IV

Because the radiation exposures assumed this importance, each
aircraft carried an instrument to tell the pilots instantly how much
radiation they absorbed.

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory designed

an integron which performed this requirement,

On the basis of indications

registered on the device, the sampler pilot knew when to break away during
a sampling run, -The monitor was carefully calibrated before each sampling
mission and served.as the primary instrument for sampler pilot use,

For

a further check on readings, film badges were placed about the cockpit
and on the pilot.

F-8samplers also carried rate meters which indicated

peak intensity of radiation fields at any one time, and an ion chamber
which measured the radiationapproximately one foot from the filter papers.
in the wing tips of the aircraft and relayed the information to an indicator
in the cockpit.

Through this instrument the pilot evaluated the samples

collected during his mission.-°

In late February 1953, test personnel with their equipment moved
from Kirtland to Indian Springs.

On 3 March 1953, the F-8L0 sampling

aircraft pilots, and crews arrived at Indian Springs and preparations

began.~
The Special Weapons Center controlled all aircraft around the test
site.

*

12

:

All air operations during the test were directed from the Atomic

Energy Commission's control point on the Nevada Proving Grounds, and
“In February 1953, the Air Research and Development Command directed

that the Center should take control of all air operations connected

with the testing of nuclear weapons in Nevada,

83

AFWL/HO

SWEH-2-003),

\or

Select target paragraph3