On October 30, 1961, a 57 megaton atomic bomb exploded over the site of Novaya Zemlya, Russia. Called Tsar Bomba, it is the most powerful bomb in history.
It is the morning of October 30, 1961, and a plane is about to leave the Olenya air base, in the peninsula of Kola. On board, a monster sleeps, ready to wake up as soon as it is given the signal. Measuring 8 meters by 2.1 for a total weight of 27 tons, the Tsar Bomba, a hydrogen bomb with a power of 57 megatons, is about to break a historic record: that of the most powerful nuclear explosion ever recorded. A documentary recently declassified by the Russian Federal Nuclear Energy Agency (Rosatom) unveils unpublished images of the teams on site, its preparation and its detonation.
Birth of a monster
Following the Tu-95V carrying the bomb, a Tu-16 is responsible for carrying out the observations and collecting samples. On the ground and on the water, scientists and soldiers supervise, film and measure the event. The bomb is released, just slowed down by a parachute which will give pilots time to get away enough to have a 50% chance of surviving. The explosion occurred 4 kilometers above the site, accompanied by intense light visible over a radius of nearly 100 kilometers. A column of dust rises while at 60 kilometers above sea level, a dome of fire several tens of kilometers in diameter takes shape. the mushroom nuclear was born.
A “clean” nuclear bomb
While the fission generates significant radioactive fallout and a considerable amount of Radioactive waste dangerous for a long time duration, fusion, she, is considered cleaner. The Soviets therefore speak of a “clean” H-bomb in the case of the Tsar Bomba, of which only one-thirtieth of the energy comes from fission. The video shows the pilots present during the test landing on the site, a few hours after the impact. ” Even at the center of the site, [la radioactivité] is negligible », The commentator tells us.
Unprecedented power of destruction
” The role of the test is not to study the destructive effect of the shock wave: therefore, no structures were erected and no military equipment was installed at the site. He adds. Nevertheless, a simple visit from Novaya Zemlya will suffice to estimate the damage “ His appearance has now changed a lot. The earth is scorched by the explosion for tens of kilometers around. The entrances to the underground structures containing the instruments are smashed. Even on the database the most preliminary, it is obvious that the explosion produced holds a power record. A record which we hope will never need to be broken again.
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