Caption: “Top Secret. Test of a clean hydrogen bomb with a yield of 50 megatons.” In accordance with the test program for new samples of hydrogen charges, on October 30, 1961, a clean hydrogen bomb with a yield of 50 megatons was detonated. The new hydrogen charge was developed by a large team of scientists, designers, and manufactured at the enterprises of the Ministry. For testing, the charge was placed in an aircraft bomb case, capable of holding charges with a yield of 100 megatons or more. The explosion was planned to be carried out at a high altitude above the ground, using a launch aircraft. In the tail of the bomb, there is a place for installing a parachute device. For transportation in the assembled condition, the bomb was placed in a special railway carriage. The walls and roof of the carriage are dismountable. The product was sent to its destination on a special train. When travelling, all necessary safety measures were taken. In order to prepare the bomb for testing and to suspend it from the plane, one of the airfields of the long-range air force located on the Kola Peninsula was chosen. The train with the product arrived here. At the railway station of the airfield, there is a well-equipped loading and unloading platform. All unloading operations were carried out according to the pre-planned schedule. After the dismantling of the carriage, a truck and trailer was sent to the train, and the product was loaded onto the trailer for further transportation. Checking and preparing the product for testing was carried out in a special building. Here, every component of the product, every element of its automatic equipment was subjected to detailed and strict technical control. At the moment when the charge is triggered, even millionths of a second matter, therefore, the elements of automatic systems, thermometric sensors and transmitters must be set to a given program with absolute accuracy. Checking the components of the product comes to an end. Removable parts of the bomb are installed in their positions, hatches are closed. The last general inspection. Loading onto the trailer again. The bomb is ready for the transfer to the suspension carriage. Simultaneously with the preparation of the product, there was the preparation of the TU-95 long-range heavy bomber, capable of carrying a bomb weighing 26 tons. The entire aircraft body and even the blades of its propellers were painted with a special protective paint, which protects from the light radiation. To determine the heat and shock pulse, measuring instruments are installed on the aircraft. A specially equipped flying laboratory must accompany the launch aircraft. On board this aircraft there were: receiving radio telemetering equipment, shock wave pressure recorders, oscilloscopes for recording the power of the explosion at the minimum luminescence, equipment for recording of readings on magnetic tape. Outside, movie cameras were attached for shooting the fact of an explosion from the air, calorimeters were installed to measure heat fluxes. The communication centre of the airfield. In its facilities, there is a radiotelegraph communication centre, equipment for radiotelephone conversations, automatic radio station, which is one of the most powerful in the north of our country. All this made it possible to organize a system of reliable duplicated communication between the points, providing testing and located at a considerable distance from each other. The state testing site No. 6 of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR, on which the bomb was supposed to be detonated, is located on Novaya Zemlya. The Belushya Bay area is the main base of the testing site. Here is the headquarters, scientific departments, laboratories and support services. For the period of testing in Belushya Bay, a group of marine logistics vessels was concentrated. The joint test management command post was located in an underground facility. There was a large radiotelegraph and radiotelephone signal centre. Its task was to maintain two-way communication with points located on the territory of the testing site, with the airfield on the Kola Peninsula, with the launch aircraft during its flight. The distance from the command post in Belushya Bay to the testing site is 260 km. The D-8 site was significantly closer. It was in 90 km from the testing site. This site was used to prepare and manage automatic measuring and recording equipment, located in the area of the explosion. The means of communication between the D-8 site and the testing site were warships. Operational deployments were carried out by helicopters. The bomb drop site was chosen in the part of Novaya Zemlya, where the nature of the area created the best conditions for explosion safety. The task of the test was not to study the destructive effect of the shock wave, therefore there are no specially erected structures, and no military equipment in the testing site. At the same time, a large number of the most diverse equipment for recording and measuring explosion parameters was placed here. 17-20 km from the centre of the site, cameras, filming and recording equipment were installed in surface metal structures. At a distance of 2 km, in underground structures, equipment was installed that recorded the development of the nuclear explosion: Oscilloscopes for recording the neutron multiplication factor, time interval meters for the operation of automatic charge devices. The equipment installed in the testing site facilities was controlled automatically by radio. Radio signals came from the D-8 site, where in the underground structure the command post of the site automation service was located. A program-controlled machine was installed here, issuing commands to the site in the desired sequence. How did the main stage of the testing go? A few hours are left before the explosion. In Belushya, the chief of staff of the testing site gets a report on the measures taken to implement the operational plan for marine support. This plan defines exactly where the ships and the personnel of the testing site will be at the time of the explosion. The preparation of the testing site is completed. Complete evacuation of personnel