IV

By 18 April 1993, sixth shot, BADGER, the first group reached their
radiation limits and passed sampling missions to a new group of pilots, 2°
On two occasions during Operation UPSHOT/KNOTHOLE, the samplers
nearly failed to return with cloud samples.
19 May 1953, during HARRY.

The first time occurred on

The test director delayed the shot several

times because of unfavorable weather,

Samples from the shot were very

important because af the new device being tested,

Ten F-8,G samplers

and the AFOAT-1 two B-29 samplers flew the mission, Two "snooper" F-8l
aircraft reported thatthe cloud topped 4,200 feet altitude and the base

of the mushroom was at 29,000 feet altitude, The first jet sampler took
off from Indian Springs Air-Force Base and climbed south of the cloud
area,

By this time cirrus clouds had begun to form around the nuclear

cloud.

The sampler pilot came out of the cirrus at 1);,000 feet altitude

and could see only a dark smdge on top of the overcast.

The F-8 pilot

made passes into this dark smdge, obtaining the only samples from the

main part of the HARRY cloud.

Five other F-8) aircraft took samples from

a thin part of the cloud below the overcast, but these samples were of low
quality,

Two other F-8), aircraft made no contact with the atomic cloud

at all and the final two jets did not take off.

The cirrus cloud formation

' extended from 50 to 75 miles and appeared solid from 28,000 feet to 43,000
feet altitude.

Unfortunately, the samples obtained from the cloud were

sufficient to do only the primary experiments scheduled.t”

The GRABLE Shot was an atomic shell fired from an Army260-millimeter
artillery piece and as for the previous shot Colonel Fackler told the

89

AFWLHO

SWEH-2~003

10%

Select target paragraph3