55 years ago, 6 stood under atomic bomb blast -- on purpose

[MicaelS]

From NBC News

Fifty-five years ago today, five Army officers and a photographer stood directly under a 2-kiloton atomic blast at the Nevada Test Site, about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, and survived.

The five officers, who volunteered for the duty, and the cameraman, who did not, designated the July 19, 1957, test site with a hand-lettered sign as “Ground Zero, Population 5,” KPLU, a Seattle/Tacoma-based NPR station, said in a story marking the 55th anniversary of the blast.

The intent of the Cold War test was to film the officers surviving the blast and convince U.S. military leaders of the time that using low-grade nuclear missiles in the air would be relatively safe for people on the ground, KPLU reported.

KPLU said it looked for death records on the five officers and said that as far as it could determine, at least two of them lived relatively long lives.

Holy shit!

No way I would want to be anywhere close when someone was busting a nuke.

[Brickbat]

1. Here's the video. Fascinating.

ETA: The detonation was almost two miles in the air above them, and it was a small device.

[shraby]

3. Why wasn't there a long shot so we could see both the men and the detonation at the same time?

For all we could tell, the two events could have been miles apart, or even days apart. The object of the video was to show how safe the bomb was..but we know better now don't we??

[Voice for Peace]

2. and all the mist floated away on the wind

I'm sure it was exciting for them, and the video is amazing but I have to agree with you

and I mourn for the many who've gotten ill and died on account of all those fun tests.

[magical thyme]

4. the cameraman did NOT volunteer?

did they effing force him to stand under the bomb? Seriously?!?!