Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: history, trials, consequences

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site is one of the darkest pages in the history of confrontation between the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. It is believed that the creation of such super-powerful and deadly weapons for the Soviet Union at that difficult time was extremely necessary. But the more nuclear scientists approached their discovery, the more pressing was the question of where to test this latest development. And the solution to this problem was found.

History of creation

I must say that the nuclear test site was an integral part of the project to create an atomic bomb. Therefore, it was necessary to find a suitable terrain in order to try out new weapons. It became the steppes of Kazakhstan, which turned into the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. Where is this place, in our time know a few. More precisely, it is a steppe on the right bank of the Irtysh, only 130 km from Semipalatinsk.

Subsequently, it became clear that the terrain of this area could not be better suited for carrying out underground explosions in wells and galleries. The only drawback was the fact that there was a Chinese consulate in Semipalatinsk, but soon it was closed.

August 21, 1947 issued a decree, which said that the previously begun Gulag construction is now transferred to the military department called "Training ground number 2 of the USSR MVS (military unit 52605)." His chief was appointed Lieutenant-General PM Rozhanovich, and the scientific leader was MA Sadovsky, who later became an academician.

Testing

For the first time, nuclear weapons in the USSR were tested in August 1949. The strength of the bomb was 22 kilotons. It should be noted that they were preparing for it thoroughly. This was necessary in order to fix the maximum amount of information on the effectiveness and consequences of the use of this new weapon.

Semipalatinsk nuclear test site occupied a huge area of 18 thousand 500 square meters. Km. From it, a pilot site with a diameter of about 10 km was identified and divided into sectors. In this territory, imitations of residential buildings and fortifications were built, as well as civil and military equipment. In addition, in these sectors there were more than fifteen hundred animals and measuring around the perimeter of measuring photo and cinematographic equipment.

When the scheduled test day came, and it was August 29, in the very center of the site at an altitude of 37 m, the RDS-1 charge was blown up. Up to a huge height, a nuclear mushroom rose . Thus began its deadly work Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. The memories of the testers and ordinary civilians who became hostages of that era and watch this action are practically the same: a bomb explosion is both a majestic and a terrible sight.

Explosion statistics

Thus, the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, whose history is rather gloomy and ill-intentioned, has become deadly to people living near it. It functioned from 1949 to 1989. During this time, more than 450 tests were carried out, during which about 600 nuclear and thermonuclear devices were detonated. Of these, there were approximately 30 surface and not less than 85 air. In addition, there were other tests, including hydrodynamic and hydronuclear experiments.

It is known that the total power of the charges dropped on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site from 1949 to 1963 is 2.2 thousand times greater than the strength of the atomic bomb dropped by the United States in 1945 on Hiroshima.

Effects

The polygon located in the Kazakh steppes was special. It is known not only for its vast territory and the most deadly nuclear charges exploding on it, but also because its inhabitants were constantly inhabited by the local population. Such anywhere else in the world was not. Due to the fact that the first few nuclear charges were imperfect, of the 64 kilograms of uranium used, the chain reaction affected only about 700 grams, and the rest was converted to so-called radioactive dust that settled on the ground after the explosion.

Therefore, the consequences of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site are terrible. The tests carried out on him were fully reflected in the local residents. Take, for example, the explosion that occurred in late November 1953. It was a thermonuclear charge labeled RDS-37. He was dropped from the plane, and he detonated somewhere at an altitude of 1550 m. As a result, a nuclear mushroom was formed, which had a diameter of up to 30 km and a height of 13-14 km. It was visible in 59 settlements. Within a radius of two hundred kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, all the windows in the houses were knocked out. A small girl was killed in one of the villages, in 36 km there was a collapse of the floor, killing one soldier, and more than 500 residents were injured. The power of this explosion can be judged from the fact that in Semipalatinsk, located 130 km from the site, 3 people had a concussion.

One can only guess what further nuclear tests could lead to, if not for the treaty on their prohibition in the water, air and outer space, signed by the leading powers in this field in 1963.

Applications

During the years of nuclear testing, a lot of valuable information was accumulated. Most of the data and up to now has been marked "classified". Few know that the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was used for testing not only in the military, but also for industrial purposes. There are also such documents in which it is said that the USSR produced more than 120 explosions not on the territories of military sites.

Nuclear charges were used to create underground voids necessary in the oil and gas production industry, and also increased the return of deposits that already began to deplete with minerals. Strangely enough, but the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site has become a springboard for accumulating vast experience in using such explosions for peaceful purposes.

Closing

1989 was the year of the termination of nuclear tests. Exactly 42 years after the explosion of the first bomb - August 29, 1991 - Kazakh President N. Nazarbayev signed a special decree aimed at closing the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. After 3 years, the entire arsenal of this type of weapons was removed from the territory of this state.

In another 2 years all the military left there, but left after themselves ugly scars on the ground in the form of funnels, galleries and thousands of kilometers of soil poisoned with radioactive particles.

Kurchatov

It's been 24 years since the Semipalatinsk test site was closed. But Kurchatov - the so-called once-closed city - still enjoys extraordinary popularity among foreigners. And this is not surprising, since many dream to see what power possessed the disappeared superpower called the USSR. Tourists who come here have one route: Kurchatov - an experimental field - an unusual lake, which is called Atomic.

At first the new city was called Moscow-400. Relatives of experts working there came to the capital and there they were looking for their loved ones. They did not even guess that they are now living 3 thousand km from Moscow. Therefore, in 1960, this settlement was renamed to Semipalatinsk-21, and a bit later to Kurchatov. The last name is given in honor of the famous developer of the nuclear program of the USSR Igor Kurchatov, who lived and worked here.

This city was built from scratch in almost 2 years. During the construction of houses it was taken into account that officers and scientists will live here with their families. Therefore, the city of Kurchatov was supplied to the highest category. Relatives who came to visit their relatives, believed that they live almost in paradise. Whereas in Moscow people had to stand for hours in the queue for food with coupons in their hands, in Kurchatov, the shelves in the shops were just bursting with an unusual abundance of goods.

Atomic lake

It appeared as a result of an explosion in mid-January 1965 near the confluence of the two main rivers of the region, Ashchisu and Shagan. The atomic charge was 140 kilotons. After the explosion, a funnel with a diameter of 400 m and a depth of more than 100 m appeared. Radionuclide contamination of the earth around this lake amounted to about 3-4 km. This is the nuclear legacy of the Semipalatinsk test site.

Victims of the landfill

A year after the first nuclear explosion was made , infant mortality increased almost 5-fold, and the life expectancy of the adult population decreased by 3-4 years. In subsequent years, the development of congenital malformations in the population of the region only increased and after 12 years reached a record 21.2% per 1,000 newborns. All of them are victims of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

In the hazardous areas of this site, the radioactive background in 2009 was 15-20 milli-radentgen per hour. Despite this, people still live there. Until 2006, the territory was not only not protected, but was not marked on the map. The local population used part of the site as pasture for cattle.

Recently, the President of Kazakhstan has determined the special status of people who lived from 1949 to 1990 near the facility called "Semipalatinsk nuclear test site". Benefits for the population are distributed taking into account the remoteness of their place of residence from the experimental site. The contaminated area is divided into 5 zones. Depending on this, a one-time monetary compensation is calculated, as well as a wage surcharge. It is also planned to receive additional days for annual leave. In the event that a person has come to one of the zones after 1991, benefits do not apply to him.