was largely directed to the
Pluto projects.
These included the facilities and testing of the
Tory IIA-1 reactor,
devising a perimeter radiation monitoring
system, and remote handling equipment.
Personnel expansion in
1959 was in support of Hardtack II and the development of diagnostic equipment for underground tests after the moratorium.
The
Nevada organization provided support for projects carried on at
NTS such as Hobo,
Buckboard,
and
In 1962,
Lollipop,
Stagecoach.
Stardust,
Tattoo,
Rowboat,
Scooter,
the Nevada operations group supported the Labora-
tory’s portion of the Nougat Operation.
The
Earth Science Group
made measurements of underground shot phenomena as temperature,
radiation, geological and physical properties. The TV camera sys-
tem was modified to take pictures of the Gnome activity.
Nevada
Operations sampled and conducted measurements, mapped, and inter-~preted core samples of the Hardtack Neptune event, and developed
a complete time and remote-area radiation detection, monitor display and recording system.
The suspension in October 1958 of all further nuclear testing
for an indefinite time altered the immediate outcome of the
experimental work of
time,
the Nevada Physics division.
At the
same
the development of nuclear weapon designs during the mora-
torium continued.
At the NTS, the Physics Group made diagnostic
assessments of underground shots, including seismic effects, tem-
perature, radiation measurements, and geological and physical
effects of nuclear blasts.
The Physics Group also calibrated and
operated
the
Slifer System
(Shortened Line
Indicated Frequency