In the 1950s, when the USSR, or the former Soviet Union, was advancing in the race to conquer space, scientists in the United States came up with a strange plan. That is, a nuclear attack on the lunar surface to scare the then-Soviet Union.
Then in 1969, when astronaut Neil Armstrong left his footprints on the lunar surface, it was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments in history.
But what if the moon that Armstrong landed on was filled with giant craters and the toxicity of atomic bombs?
The study of the Moon – titled ‘Lunar Research Flight-Volume 1’ – may appear at first glance to be entirely bureaucratic and pacific. That kind of paperwork is usually easily overlooked. And that was probably the main purpose.
However, if you look at the mulatto, it seems a little different.
A shield is carved towards its centre. which contains symbols of an atom, a bomb and a mushroom cloud. It is actually the symbol of the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. This ghat has played an important role in the development and testing of nuclear weapons.
At the very bottom is the author’s name: L. Reiffel or Leonard Reiffel, a famous American nuclear physicist. He worked with Enrico Fermi. Enrico Fermi was the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor or nuclear reactor and is called the “architect of the atomic bomb”.
The project, known as Project OneOneNine or A119, was a top-secret proposal to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the lunar surface. The hydrogen bomb was far more destructive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. It was also the most advanced addition to the atomic bomb designed at the time.
Reiffel produced a number of reports between 1958 and 1959 as part of the feasibility study of the project’s implementation plan, which received orders for ‘rapid implementation’ from Air Force officials.
Incredibly, a scientist approved this monstrous plan. He is Carl Sagan, known as the visionary of the future. The existence of this project was actually known in the 1990s. Because Mr. Sagan mentioned this in his application to an elite university.
Although it answered some basic scientific questions about the Moon, Project A119’s primary purpose was to demonstrate power. The bomb was supposed to detonate on a line called the Terminator Line. It is the boundary line between the light and dark side of the moon.
Its purpose was to create a bright flash of light that anyone, especially from the Kremlin, could see with the naked eye. The absence of an atmosphere means that there are no mushroom clouds.
There is only one plausible explanation for this monstrous planning proposal, and the reason for interest in it is rooted in insecurity and desperation.
In the 1950s, America did not seem to be winning the nerve war. Among the political and popular doctrines of the United States, it was common that the Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in developing a nuclear arsenal, especially in the development of these weapons, the number, nuclear bombers, and nuclear missiles.
In 1952, the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb. Three years later, the Soviets detonated their own bomb and shook Washington. In 1957, they went one step further, launching Sputnik 1 to lead the space race. Sputnik 1 was the world’s first artificial satellite sent into orbit.
The launch of Sputnik by an intercontinental ballistic missile and the failure of America’s own attempt to launch an “artificial moon” by a giant explosion were not comforting to America. Footage of their first rocket, the Vanguard, burned to ashes in a fire was shown around the world. A British news headline at the time was rather tongue-in-cheek: “Vanguard Fails….a major blow indeed…in the world of prestige and propaganda…”
At that time, American school children were suddenly shown the famous documentary “Duck and Cover”, in which an animated turtle character named Bart taught children what to do in the event of a nuclear attack.
Later that year, US newspapers (The Daily Times, New Philadelphia, Ohio) reported, citing a senior intelligence source, that “the Soviets will drop a hydrogen bomb on the moon on November 7, the anniversary of their revolution.” Subsequent reports suggest that the Soviets may already be planning to launch nuclear-tipped rockets at our nearest neighbor.
As with the Cold War rumours, it was not possible to find the source of this report.
Ironically, this fear encouraged the Soviets to formulate their plan. One of their plans, codenamed EFOR, was designed to mimic the American one and was later scrapped out of fear by the Soviets. They feared that if the launch failed, the bomb would hit Soviet soil. They described the apprehension as a “highly undesirable international incident”.
They may have simply realized that landing on the moon would be a greater reward.
But Project A119 worked.
Talked about the rifle in 2000. He confirmed that it was “technically possible” and that the explosion could have been seen from Earth.
Despite scientists’ concerns about the early conditions of the Moon’s atmosphere, the US Air Force was not concerned.
“Project A119 was one of the many plans floating around against Sputnik at the time,” said Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science and nuclear matters. “Among these plans was the shooting down of Sputnik, which was very disturbing. They were seen as stunts…designed to impress people.”
“What they did later was send up their own satellites, although it took a long time, but they were seriously pursuing the project anyway, at least until the late 1950s.”
“It was a very interesting thought in the American psyche at the time. This persecution led them into a contest which produced something very admirable. In this case, I think, the two concepts of admirable and terrible were very close to each other.”
He is not sure, however, whether anti-communist sentiment motivated the nuclear physicist to work on the project. “People who are in these positions are probably self-employed in many cases,” Keeney said. “They have no objection to doing this kind of work. And if they are afraid, they do more. Many scientists did this kind of work during the Cold War; They used to say that physics was too politicized.”
More of this self-awareness comes from the Vietnam War.
“Project A119 feels to me like that episode from The Simpsons when Lisa sees Nelson’s ‘New Whales’ poster on her wall,” said Bladen Bowen, who specializes in international relations in space. “And he says, ‘Well, you’ve got to make something, too.’
“These were important studies, but they got no funding or attention—none—after they got out of the space community. “It was in the late 50s and early 60s before there was a huge interest in space that no one knew where the space age was going,” he said.
“Almost all countries of the world agree that if a situation like that lunar hysteria were to happen again, it would be against internationally established law.”
Even after the international consensus, can this kind of plan come forward again? “I’ve heard this kind of noise coming from various places and the Pentagon that the US space force is looking at a mission to observe the moon’s environment,” Bowen said.
Just because a weirder idea doesn’t take place in the United States doesn’t mean it won’t take place in a more distant country like China. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a community in China wants to implement such an idea because they think the moon is cold and they work in the military,” Bowen added.
Much of the description of Project A119 remains shrouded in mystery. Much of it has been destroyed.
The ultimate lesson of this is that a research paper should not be haphazardly called by a bureaucratic name without first reading it.
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