In an enchanting turn, a historic railway cart carried a cargo of immense significance—a weapon capable of reshaping destiny.
Had this awe-inspiring force been unleashed upon San Francisco, the sheer power would have sent ripples to reach the distant structures of Las Vegas!
Additionally, the homelessness issue in San Francisco would have tragically ceased.
Similarly, if it were detonated in Toronto, it might have inadvertently addressed the housing crisis there, but at the cost of inflicting severe third-degree burns on the population of Buffalo, NY.
The Soviet Union had planned to develop and test a nuclear bomb that was 3000 times more powerful than the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII.
Fortunately, their plans never came to fruition, sparing the world from unimaginable devastation.
Tsar Bomba, despite being half as powerful as initially planned, remains the most potent nuclear bomb ever detonated, boasting a yield of 50 megatons – equivalent to the combined energy of all conventional explosives used during the entire six years of World War II, multiplied by 10.
The reasons behind the Soviets’ decision to build such a massive bomb, its unexpectedly clean detonation, the surprising peace prize awarded by the inventor of dynamite to the creator of the giant nuclear bomb, the alleged impact on women’s stockings shortage in the Soviet Union during manufacturing, and the last-minute halving of the bomb’s yield, all hold intriguing tales that defy common expectations.
Numerous myths surround Tsar Bomba, the most prominent of which revolves around its supposedly rapid development in just 112 days.
In the 1950s, the United States had a significant lead in the nuclear arms race compared to the Soviet Union. In response, the Kremlin initiated the development of a giant atomic bomb in 1956. Initially envisioned to yield 38 megatons, the bomb’s potential was later increased to 50 and ultimately scaled up to 100 megatons.
In 1958, the development of a colossal nuclear bomb came to a halt under Nikita Khrushchev’s leadership. The idea of a 100-Megaton nuclear bomb was deemed outrageous, and the Kremlin sought to improve its relationship with the United States.
To demonstrate their commitment, the Soviets declared a unilateral moratorium in 1958, suspending the testing of their nuclear weapons. This move was followed by Khrushchev’s historic visit to the United States in September 1959, making him the first Soviet or Russian leader to have a state visit to the US.
However, the situation took a different turn in 1960 when an American U-2 plane was detected and shot down while conducting espionage over the Soviet Union. Moreover, the United States attempted an invasion of Cuba in 1961 to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime, further exacerbating the tensions.
These events led Khrushchev to reverse his earlier decision and order the resumption of work on the formidable superbomb.
Although it’s accurate that the bomb’s preparation for the final testing phase took around 112 days, its design and development had commenced almost five years earlier.
Detonating the most formidable nuclear bomb in the world presented numerous challenges, particularly concerning its delivery.
For instance, Tsar Bomba was intended to be airdropped and detonated 13,000 ft above Cape Sukhoy Nos on Severny Island, situated in the Arctic Ocean in northern Russia. However, its weight, 26.5 tons, limited the number of planes in the Soviet fleet that could handle such a payload, leaving only the Tu-95V as a viable option.
Yet, accommodating the bomb posed additional difficulties. With its colossal size—26 feet long and nearly 7 feet in diameter—it wouldn’t fit inside the aircraft. To address this, the bomb bay door had to be removed, allowing the bomb to be attached underneath the plane.
The Soviet Union had a long way to go before utilizing such a bomb as a practical weapon. Despite these challenges, the Tu-95V was deemed sufficient for the test drop. However, a new problem arose: after releasing the bomb, the airplane couldn’t escape the nuclear blast in time, meaning the crew wouldn’t survive.
To resolve this deadly predicament, a parachute was attached to the bomb to slow its descent, granting the aircraft more time to distance itself safely. Nevertheless, even with the parachute, the crew’s chance of survival was estimated at only 50%.
To increase the odds, the aircraft was coated with white reflective paint, which helped minimize heat damage from the detonation. As for the parachute itself, it was no ordinary one—it weighed a hefty 1,800 lb, covered an area of 17,000 sq ft, and was crafted from a nylon material commonly used for making women’s stockings.
In the months leading up to the bomb testing, a running joke circulated about the shortage of women’s stockings in the Soviet Union, humorously attributing it to the parachute building!
THE EXPLOSION
On October 30th, 1961, two airplanes took off from a Kola Peninsula airfield.
