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Suitable samplers still remained a problem.
In August 195), Colonel
G. W. Miller, Deputy Commander for Technical Operations at Baltimore,
informed the Center that Air Force headquarters disapproved its request
for B-57B sampler aircraft,
Therefore, he directed, the B-57A should be
thoroughly evaluated for that purpose.
Two B-57A aircraft arrived at
Kirtland Air Force Base in December, after having spent the sams month in
Baltimore for modifications, But, the 926th did not have the two aircraft
early enough to complete necessary modifications and maintenance,
Partially
for that reason, they sampled only four meclear events during the operation.
Also, the original plan called for the B-57 aircraft to collect cloud
samples from all TEAPOT detonations, however, a temporary grounding order
prevented the aircraft from being used. part of the time,>
Sampling Highlights
About five weeks into Operation TEAPOT, the first B-57A sampler
flight followed detonation of the APPLE Shot on 29 March,
acting as sampler observer,
piloted a B~57A into the cloud four hours after detonation and made a
second pass seven mimtes later,
Although the airplane was not completely
instrumented for sampling, mission results were adequate,
The two officers
first entered-the cloud at 27,500 feet altitude, and during the two passes
were inside the cloud 18 seconds.
Bight days later, on 6 April 1955, a high altitude nuclear device
was dropped from a Kirtland B-36 bomber,
Four F-8),G samplers and both
of the B-57A airplanes were scheduled to collect samples, along with two
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