Castle Koon
Encyclopedia
The Koon shot of Operation Castle
was a test of a University of California
Radiation Laboratory
designed thermonuclear device
.
The 'dry' two-stage device was known as "Morgenstern". It was tested on 7 April 1954. The predicted yield of Morgenstern, which had a highly innovative secondary stage, was between .33 and 3.5 megatons, with an expected yield of 1 megaton. The actual yield was 110 kilotons. Morgenstern was a 'fissile fizzle
'. Post shot analysis showed that the failure was due to the premature heating of the secondary by the neutron flux of the primary. This was a simple design defect, and not related to the unique geometry of the secondary. The UCRL's other shot, the 'wet", i.e. cryogenic, Ramrod device, originally scheduled for the Echo shot was cancelled because it shared the same simple design defect as Morgenstern. It would be well over a decade before weapons were designed which utilized a primary concept similar to that which went untested in the Koon shot.
Morgenstern was the only 'dud' of all the early US thermonuclear weapons.
Operation Castle
Operation Castle was a United States series of high-energy nuclear tests by Joint Task Force SEVEN at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954...
was a test of a University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Radiation Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
designed thermonuclear device
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
.
The 'dry' two-stage device was known as "Morgenstern". It was tested on 7 April 1954. The predicted yield of Morgenstern, which had a highly innovative secondary stage, was between .33 and 3.5 megatons, with an expected yield of 1 megaton. The actual yield was 110 kilotons. Morgenstern was a 'fissile fizzle
Fizzle (nuclear test)
In nuclear weapons, a fizzle occurs when the testing of a nuclear bomb fails to meet its expected yield. The reason for the failure can be linked to improper bomb design, poor construction, or lack of expertise. All countries that have had a nuclear weapons testing program have experienced fizzles...
'. Post shot analysis showed that the failure was due to the premature heating of the secondary by the neutron flux of the primary. This was a simple design defect, and not related to the unique geometry of the secondary. The UCRL's other shot, the 'wet", i.e. cryogenic, Ramrod device, originally scheduled for the Echo shot was cancelled because it shared the same simple design defect as Morgenstern. It would be well over a decade before weapons were designed which utilized a primary concept similar to that which went untested in the Koon shot.
Morgenstern was the only 'dud' of all the early US thermonuclear weapons.