High-speed photography of the first hydrogen-bomb explosion
Abstract
Obtaining detailed photographs of the early stages of the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952 posed a number of problems. First, it was necessary to invent a continuous-access camera which could solve the problem that existing million-picture-per-second cameras were blind most of the time. The solution here was to alter an existing camera design so that two modified cameras could be mounted around a single high-speed rotating mirror. A second problem, acquiring the necessary lenses of precisely specified focal lengths, was solved by obtaining a large number of production lenses from war surplus salvage. A third hurdle to be overcome was to test the new camera at an A-bomb explosion. Finally, it was necessary to solve the almost impossible difficulty of building a safe camera shelter close to a megaton explosion. This paper describes the way these problems were solved. Unfortunately the successful pictures that were taken are sill classified.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 7278000
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-2514; CONF-9209188-1
ON: DE92040392
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 20. international congress on high speed photography and photonics, Victoria (Canada), 25-26 Sep 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; EXPLOSIONS; ULTRAHIGH-SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY; CAMERAS; ENIWETOK; HYDROGEN; MHZ RANGE 01-100; RADIATION PROTECTION; ELEMENTS; FREQUENCY RANGE; ISLANDS; MARSHALL ISLANDS; MHZ RANGE; MICRONESIA; NONMETALS; OCEANIA; PHOTOGRAPHY; 450200* - Military Technology, Weaponry, & National Defense- Nuclear Explosions & Explosives; 440600 - Optical Instrumentation- (1990-)
Citation Formats
Brixner, B. High-speed photography of the first hydrogen-bomb explosion. United States: N. p., 1992.
Web.
Brixner, B. High-speed photography of the first hydrogen-bomb explosion. United States.
Brixner, B. 1992.
"High-speed photography of the first hydrogen-bomb explosion". United States.
@article{osti_7278000,
title = {High-speed photography of the first hydrogen-bomb explosion},
author = {Brixner, B},
abstractNote = {Obtaining detailed photographs of the early stages of the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952 posed a number of problems. First, it was necessary to invent a continuous-access camera which could solve the problem that existing million-picture-per-second cameras were blind most of the time. The solution here was to alter an existing camera design so that two modified cameras could be mounted around a single high-speed rotating mirror. A second problem, acquiring the necessary lenses of precisely specified focal lengths, was solved by obtaining a large number of production lenses from war surplus salvage. A third hurdle to be overcome was to test the new camera at an A-bomb explosion. Finally, it was necessary to solve the almost impossible difficulty of building a safe camera shelter close to a megaton explosion. This paper describes the way these problems were solved. Unfortunately the successful pictures that were taken are sill classified.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7278000},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}