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Project Gnome was the first nuclear test of the Plowshare program and was the first continental nuclear weapon test since Trinity to be conducted outside of the Nevada Test Site. It was tested in southeastern New Mexico, approximately southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. ==Background== First announced in 1958, Gnome was delayed by the testing moratorium between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from November 1958 until September 1961, when the Soviet Union resumed nuclear testing, thus ending the moratorium. The site selected for Gnome is located roughly southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in an area of salt and potash mines along with oil and gas wells.〔Defense Nuclear Agency, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program,'' (Washington D.C.: Defense Nuclear Agency, 1983): 32–34.〕 Unlike most nuclear tests, which were focused on weapon development, Shot Gnome was designed to focus on scientific experiments: * "Study the possibility of converting the heat produced by a nuclear explosion into steam for the production of electric power."〔DNA, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program, '' p. 37.〕 * "Explore the feasibility of recovering radioisotopes for scientific and industrial applications."〔DNA, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program, '' p. 37–38.〕 * "Use the high flux of neutrons produced by the detonation for a variety of measurements that would contribute to the scientific knowledge in general and to the reactor development program in particular."〔DNA, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program, '' p. 38.〕 It was learned during the 1957 Plumbbob-Rainier tests that an underground nuclear detonation created large quantities of heat as well as radioisotopes, but most would quickly become trapped in the molten rock and become unusable as the rock resolidifed. For this reason, it was decided that Gnome would be detonated in bedded rock salt. The plan was to then pipe water through the molten salt and use the generated steam to produce electricity. The hardened salt could be subsequently dissolved in water in order to extract the radioisotopes. Gnome was considered extremely important to the future of nuclear science because it could show that nuclear weapons might be used in peaceful applications. The Atomic Energy Commission invited representatives from various nations, the U.N., the media, interested scientists and some Carlsbad residents.〔DNA, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program, '' p. 38–40.〕 While Gnome is considered the first test of the Plowshare program, it was also part of the Vela program, which was established in order to improve the ability of the United States to detect underground and high-altitude nuclear detonations. Vela Uniform was the phase of the program concerned with underground testing. Everything from seismic signals, radiation, ground wave patterns, electromagnetic pulse, and acoustic measurements were studied at Gnome under Vela Uniform.〔DNA, ''Projects Gnome and Sedan: The Plowshare Program, '' p. 44–54.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Project Gnome」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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