Nevada Test Site Overview; DOE/NV --705 -Rev 2

Las Vegas, NV: U. S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office, Office of Public Affairs, 2005. Revision 2. Single sheet, printed on both sides. Very good. Format is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. One sheet printed on both sides. Illustrations on each side. Front side has narrative under the headings of Introduction, In the Beginning, Atmospheric and underground testing, The end of nuclear testing and the start of subcritical experiments, Stockpile Stewardship, and Big Explosives Experimental Facility (BEEF). The other side has narrative under the headings of Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research (JASPER) Facility, Atlas Pulse Power Machine, Nevada Test Site expands its role. Under this last heading are the following subheadings: The Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex, Weapons of Mass Destruction Responder Training, Radioactive Waste Management Sites, The Environmental Restoration Division, and The Ground Water Monitoring Program. The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 or NNSS), known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until August 23, 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DoE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Grounds, the site was established on January 11, 1951 for the testing of nuclear devices, covering approximately 1,360 square miles (3,500 km2) of desert and mountainous terrain. Nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site began with a 1-kiloton-of-TNT (4.2 TJ) bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat on January 27, 1951. Over the subsequent four decades, over one thousand nuclear explosions were detonated at the NTS. Many of the iconic images of the nuclear era come from the NTS. During the 1950s, the mushroom clouds, from the 100 atmospheric tests, could be seen from almost 100 mi (160 km) away. The city of Las Vegas experienced noticeable seismic effects, and the mushroom clouds, which could be seen from the downtown hotels, became tourist attractions. A further 921 nuclear tests were carried out underground. The Nevada Test Site contains 28 areas, 1,100 buildings, 400 miles (640 km) of paved roads, 300 miles of unpaved roads, 10 heliports, and two airstrips. Currently, the Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS), the successor of the NSTech, is the civilian contractor for the test site's management and further oversees the overall operations of the test site. The MSTS manages and operates the Nevada Test Site for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) while The Security Protective Force (SPF) is responsible for providing the safeguards and security to the NNSS.