Attachment 1 Office of Information Services Air Force Special Weapons Center, Air Research and Development Command Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico re: Early Cloud Penetration, 1/27/56 ISO 56-23 27 January 1956 OFFICE OF INFORMATION SERVICES AIR FORCE SPECIAL WEAPONS CENTER Air Research and Development Command Kirtland Air Force Base New Mexico Exclusive to Hq, ARDC EARLY CLOUD PENETRATION AFSWC, Albuquerque, N. Mex. (27 Jan) -- In the event of nuclear warfare the AF is confronted with two special problems. First is the hazard to flight crews who may be forced to fly through an atomic cloud. Second is the hazard to ground crews who maintain the aircraft after it has flown through the cloud. What are the dangers to be encountered by the personnel who fly through the cloud?--How much radiation can they stand?--How much heat can the aircraft take? -- Can the ground crews immediately service the aircraft for another flight?--If so, what precautions are necessary to insure their safety? The answers to these problems are part of a continuing research program conducted by the AFSWC. The program was originally started during the 1951 Nevada Proving Group atomic tests called Operation Greenhouse. At that time rats and mice were placed aboard B-17 drone aircraft which were then flown through the cloud. Upon return of the plan to its base the occupants were removed and subjected to test to determine the amount of radiation they had absorbed. In the 1953 Upshot-Knothole tests, monkeys were used so that experiments could be conducted on larger animals nearer the size of man. QF-80 drone aircraft were used to these experiments, their speed more nearly approximating that of current operational aircraft. As a result of all these studies and experiments the scientists behind the scenes felt their knowledge of the radiation hazards had progressed to a point where they were sure manned aircraft could safely fly through a MORE ISO 56-23 EARLY CLOUD PENETRATION (Con't) radioactive cloud. They proceeded cautiously at first, and the first manned aircraft to fly through a cloud penetrated the radioactive mass 45 minutes after bomb burst. The aircraft itself was filled with equipment to measure the amount of radioactivity inside and outside the plane, the temperature of the gasses inside the cloud, and other data needed by the scientists to make calculations and compare actual results with their earlier predictions. The occupants of the plane were also rigged with various devices for registering the amount of radioactivity received by them. Some wore various types of protective clothing, others film badges designed to register varying degrees of radioactive intensity, and still others swallowed pills of wax-coated film attached to strings to show the amounts of radioactivity absorbed internally. The strings were used to suspend the pills in the center of the scientists' stomachs and to retrieve the pills for later study. Findings were then analyzed and compared with predicted results and were determined to be essentially the same. After these early experiments, cloud penetrations were then made progressively earlier after the bomb burst until it is now known that the radioactive cloud can be entered as early as five minutes after detonation. Ability to penetrate a radioactive cloud as soon as possible is of great importance due to many factors. From the defensive point of view it is imperative that we know how soon our fighters can fly through a cloud in pursuant to energy bombers if the latter succeed in penetrating our outer defenses to bomb their assigned target in this country. Also, should two or three enemy bombers get through our defensive network, the second and third, or succeeding bombers may fly through the cloud resulting from the bomb burst of the first, and by knowing how soon our fighters can enter, the ADC can then plan on intercept procedures to try and prevent the remaining bombers from reaching their targets. At the same time these experiments to determine how soon our aircraft could safely enter a radioactive cloud were being conducted, other and equally important tests were being made to determine how soon these same aircraft could be reserviced and made ready to fly again. MORE ISO 56-23 EARLY CLOUD PENETRATION (Con't) After the aircraft had completed their cloud penetration runs, they returned to base where the ground crews took over. Here they were carefully gone over with radiation detecting devices to determine how much radioactivity remained on the aircraft. First, we wanted to know how soon our ground crews could go to work on the plane, making any necessary repairs, performing preventive maintenance, and refueling. In time of war these functions become extremely important, since every available aircraft must be kept in a state of operational readiness the maximum possible time. At first, the planes were thoroughly washed down with decontamination devices in an attempt to rid them of all radiation possible. They were then again subjected to a thorough examination with radiation detecting devices to determine how much radiation had been washed away. The results of these experiments were notable in many ways. It was determined the "washing down" or decontamination process was unnecessary, because the main sources of the collected radiation were in cracks, crevices, around rivets, and in pitted areas of the aircraft's "skin". Since the decontamination process failed to rid these areas of radiation anyway, little was gained by washing off the contamination on the smoother surfaces. It was also discovered that there was no radiation danger to the ground crews providing they wore gloves to insure their skin did not come in direct contact with the contaminated areas. These findings, along with the findings of the hazards, or lack of hazards, encountered in flight through a radioactive cloud, have led to some startling changes in the Air Force's methods of dealing with these situations, which only a few short years ago posed a major problem. From an economy standpoint they have saved the taxpayer thousands upon thousands of dollars. They have been in inestimable value of the planners charged with the responsibility of protecting our country against a possible air attach by an aggressor nation. An finally, they have been of great aid in boosting the moral of our Air Force to an all-time high because the man exposed to these hitherto unknown dangers know they aren't being sent out on a suicide mission and they know exactly what to expect and how to prevent exposing themselves to any unnecessary dangers. MORE ISO 56-23 EARLY CLOUD PENETRATION (Con't) The savings in dollars and cents is accomplished in many ways. Contrary to popular belief in the beginning, there is no need for flight or ground crews to be specially equipped with protective clothing. Thus, this knowledge alone will save many thousands of dollars in research and experimental work which otherwise would be necessary to develop filters and other air purification devices, which at first was thought to be absolutely necessary. A fringe benefit of this same development is the release of many scientists and other research personnel, who would have been occupied on these projects, to work on other important developments. More dollars will be saved since an aircraft can be reserviced immediately upon landing and returned to action in a matter of minutes, thereby cutting down on the number of standby aircraft needed if a plane had to be grounded for a day or so after a mission. In addition to the savings due to the elimination of research and development of special clothing and equipment, tremendous savings will also be realized now that the manufacture of such items is known to be unnecessary. Many man hours will be saved, also resulting in savings of money, since special crews won't have to be trained to handle the decontamination process. These men, instead, will be trained in other fields, lessening the Air Force's vast overall manpower requirements. While their achievements failed to receive the widespread acclaim accorded the flight crews who actually made the cloud penetrations, the soldier-scientists of the Air Force Special Weapons Center's Biophysics Division were the real heroes behind the scenes. Without their knowledge and painstaking research we would still be in the dark ages concerning radiation and its effects on the human body. 30