The goal of the isotope production program was to design a
nuclear explosion that would produce an intensive neutron flux in
the heavy-element target, yet have a yield low enough to be fired
successfully underground.
In November, 1962, a thermonuclear
~
device was fired underground at NTS as the Anacosta Event.
Debris from such events was obtained by drilling into the shot
region, and samples were sent to Argonne and LRL Berkeley for
plutonium mass-~spectrometry.
Experimenters also studied strong
shock waves from the underground explosions waves.
Developing
means for predicting shock was an important part of the Plowshare
program at LRL.
The first nuclear excavation experiment in the Plowshare program was Project Sedan, conducted in July 1962 at NTS, using 100
kt thermonuclear explosive device at 635 feet in desert alluvium.
Sedan was designed to provide data on cratering effects and on
safety problems related to radioactivity, seismic effects, and
air blasts.
The objective of the LRL Plowshare aspect of the tests at NTS
was to determine the cratering characteristics of nuclear explosions in hard, dry, inert rock (such as basalt}; to determine the
amount, distribution, and decay of radioactivity released by
nuclear cratering; to obtain data on shock pressure, seismic
shock at various regions,
share ended after several
and air blasts.
In 1972 Project Plow-
large-scale underground nuclear explo-
sions resulted in public and political opposition.
Sherwood Program
The Radiation Laboratory at both Berkeley and Livermore conducted extensive research in controlled thermonuclear (fusion)
power.
The Sherwood Program involved extensive communication
among the principal laboratories at Los Alamos, Princeton, and
Oak Ridge, and the two UCRL sites.
The objectives of the program
were to provide (1) a magnetic field configuration capable of
containing plasma of ionized gas, either deuterium or deuteriumtritium mixture, and (2) a means to produce ionized plasma and
heat it to very high temperatures.
The program included the
examination of the basic properties of high-temperature plasma,
probing by electron and neutral atom beams, and measurement of
x-rays and particles emitted from the plasma.
To combat the
serious effects of high-atomic number contaminants.
By 1963,
the Berkeley Sherwood Program had begun to decline
At Livermore, efforts continued with investigation of aspects of
plasma confinement for controlled thermonuclear reactions. Several devices were designed and operated at Livermore for these
tests-- Table Top,
Astron.
2X,
magnetic
mirror machines,
Alice,
and
.