The first aircraft carrying the bomb had a crew of 9.
The second airplane was a flying laboratory equipped with measuring devices and cameras.
At 34,000 feet, the Tu-95V released the bomb, which immediately deployed a parachute, slowing its descent to 13,000 feet. At 11:32 Moscow time, the bomb detonated over the Mityushikha Bay nuclear testing range.
As the bomb exploded, the Tu-95V had already escaped to a distance of 24 miles, but the shock wave eventually caught up with the airplane at a point 71 miles away.
The blast reportedly increased the aircraft’s speed by roughly 60 miles per hour, causing it to drop about half a mile. However, the skilled pilots managed to recover from the impact.
Ground control was unaware of these events, as the ionization from the explosion created a radio blackout that disrupted communications with both aircraft for approximately 40 minutes.
The detonation’s light flash was visible from Norway and Greenland.
The shockwave from the explosion even managed to destroy windows in a village 485 miles away.
Remarkably, the seismic wave from the explosion circumnavigated the Earth three times.
The fireball created by the explosion was visible from a distance of 620 miles, resulting in a bizarre side effect.
In Siberia, among several tribes of Nenets people, a blinding light was perceived as the wrath of an ancient spirit, prompting them to return to shamanism to seek forgiveness for their transgressions.
However, the original plan to develop a 100-megaton bomb faced a critical question: Why did half reduce its yield?
According to one theory, the scientists feared that a 100-megaton detonation could trigger a self-sustaining thermonuclear reaction in the atmosphere, potentially leading to the catastrophic extinction of life on Earth.
Another speculation suggested that the nuclear test might cause the Arctic ice to melt, resulting in a global flood, or alter Earth’s axial tilt, leading to major climatic shifts.
Ultimately, these notions were proven to be unfounded myths.
Two valid concerns influenced the decision to reduce the bomb’s size. First, with a 100-megaton explosion, it would be nearly impossible for the crew to outrun the blast, even with the additional time provided by a parachute.
However, the primary reason for cutting the yield in half was the potential for excessive radioactive contamination. The Tsar Bomba was a multi-stage and modular device, allowing nuclear scientists to adjust the explosion’s size by adding or removing certain elements.
Andrei Sakharov, the scientist overseeing the project, proposed substituting Uranium-238 with a lead tamper in the secondary bomb module, effectively reducing the bomb’s energy output to 50 megatons. This decision mitigated the risk of uncontrollable radioactive pollution while showcasing the Tsar Bomba’s immense power.
The modifications to the Tsar Bomba significantly reduced the amount of radioactive fission products, preventing the fireball from contacting the Earth’s surface. This effectively eliminated radioactive soil contamination, and the distribution of considerable fallout amounts into the atmosphere.
This adjustment was driven by the realization that most of the fallout from the test would likely affect populated Soviet territory. As a result, Tsar Bomba stands out as the cleanest nuclear test in history, generating meager amounts of fallout relative to its explosive power.
Approximately 97% of the explosion’s energy resulted in no significant radiation fallout due to using a thermonuclear fusion reaction for the blast. This reduced the danger to ground-level personnel so effectively that a mere two hours after the test, Soviet officials could safely land a helicopter at the epicenter of the detonation.
Despite his involvement in developing the most powerful nuclear bomb, Andrei Sakharov received a Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world peace. He recognized and feared that the escalating Cold War nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union would inevitably lead to immense human casualties.
Sakharov’s concerns influenced key Soviet officials, including Khrushchev, and contributed to the signing of the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. This treaty prohibited underwater, atmospheric, and outer space testing of nuclear weapons.
Beyond his involvement in the nuclear program, Sakharov was also a vocal advocate for human rights in the Soviet Union and openly opposed political oppression and censorship. Despite his Nobel Peace Prize honor in 1975, the Soviet regime prevented him from leaving the country to collect the award.
Like Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell, Tsar Bomba was more of a showpiece than a functional weapon. Its detonation was intended to showcase the might of the Soviet Union, similar to how the other two historical items were for display purposes only.
With the long-lasting impact of the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which more than a hundred countries have adopted, it is reasonable to suggest that the detonation of the world’s most giant nuclear bomb has contributed to world peace—at least up to this point in history.