Project Plowshare: Nukes for Peace!

I’d vaguely heard of Project Plowshare but good god, what a ridiculous and dangerous waste of time and money.

At the height of the Cold War, nuclear weapons were seen not only as devices of destruction, but also as tools for progress. Project Plowshare was a bold attempt to use atomic explosions for more practical purposes: from digging canals and creating harbors to reshaping entire landscapes. This project was designed to push the limits of what seemed possible, but instead turned into an environmental disaster.

This reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons when Homer buys a gun and uses it around the house for everything, like changing the TV channel and opening beer cans. If the only tool you have is a hammer…

• Cold War
• nuclear bombs
• science
• video

Bombs, beautiful and deadly

Over at In Focus, Alan Taylor posted a collection of nuclear weapons testing photos. You’ve probably seen some of these before, but they’re still worth a look. The photos of the French Polynesian tests are scarily beautiful.

• Alan Taylor
• nuclear bombs
• photography