Operation Buster–Jangle was a series of seven (six atmospheric, one
cratering)
nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States in late 1951 at the
Nevada Test Site. Buster–Jangle was the first joint test program between the
DOD (Operation Buster) and
Los Alamos National Laboratories (Operation Jangle). As part of Operation Buster, 6,500 troops were involved in the
Operation Desert Rock I, II, and III exercises in conjunction with the tests.[1] The last two tests, Operation Jangle, evaluated the cratering effects of low-yield nuclear devices. This series preceded Operation Tumbler–Snapper and followed Operation Greenhouse.
US ground forces involvement
Four
U.S. Army units took part in the Operation Buster–Jangle "Dog" test for combat maneuvers after the detonation of a nuclear weapon took place. These units consisted of:
Personnel were instructed to create foxholes and construct gun emplacements and bunkers in a defensive position 11 km south of the detonation area. After the nuclear bomb was detonated, the troops were ordered to move forward towards the affected area. While traveling closer to ground zero, troops witnessed the nuclear weapon's effects on the fortifications that were placed in the location in preparation for the tests. The ground troops got as close as 900 meters from ground zero before they were instructed to move out of the area. The
Human Resources Research Office was tasked with gathering data on the psychological experiences of the troops after witnessing such a detonation and moving closer towards the affected area.[1]
Radiation protection standards
For the Operation Buster–Jangle series of tests, the
Atomic Energy Commission created a set of criteria that must be followed if exposing armed forces, or civilians to the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
Orientation and proper radiological training
Dispersion of dosimeters amongst personnel
Utilization of radiological protective equipment and clothing
Active monitoring of radiological levels
Briefing of personnel taking part in the exercise
Decontamination of radioactive debris
A majority of the personnel that took part in the exercise received around 3
R, with pilots receiving an average of 3.9 R. These estimates vary given the differing data provided by the Department of Defense over the years.[1]
Minimum mass design,
fizzle (yield "less than a pound"); yet it yielded a lower bound on viable
plutonium mass. October 19 attempt failed due to control wiring problem.
"Surface" shot. Only true surface shot in
CONUS history along with
Little Feller I & II Desert Rock II; maneuvers conducted at a distance due to dirtiness.
Cratering shot, meant to simulate 23 kt ground penetrating weapon. Desert Rock III, observed at 5 mi (8.0 km), kept distance in maneuvers. 5000 R/Hr near GZ one hour after shot.
^The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions – Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1 – 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
^To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. Historical time zone data obtained from the
IANA time zone database.
^Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
^Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
^Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
^Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
^Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
^Estimated energy yield in
tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
^Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.