nuclear testing
Bomb detonation experiments
Nuclear testing is the detonation of nuclear weapons for experimental purposes—to verify designs, measure yields, or demonstrate capability.
Tests have been conducted underground, underwater, and in the atmosphere.
The treaty banned atmospheric nuclear testing.
Since the Cold War, international agreements have restricted testing, though some nations continue: North Korea resumed nuclear testing in 2006.
Escalating weapons accumulation between nations
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- hydrogen bombThermonuclear fusion weapon
- atomic ageEra of harnessed fission
- mutual assured destructionReciprocal annihilation prevents war
Cuban Missile Crisis · espionage · Truman · Eisenhower · Kennedy · Khrushchev · ICBM · NATO
Post-blast atmospheric particles
- isotopesAtomic number twins
- gamma raysHighest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- alpha particlesEmitted helium nuclei
- beta particlesElectrons from radioactive decay
radioactivity · half-life · contamination · cesium · strontium · iodine · plutonium · uranium
Temporary prohibition or delay
- banOfficial restriction on something
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- activismDirect effort for reform
- non-proliferationLimiting weapons spread
public outcry · health effects · environmental impact · cancer clusters · genetic mutations · downwinders · Bikini Atoll · Marshall Islands
Violent burst of energy
- blastSudden forceful burst
- yieldProduce or relinquish
- kilotonExplosive force unit
- megatonExplosive force unit
fireball · mushroom cloud · shockwave · ground zero · atmospheric · underground · underwater · subcritical
Limiting weapons spread
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
- enrichmentImprovement through addition
stockpile · warheads · verification · inspections · IAEA · multilateral · unilateral · dual-use
arms race
Escalating weapons accumulation between nations
- Soviet UnionFormer communist superstate
- hydrogen bombThermonuclear fusion weapon
- atomic ageEra of harnessed fission
mutual assured destruction · Cuban Missile Crisis · espionage · Truman · Eisenhower · Kennedy · Khrushchev · ICBM · NATO · Warsaw Pact
fallout
Post-blast atmospheric particles
- isotopesAtomic number twins
- gamma raysHighest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- alpha particlesEmitted helium nuclei
beta particles · radioactivity · half-life · contamination · cesium · strontium · iodine · plutonium · uranium · Geiger counter
moratorium
Temporary prohibition or delay
- banOfficial restriction on something
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- activismDirect effort for reform
non-proliferation · public outcry · health effects · environmental impact · cancer clusters · genetic mutations · downwinders · Bikini Atoll · Marshall Islands · compensation
explosion
Violent burst of energy
megaton · fireball · mushroom cloud · shockwave · ground zero · atmospheric · underground · underwater · subcritical · device
non-proliferation
Limiting weapons spread
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
enrichment · stockpile · warheads · verification · inspections · IAEA · multilateral · unilateral · dual-use · centrifuge
- Australian HistoryCaptain Cook, Commonwealth, federation, explorers, Liberal Party
- Eisenhower EraDwight Eisenhower, Ike, Richard Nixon, Nixon, farewell address
- Nuclearatomic bomb, atomic bombs, uranium, reactors, fission
- 1951 eventsKorean War, I Love Lucy, UNIVAC, Rosenbergs, Dennis the Menace
- defense researchDARPA, defense research, weapons labs, military research, defense technology
- Energy Departmentenergy policy, energy research, energy security, national labs, Los Alamos
nuclear testingnuclear medicine
Healthcare using radioactive materials
nuclear testingnuclear disarmament
Reducing atomic weapon stockpiles
test ban · denuclearization · nuclear non-proliferation · arms reduction · nuclear freeze
nuclear testingecosystem preservation
Protecting interconnected natural communities
testing, nuclear, nucleus, nucleotide, nucleic, nuclei, nucleolus, nucleotides, nuclearize