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Russia Releases "Tsar Bomba" Test Footage Of The Most Powerful Nuclear Bomb Blast Ever
The nuclear bomb, codenamed "Ivan," that was dropped by the Soviet Union over Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean on October 30, 1961, was the largest device of its kind ever detonated. The monstrous weapon had a yield of around 50 megatons — equivalent to 50 million tons of TNT. Until now, the available imagery of that test has been strictly limited, consisting of short, grainy clips and poor-quality stills.
The colossal Ivan device was developed under a program known as izdeliye 202 (meaning "product 202", otherwise known simply as "V"). Years later, when more details became known about it in the West, the weapon would be dubbed "Tsar Bomba."
On August 20, 2020, the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation — the Russian state concern responsible for nuclear enterprises, including nuclear weapons — released a 30-minute documentary film on its official YouTube channel showing the test in unprecedented detail, from the initial transport of the device itself to the mushroom cloud that later rose some 6.2 miles over the Arctic archipelago. The release of the film coincides with the 75th anniversary of Russia's nuclear industry — although a thermonuclear bomb popularly described in the West as a "doomsday weapon" was perhaps an unusual choice for the commemoration. Regardless, it was a remarkable technological achievement.
Test of a clean hydrogen bomb with a yield of 50 megatons (40m28s video). Detonation footage starts after 22:40, with more footage after the end of the documentary starting at 29:32.
Wikipedia entry for Tsar Bomba.
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Tuesday August 25 2020, @10:56PM (3 children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XPzICHxXoQ [youtube.com]
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @08:47AM (1 child)
Because they wanted to make a 100MT bomba in the first place that would have been considered "dirty". But it was deemed too excessive and the plane would not have survived that dropped it. So imagine how much shit it have spewed then.
So yes, the 50MT was "clean"
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday August 26 2020, @04:02PM
Interestingly enough, they also said there was insignificant amounts of radiation at the site, shortly after detonation.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 27 2020, @06:58AM
(Score: 2) by bmimatt on Tuesday August 25 2020, @11:03PM (6 children)
Interesting timing of release. Makes one think.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2020, @11:16PM (3 children)
Yes, odd that it came out exactly 146 days after my birthday.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:58AM (2 children)
Yes, 1 + 4 +6 = 11. Ie, the russians are telling us the twin towers were brought down by nukes.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:28AM (1 child)
"Rosatom" equals 28 in Chaldean numerology and 29 under Pythagorean... as do "Soylent" and "Adolph".
Wake up sheeple! [7news.com.au]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @04:39AM
oblig xkcd [xkcd.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2020, @11:23PM
Sweet, sweet release! Of death!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by barbara hudson on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:45AM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday August 25 2020, @11:56PM (5 children)
In Soviet Russia .. something something .. big boom.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:11AM
> In Soviet Russia .. something something .. [del]big boom. [/del]
FTFY
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:31AM
In Soviet Russia, the radar screens display rectangles...with rounded corners. See the video at 20:05. Apple needs to get right on this iPhone patent violation.
(Score: 2) by sgleysti on Wednesday August 26 2020, @03:16AM
In Soviet Russia, bomb drops you.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday August 26 2020, @07:21AM (1 child)
Bomb was made by workers at Ivangrod Tractor Factory. Comrade Sergey assemble with hammer while exchanging borscht recipes with Comrade Irina. Then workers sing Shiroka strana moya rodnaya while farewelling bomb from factory.
(Score: 2) by legont on Thursday August 27 2020, @03:54AM
Actually this one was made by a Jew, dissident, Nobel laureate, activist for disarmament, peace and human rights
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov [wikipedia.org]
Yes, he did make it himself for as much as it is possible to be made by one person. He did design and built the "flavor" as well which would increase the yield to 100 and make the device dirty, but the management decided to remove it before the test.
His wife, also Jew, dissident and so on, was a pediatrician. I was always wondering how their evening after work conversations would look like.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:11AM (8 children)
That was quite interesting, on several levels. First, it was neat to see the Soviet propaganda style. Second, it was fun to test knowledge of Russian. Third, it was fascinating how little impact the detonation actually had on the landscape. It was the most devastating explosion in human history, but they made it seem as mundane as throwing a grenade.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:54AM
You see the disconnect there, right?
(Score: 2) by deimios on Wednesday August 26 2020, @05:31AM (3 children)
Quote from the video: "The task of the test was not to study the destructive effect of the shockwave, therefore there are no specially erected structures, and no military equipment in the testing site."
So it was intentional, question is why thought.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday August 26 2020, @07:24AM (2 children)
To show that Russian dicks were bigger than American dicks.
Also to coincide with the 22nd congress of the CPSU, which occurred a few days earlier.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:43PM (1 child)
Then you might as well just claim that it was to celebrate or have it coincide with the 44 year anniversary of the October Revolution, that was just the week before or after depending on which calendar is used. That is normally when they have that big military parade on Red square and they parade around all their military might and prowess. To show of a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb would probably have been up there.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:51PM
Except that since it's an abstract event that occurred 5,000km away you can mention it in a speech at the CPSU congress but can't really do much with it in a military parade.
(Score: 4, Informative) by rleigh on Wednesday August 26 2020, @07:58AM (2 children)
This wasn't "propoganda" for public consumption, it was purely for internal consumption from the look of things. It wasn't particularly jingoistic. Overall, I quite liked the effort they put into the cinematography and background shots, as well as the shots of the technology of the era. The overall impression I got was a well practised military machine carrying out a well planned exercise which went off without a hitch and little drama while demanding very exact timing to coordinate all the recording. Just people doing their jobs. If anything, it was interesting that their officers and people weren't that much different than our own.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:48PM (1 child)
It was still propaganda, even if the audience was not the general public. It was highly produced to achieve that clean, crisp feel. There was not a hair out of place, and even the test camp on the island was swept clean. It reminded me quite a bit of sections of Triumph of the Will, such as the silent assembly of thousands at Nuremberg stadium while Hitler, Himmler, and Lutze walk down the aisle.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @01:21PM
Mmm, nothing else quite has that clean, crisp feel of authoritarian propaganda. Sharp suits, bright colors, smiling faces, white teeth, rotting corpses.
(Score: 1) by oumuamua on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:18AM (6 children)
who tests their atom bombs on a cloudy day?
and the video was boring, here is how to make an atom bomb video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHMzCpy0fXc [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday August 26 2020, @12:39AM (4 children)
It was probably decided for one reason or another, on the other hand do you want to be the one to tell Comrade Stalin that the weather was a little bad so you decided to postpone the bomb test. Plus they probably figured it would be bright enough at detonation that the weather might not matter all that much. It was probably insignificant compared to what was about to happen, or I guess they just liked it cloudy.
(Score: 2) by leon_the_cat on Wednesday August 26 2020, @01:03AM (1 child)
I somehow think how it would look on youtube in 60 years time was the least of their worries.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday August 26 2020, @01:14AM
Which would explain why they only recorded in 480p, no HD or anything. Very inconsiderate.
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:52AM (1 child)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @01:27PM
I'm fairly sure your facts are bullshit and you smoke Kool Aid based on the circle/sphere law. 2x is 10x.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @02:12PM
How frequent are clear days in Novaya Zemlya?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 26 2020, @04:43AM (1 child)
There's one point where they are showing the mushroom cloud and playing happy xylophone lounge music in the background. A creepy choice.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday August 26 2020, @10:33PM
The music alone seemed more dissonant and unsettling than happy. Definitely creepy though. Peak Soviet music choice.
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