Pavel Konečný – Soil, Sea and Space: Where nuclear explosions where tested and why?

Pavel Konečný – Soil, Sea and Space: Where nuclear explosions where tested and why?

Why were atomic explosions tested for decades wherever it was technically possible – underground, in the oceans, in the stratosphere, and even in the outer space? What questions were these tests meant to answer? For example, in relation to the technology and physics of thermonuclear explosions, the verification of theoretical models, but also the effects of the explosion on the surrounding environment – not only from a military perspective, but also in the context of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, such as for large-scale earthworks or as propulsion for interplanetary travel (Project Orion). The lecture will present examples of some interesting tests. What could be measured in the microseconds before the measuring equipment was destroyed in the fireball? It often turned out that nothing was as simple as it seemed – whether it was the course of the explosion itself or the many ways things could go differently than expected. The conclusion will briefly outline the development of international agreements that gradually restricted nuclear tests on land, underground, in the air, and in space – why this happened and why nuclear powers today (probably) no longer conduct new explosions.