APPENDIX"A"
PROGRAM 1.0 — LOS ALAMOS EXPERIMENTS
1. GENERAL REMARKS

Program 1.0 was divided into three main parts:
a,

Diagnostic measurements designed to measure detailed weapon performance

during the process of cnergy gencration,
b.

Phenomenology measurements

designed to measure and cvaluate blast,

thermal and visible radiation, and nuclear radiations, i.e., gamma rays and nowtrons,
Ce

Remote weapon performance measurements designed to measure transit time

and yield under combat conditions by means of airborne instruments.
In addition, this program included projects concerned with cryogenic, and

timing and firing techniques.
an

DIAGNOSTIC MEASUREMENTS
The diagnostic measurcments, especially those concerned with the under-

standing of the thermonuclear reactions were extremely conplex but excelient results
were obtaincd.

Among the principal diagnostic moasurements for the fission reaction

were the following:
a.

Measurements of "alpha" or the /rate of rise of the nuclear reaction, .

b.

The quantitative chemical. anilysis of radioactive isotopes produccd in

the nuclear reactions with a view to determining energy releases,

Samples for those

measurements were collected successfully by drone end mannod aircraft and attempted
unsuccessfully by rockcts and specially designed ground sampling devices. The use
of manned sampling aircraft, first attempted on Operation RANGER, was successful and
crews did not receive cxeussive total radiation dosayes,
c.

The "transit time” or time required for the device to becone assembled

und the reaction to occur after the firing signal reached the detonators,
d. . Visable radiation measurements which included ball of fire observations
and growth and rise of the atomic cloud.
The thermonuclear experiments required much more elaborate instrumentation

esigned to measure the detailed progress of the thermonuclear reactions, |

‘Less elaborate but equally
omy ie A

.

Select target paragraph3