Vela project
The Vela project was a US project. It developed and implemented methods with which the USA could observe worldwide whether the Moscow nuclear test ban agreement concluded in 1963 was being complied with. The USA , the USSR and Great Britain had concluded this agreement ; later other countries signed it.
The development was mainly carried out by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and monitored by the US Air Force . The Vela project consisted of the three elements Uniform , Sierra and Hotel (representing the three letters U, S and H, named after the English-language spelling table ).
The Vela satellites were a series of surveillance satellites that were able to detect aboveground atomic bomb tests from space around the world using the gamma radiation emitted by such tests .
Vela uniform
Vela Uniform monitored seismological signals to detect underground nuclear weapons tests. For this purpose, many experts from science were involved. The United States Atomic Energy Commission directed the project. Seven series of nuclear weapons tests were carried out as part of Vela Uniform .
| Test name | date | Test location | series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoal | October 26, 1963 | Sand Springs Range | Niblick |
| Salmon | October 22, 1964 | Salmon Site | Whetstone |
| Long shot | October 29, 1965 | Amchitka Island , Alaska | Flintlock |
| sterling | December 23, 1966 | Salmon Site | Latchkey |
| Scroll | April 23, 1968 | Nevada Test Site | Crosstie |
| Diamond dust | May 12, 1970 | Nevada Test Site | Mandrel |
| Diamond mine | July 1, 1971 | Nevada Test Site | Grommet |
Vela Hotel
The Vela satellites were a series of surveillance satellites ; They were supposed to determine aboveground atomic bomb tests on the basis of the gamma radiation they emit from space (across the entire earth ). Surprisingly, they brought new impetus to gamma astronomy by discovering the gamma-ray bursts from the depths of space.
The main purpose of these satellites, namely the verification of the stopping of surface nuclear weapons tests by the signatory states, was successfully achieved. The signatories of the agreement actually adhered to it, although the non-signatory states France and the People's Republic of China carried out above-ground tests for a long time. Only one incident of the atomic bomb explosions registered by the Vela satellites is still controversial: The so-called Vela incident on September 22, 1979 in the South Atlantic off South Africa , in which one of the now no longer fully functional satellites registered the explosion of a small atomic bomb. It is still unclear whether this test ever took place. Allegedly, despite immediate intensive investigations by the US, there were no significant signs of an above-ground nuclear test in the suspected region.