Tsar Bomba, or the King of Bombs.
The biggest nuclear test the US ever did was 15MT and that was an accident because it was supposed to be 5MT.
The USSR, they went big, and I mean REAL BIG. 50+ MT.
It broke windows over 500 miles away and would cause 3rd degree burns at 100 miles. 
It's equivalent to a cube of TNT over 1000' on a side.
Un-freaking-believable!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba
And there are an estimated 23,375 nukes in the world....
The kid who used to draw circles on maps in high school led me to believe that worse things happened to you at 100 miles than 3'rd degree burns even with normal sized nukes.
I always thought Starfish Prime was an interesting example of weird during the 60's. Knocking out satellites and creating man made radiation belts.
Toured Pima Air Museum this weekend (impressive and well worth it if anyone is ever nearby.) The B-36 that's fully restored was cool and another perfect example of how strange that era had to be to live through.
MrJoshua wrote: The kid who used to draw circles on maps in high school led me to believe that worse things happened to you at 100 miles than 3'rd degree burns even with normal sized nukes.
Of course that would also be a trig equation involving the height in which the bomb was detonated, wind speed, atmospheric pressure... Don't get me started on EMPs. Time to go get started on that Faraday Box....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY
the desert southwest, Russia, and the south pacific should be utterly uninhabitable going by this..
In reply to novaderrik:
That was interesting. I didn't know there were that many tests.
Toyman01 wrote: ...The USSR, they went big, and I mean REAL BIG. 50+ MT...
I believe they originally designed it as 100 MT. They decided to make it a bit smaller because they became worried about planet wide effects.
It seems like a large percentage of the testing was really just a schlong measuring competition between the US and the USSR.
Most of the ones in the Southwest were underground after a certain point. It didn't happen in time to help John Wayne, among others.
DoctorBlade wrote: Most of the ones in the Southwest were underground after a certain point. It didn't happen in time to help John Wayne, among others.
John Wayne's problem was cigarettes plain & simple. They kill ya. (and the people around you.)
With thermo-nuclear, you can stack stages to get what yield you want.
This is what's left of the island after the Castle Bravo shot above. Gone. Vaporized.
aircooled wrote: It seems like a large percentage of the testing was really just a schlong measuring competition between the US and the USSR.
that was pretty much what the whole cold war was all about.
The Cold War and nuclear technology in general has always fascinated me. That's probably why the Fallout series of video games is one of my favorite.
"The Tsar Bomba's fireball, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) in diameter, was prevented from touching the ground by the shock wave, but nearly reached the 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) altitude of the deploying Tu-95 bomber."
Also, it was third-degree burns at 100 km, which is about 60 miles.
Atomic Weapons are not supposed to hit the ground. They didn't in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The point is to have the blast going downwards and outwards to level more stuff. (Hitting the ground would send the most powerful blast upwards, which has no effect on the people you are trying to eliminate.) You learn this stuff in Nuclear Engineering believe it or not.
pinchvalve wrote: Atomic Weapons are not supposed to hit the ground. They didn't in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The point is to have the blast going downwards and outwards to level more stuff. (Hitting the ground would send the most powerful blast upwards, which has no effect on the people you are trying to eliminate.) You learn this stuff in Nuclear Engineering believe it or not.
Correct, but the fireball usually does hit the ground. The designers of Tsar Bomba expected it to, but the shockwave actually held the fireball in the air.
In reply to pinchvalve:
Correct and incorrect. They are detonated above the ground to maximize the impact on ground, although I'm sure thats what you meant. Sky is also correct, but that shock wave would do hella damage, so it doesn't really matter that the fireball didn't hit the ground.
I was most interested in the tests done in Africa and Australia. Had no idea there were any done there. Thanks for posting that.
N Sperlo wrote: In reply to pinchvalve: Correct and incorrect. They are detonated above the ground to maximize the impact on ground, although I'm sure thats what you meant. Sky is also correct, but that shock wave would do hella damage, so it doesn't really matter that the fireball didn't hit the ground.
Also, as noted, a large nuke is great for causing the equivalent of an earthquake.
Launch one of dem der' bad boys into a body of water. Insta-tsunami!
BoostedBrian wrote: I was most interested in the tests done in Africa and Australia. Had no idea there were any done there. Thanks for posting that.
I had no idea there were some tests near the Mississippi river area. I thought it was all southwest.
carguy123 wrote:DoctorBlade wrote: Most of the ones in the Southwest were underground after a certain point. It didn't happen in time to help John Wayne, among others.John Wayne's problem was cigarettes plain & simple. They kill ya. (and the people around you.)
Well no kidding, but it wasn't helped that he filmed a B grade movie downwind from an Atomic test site. The Straight Dope, as it were.
Some Pictures and some notes about the only Nuclear test site east of the Mississippi.
On one hand it is saddening to know that we did such experiments on mother earth...but it also amazing that we live on such a large rock that we can do that so many times and she'll still recover.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_mid-air_collision
Speaking of worrying things with nukes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuauKKjPZI
Major Kong's final ride.
93EXCivic wrote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_mid-air_collision Speaking of worrying things with nukes.
Reminds me of a friend of mine. Navy explosive recovery.
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