What is Starfish Prime?
Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the US on 9 July 1962, at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific, about 1400 km (870 mi) southwest of the Hawaiian islands. Starfish Prime was conducted as a part of Operation Dominic. The Johnston Atoll was chosen as a test site because of its relative isolation. Operation Dominic was the largest series of nuclear tests ever conducted by the United States, with a total of 105 bombs exploded at various altitudes. At the time, Cold War paranoia was at its highest, and the United States was quickly rushing to develop missiles capable of striking into the heart of Russia from Allied launch pads in the UK. Starfish Prime was just one of these tests. Launched on board a Thor rocket (an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile) was a W49 thermonuclear warhead with a design yield of 1.44 megatons. The warhead was exploded 400 km (250 miles) above the island, well above the international definition for outer space, which is at only 100 km above t
Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the US on 9 July 1962, at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific, about 1400 km (870 mi) southwest of the Hawaiian islands. Starfish Prime was conducted as a part of Operation Dominic. The Johnston Atoll was chosen as a test site because of its relative isolation. Operation Dominic was the largest series of nuclear tests ever conducted by the United States, with a total of 105 bombs exploded at various altitudes. At the time, Cold War paranoia was at its highest, and the United States was quickly rushing to develop missiles capable of striking into the heart of Russia from Allied launch pads in the UK. Starfish Prime was just one of these tests. Launched on board a Thor rocket (a Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile) was a W49 thermonuclear warhead with a design yield of 1.44 megatons. The warhead was exploded 400 km (250 miles) above the island, well above the international definition for outer space, which is at only 100 km above th
