Subcritical Nuclear Weapons Tests
Updated 3/15/07

3/12/07 U.S. Conducts Subcritical Nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site

3/12/07 An interview with the manager of the Nevada Test Site on current and upcoming nuclear weapons programs and tests

August 28, 2006 Urge Congress to Cease and Desist on Subcritical Testing

• Nuclear experiment performed at Nevada Test Site
• Los Alamos National Laboratory is planning its eighth subcritical nuclear experiment, dubbed "Armando," at the Nevada Test Site this spring.
  • NEVADA FOCUS: Stewards of U.S. nuclear stockpile plan new test
• The National Nuclear Security Administration that the next test is named Unicorn to be conducted in March 2004  Nuclear test set for 2004
  • Unicorn is still in the preparation stages. It will, like all other subcritical experiments, be announced 48-hours prior to the experiment being conducted.
• NNSA stated"that subcritical nuclear tests are not news worthy, so prior notification of nuclear tests is not necessary " The news contact person is Kevin Rohrer in the Vegas NNSA office. His number is 702-295-0197 call him to get on the fax/email list for subcrit press releases. Tell him what you think
• Derek Scammell, DOE spokeperson (now retired) say "The chances of any radioactive contaminants leaking into the water table are zero. Shundahai Network says the NNSA wrong again!!

• What is subcritical testing?
  Subcritical nuclear tests are a component of the U.S. Department of Energy's Stockpile Stewardship Management Program (SSMP) and are intended to show whether nuclear weapons components such as Plutonium and Uranium will develop problems as they age. They are called "subcritical" because they are not expected to reach "critical mass."

  But at LLNL in Livermore, Calif.on Mar. 26, 1963 A nuclear excursion and subsequent fire took place during a subcritical experiment in a shielded vault designed for critical assembly experiments. The excursion was estimated at 4 X 1017 fissions and was followed by oxidation of the enriched uranium metal in the assembly. (from Operational Accidents and Radiation Exposure Experience Within the United States Atomic Energy Commission, 1943-1970, U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1971.)The cause of the explosion is believed to have been directly attributable to mechanical failure. The total property loss was $94,881.

  As of October 1999 only two countries have acknowledged that they engaged in subcritical nuclear testing. These are the United States and Russia. France appears to have promised the United States to abstain from engaging in subcritical testing. On June 4, 1996, after two years of negotiations, France and the United States secretly enter into a pact to share nuclear weapons data from computer simulated nuclear explosions.

• Print & Send a Stop Subcritical Nuclear weapons test postcard
• A vast perception gap over nuclear testing
• Nuclear testing alive and well beneath Nevada soil
• Russia performed three subcritical nuclear tests Sept 8th
• Seven Soviet subcritical tests in Arctic in 2000 Feb 8th
• Music to their ears LLNL article on subcriticals
• Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's New Subcritical series "Piano" may blast open containers planned for 2002
• The U.S. Government's Plan for Designing Nuclear Weapons & Simulating Nuclear Explosions under the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty)

Also called Hydrodynamic testing:

• Hydrodynamic testing has always been the principal experimental tool for nuclear weapons designers. It involves radiography (x-ray pictures) of simulated plutonium/HEU pits (either using non-fissile isotopes and/or below critical masses) imploded by high explosives. The prefix “hydro” is used because plutonium/HEU behave like fluids under the intense pressures and temperatures that are achieved. During the testing moratorium of the early 1960’s, an aggressive hydrotesting campaign was conducted at Las Almos National Lab (LANL).
• Today, the lab is planning to triple the present number of its hydrotests with the completion of the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrotest Facility ($280 million). Before DARHT is even finished, the FY02 DOE budget request has added $15 million for the conceptual design of the Advanced Hydrotest Facility (estimated cost $2 billion). This facility will be designed to provide 3-D motion pictures of imploding plutonium/HEU pits, a weapons designer’s dream come true.

Chronology of U.S. Subcritical Nuclear Weapons Tests

• 9/24/96 US President Clinton signs the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
• 10/8/96 The US Department of Energy announces it will conduct subcritical tests at Nevada Test Site.
• 4/4/97 US Secretary of Energy Peña announces US plans to conduct subcritical tests.
• Timeline of US Underground Subcritical Nuclear Tests from July 7th, 1991 to 9 September 2002
    

Date dd/mm/yr	Test Name	Conducted By
LANL: Los Alamos National Laboratory LLNL: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
7/2/97	Rebound	LANL
9/18/97	Holog	LLNL
3/25/98	Stagecoach	LANL
9/26/98	Bagpipe	LLNL
12/11/98	Cimarron	LANL
2/9/99	Clarinet	LLNL
9/30/99	Oboe 1	LLNL
11/9/99	Oboe 2	LLNL
2/3/00	Oboe 3	LLNL
3/22/00	Thoroughbred	LANL
4/6/00	Oboe 4	LLNL
8/18/00	Oboe 5	LLNL
12/14/00	Oboe 6	LLNL
9/26/01	Oboe 8	LLNL
12/13/01	Oboe 7	LLNL
2/14/02	Vito	LANL & UK*
*(under the terms of the 1958 Mutual Defense Agreement)
6/07/02	Oboe 9	LLNL
29/08/02	Mario	LANL
9/26/02	Rocco	LANL
09/19/03	Piano	LlNL
ON HOLD	Unicorn*	LANL
*"Initial site preparation for this experiment is under way," the statement said. "This activity, and the means for emplacement of the experimental hardware into the vertical hole, will appear visually similar to those employed in underground nuclear tests conducted prior to the 1992 moratorium."
05/25/04	Armando	LANL