and ships to the safe zone is being carried out. The meteorological service is working strenuously. A weather forecast map is being compiled. The direction of the winds are studied in particular detail. The air defence service is ready for action. The last ships leave the dangerous area. The decision is made: to suspend the product from the carrier aircraft. Suspension of a bomb of this size and weight is not a common thing. But at the airfield, they are well prepared for this. Inspection of the product is conducted. The packing of the parachute system is checked particularly carefully. The crew safety of the carrier aircraft depends on the reliability of its operation. For the suspension of the bomb, special lifting devices were created. The product lifting to the aircraft is smooth and even. The size of the bomb does not allow it to be placed in the bomb door of the aircraft, so it is fixed outside, under the fuselage. The meeting of the state commission for the test. The general situation assessment in the test area is made for the scheduled time of the explosion. The lane and flight conditions of the carrier aircraft are finalized. On Novaya Zemlya, safety conditions against the effects of the explosion
are verified once again for the areas located outside the testing site. The data analysis that make up the general situation at the time of the explosion, gives confidence that the shock wave propagation will be limited, and the zone of possible destruction in the earth's surface will be minimal. October 30, morning. The carrier is ready to start. Final crew briefing. The command post of the airfield. Start time is approaching. The motor is cleared to start up. The turboprop engines started operating. Cleared for take-off. Following the carrier, the flying laboratory rises into the air. The carrier aircraft with the particularly powerful hydrogen bomb suspended from it is gaining altitude. It is being outlooked from various points on the earth. There is continuous two-way communication with the crew. Dozens of air defence location stations monitor the general air situation. Height is 10,500 m. The crew of the carrier aircraft is well prepared for the performance of the responsible combat mission. The flying laboratory is on the parallel course. Carefully following the planned courses, the planes are approaching Novaya Zemlya. Now the flight control and communication with the aircraft is transferred to the command post of the testing site. The flight progress reports of the crew are coming in here. From here, commands are transmitted to the carrier aircraft using conditional tables. The carrier got on the combat course. The target is visible. The bomb-release control is switched to automatic mode. The "release" signal. At D-8, the program-controlled machine of the testing site equipment is turned on. Release! The crew puts on their safety glasses. The program-controlled machine received a “Release” signal and issues commands to launch the equipment of the testing site. The parachute system worked exactly as planned. The bomb is approaching the detonation point. Altitude 4000 m. Three seconds remaining ... 2 ... 1 ... 0. The explosion was accompanied by a bright flash of unusual strength. At that time, the carrier aircraft was 45 km from the release point. A flash followed by glow, despite the continuous cloudiness, were visible in a radius of up to 1000 km. A dust and dirt column rising from the ground quickly increased in volume. A few seconds after the explosion, the diameter of the dust column was about 10 km. At the same time, the fire dome from the hot explosion products was visible from the plane located 250 km from the detonation point. It was rising slowly, increasing in volume. The maximum diameter of the dome reached 20 km. Penetrating several layers of continuous cloudiness, 40 seconds after the explosion, the dome of fire reached an altitude of 30 km. From this moment, gradual transformation of the dome into a mushroom-shaped cloud began. Growing in size, the cloud slowly rose up. In its final development, it reached an altitude of 60-65 km. Its diameter was 90 km. Later, the cloud began to lose its mushroom shape. During this period, the diameter of its base was 70 km, and the diameter of the leg was 26-28 km. When returning to the airfield, the crew of the carrier aircraft observed an explosion cloud from a distance of 800 kilometres. A few hours after the explosion, a radiation reconnaissance helicopter flew into the testing site. Ships with test teams entered the testing site area. And here is the testing site. Before landing the helicopter – a check for radioactivity. Even in the very centre of the site, it was insignificant. Testing groups are allowed to enter the site. Let’s recall what the testing site looked like before the explosion. Now its appearance has changed a lot. For dozens of kilometres around – the earth scorched by the explosion. The entrances to underground instrumentation structures are broken. Even based on the most preliminary data, it became apparent that the explosion produced is a record in its strength. However, the selected altitude and meteorological conditions at the time of the explosion reduced the estimated impact zone of the shock wave by several times. This zone included a number of settlements. None of them recorded any significant explosion consequences. At the same time, even in the most remote points from the testing site, an explosion flash, long-lasting glow were clearly visible, and the sound of an incoming shock wave was heard. All recording measuring equipment in the testing field worked fine. The data obtained made it possible to determine the actual power of the explosion, the nature of the nuclear reaction, accuracy of the product’s automatic systems and a number of other factors. Testing of a particularly powerful hydrogen charge, which has a number of new design features, has confirmed that the Soviet Union has at its disposal thermonuclear weapons with a capacity of of 50, 100 or more megatons. Caption: "Moscow Order of the Red Star Film Studio of Popular Science Films." Caption: "The end."
Looks cute, until they say that the camera is 500km away