|
Gerboise Blanche was the second test of the Gerboise series. This was a weapons development test designed to explore device miniaturization for a tactical missile.[1]
The test device, code named P1, was characterized by a bold simplification of construction. The device was cubic in form, and even used plywood as a material for it's outer casing. Hinges on the plywood would permit access to the explosives assembly and electronic equipment. The device was built to achieve a nuclear reaction and was not heavily instrumented as it was not designed to study theories of nuclear reactions or advanced bomb assemblies. The entire device weighed 2,840 lb. [3] Due to the approaching summer in the Shara desert, the test was rather hastily arranged. Less than two months were given for preparations following General Ailleret's green light for the shot a few weeks after the Gerboise Bleue test. The predicted yield of less than 10 kilotons made it possible to fire the device on the surface instead of on a tower without much risk of a radiological problem. Because it was decided to fire the device on the surface, the ground zero for the test was located approximately 15 kilometers south of the Gerboise Bleue location. The device itself was housed in a crude hut. Two air conditioned bunkers monitored various parameters, including radio control of the device and optical observation. |
|