mo
PLOWSHARE PROGRAM
Plowshare is the name given to the Commission’s program for developing industrial andscientific uses for nuclear explosives. It is
Post-Shot Erploration.
Work on the 1,280-foot wide, 320-foot deep Project
t
i
1
oO
“I
Sedan crater during 1963 conclusively proved that thermonuclear explosives
can be used safely for large-scale earth moving projects as has been envisioned
under the AEC’s Plowshare program. Created on July 6, 1962, the Sedan
crater was first entered during February 1963 and radioactivity was found
to be so low that personnel could work on the crater floor with safety.
Subsequently, machinery was lowered down the steep bank for exploration of
the characteristics of the bottom rubble. The 100-kt nuclear explosive had been
buried 635 feet below the Nevada Test Site desert.