Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the Department of Energy of the federal Government of the United States located in the southeastern portion of the Nye County in Nevada, about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas.
| Nevada National Security Sites | |
|---|---|
Nevada Test Site | |
| Nye County in Nevada Near Las Vegas, Nevada in United States | |
A November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site, Operation Buster–Jangle "Dog". It had a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT (88 TJ), and was the first U.S. nuclear field exercise conducted with live troops maneuvering on land. Troops shown are 6 mi (10 km) from the blast. | |
Map showing location of the site | |
| Coordinates | 37°07′N 116°03′W |
| Type | Nuclear Weapons Research Complex |
| Area | 1,350 sq mi (3,500 km2) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of the United States |
| Operator | United States Department of Energy |
| Controlled by | National Nuclear Security Administration |
| Open to the public | Yes (Limited reservation and clearance is required) |
| Status | Active |
| Defining authority | United States Geological Survey (For geography, ground waters, terrains and mapping) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1951 |
| In use | 1951–Present |
| Test information | |
| Nuclear tests | 928 |
Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Grounds of the United States Army, the site was acquired as the testing venue for the American nuclear devices in 1951. The site's area consists of approximately 1,350 sq mi (3,500 km2) of desert and mountainous terrain with 28 areas which has about 1,100 buildings connected with the 400 mi (640 km) of paved roads and the 300 mi (480 km) miles of unpaved roads as well as ten heliports and two airstrips. The first atmospheric test was conducted at the Frenchman Flat area of the site under the former United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) on January 27, 1951. Over the subsequent four decades, ~about 928 nuclear testing operations were conducted at the different areas of the site and many of iconic images at the nuclear science museum throughout the United States comes from the site.
The mushroom clouds from the 100 atmospheric tests were visible from almost 100 mi (160 km) away and Las Vegas experienced noticeable seismic effects, and the mushroom clouds, which could be seen from the Las Vegas Strip in early 1950s. However, the atmospheric nuclear testing were the reported reason for the increase of cases of increased cancers in Utah and elsewhere due to the westerly winds routinely carried the fallout from the Nevada Test Site according to the 1984 medical report.
In 1994, the United States put a unilateral moratorium on underground nuclear testing but the site has continuously attracted negative publicity due to the much publicized and organized 536 anti-nuclear protests, with 37,488 participants and 15,740 involved in arrests, according to government records.
While owned by the federal Government of the United States, the site is privately managed and operated by the Mission Support and Test Services LLC, which is a joint venture of Honeywell, Jacobs, and Huntington Ingalls, on behalf of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).