Title:
OPERATION TEAPOT, NEVADA TEST SITE, FEBRUARY - MAY 1955, PROJECT 2.3A, NEUTRON-INDUCED RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES IN SOILS
Subject Terms:
TEAPOT OPERATION
Document Location:
Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV
Publication Date:
1955 Feb 28
Declassification Status:
Unknown
Accession Number:
NV0006194
Document Number(s):
WT1117
Originating Research Org.:
UNITED STATES NAVAL RADIOLOGICAL DEFENSE LABORATOR
OpenNet Entry Date:
1994 Aug 26
OpenNet Modified Date:
2003 Sep 18
Description/Abstract:
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