Successful test of the atomic bomb. Creating an atomic bomb in the USSR

The USSR should get a democratic form of management.

Vernadsky V.I.

Atomic bomb in the USSR was created on August 29, 1949 (the first successful launch). He led the project Academician Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov. The period of development of atomic weapons in the USSR has lasted since 1942, and ended with the test in Kazakhstan. This violated the US monopoly on such a kind of weapons, because since 1945 they were the only nuclear power. The article is devoted to the description of the history of the Soviet nuclear bomb, as well as the characteristics of the consequences of these events for the USSR.

History of creation

In 1941, the USSR representatives in New York reported to Stalin the information that the United States is a meeting of physicists, which is devoted to the development of nuclear weapons. The Soviet scientists of the 1930s also worked on the study of the atom, the most famous was the splitting of an atom of scientists from Kharkov led by L. Landau. However, it did not reach real use in service. Over the US, Nazi Germany worked. At the end of 1941, their atomic project began in the United States. Stalin found out about it in early 1942 and signed a decree on the creation of a laboratory for the creation of an atomic project in the USSR, an academician of I. Kurchantov became its leader.

It is believed that the work of US scientists accelerated the secret developments of German colleagues who fell into America. In any case, in the summer of 1945, in the Potsdam Conference, the new US President G. Truman told Stalin about the completion of work on new weapons - an atomic bomb. Moreover, to demonstrate the work of American scientists, the US government decided to experience new weapons in battle: 6 and 9 August bombs were discarded into two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the first case when humanity learned about the new weapons. It was this event forced Stalin to speed up the work of his scientists. I. Kurchatova called Stalin to himself and promised to fulfill any demands of the scientist, if only the process was going as soon as possible. Moreover, the State Committee was created in the Soviet University, who oversaw the Soviet atomic project. He headed him L. Beria.

Development moved to three center:

1. Design Bureau of the Kirov Plant, working on the creation of special equipment.
2. Diffuse plant in the Urals, who had to work on creating enriched uranium.
3. Chemical and metallurgical centers in which plutonium studied. It was this element that was used in the first nuclear bomb of the Soviet sample.

In 1946, the first Soviet Unified Nuclear Center was created. It was the secret object of Arzamas-16, located in the city of Sarov (Nizhny Novgorod region). In 1947, the first atomic reactor was created, at the enterprise near Chelyabinsk. In 1948, a secret polygon was created in Kazakhstan, near the city of Semipalatinsk-21. It was here that 29 Aavgusta 1949 was organized the first explosion of the Soviet Atomic Bomb of RDS-1. This event was held secretly, but the American Pacific Aviation was able to fix a sharp increase in the level of radiation, which was proof of the test of a new weapon. Already in September 1949, Trumen announced the presence of an atomic bomb in the USSR. Officially, the USSR admitted this weapon only in 1950.

Several major consequences of successful development by Soviet scientists atomic weapons:

1. Loss of the United States of the status of a single state with atomic weapons. This not only equalized the USSR from the US in military power, but also forced the latter to think through every military step, because now it was necessary to fear for the response of the USSR leadership.
2. The presence of atomic weapons at the USSR secured the status of the superpower.
3. After the USSR is equalized and the USSR in the presence of atomic weapons, a race has begun behind its amount. States spent huge finances to surpass a competitor. Moreover, attempts to create even more powerful weapons began.
4. These events served as the start of the nuclear race. Many countries have begun to invest resources to replenish the list of nuclear states and secure security.

In the second half of the 40s, the leadership of the Soviets were a lot of concern that America already has a weapon, unprecedented by its destructive power, and Soviet Union - not yet. Immediately after the end of World War II, the country extremely feared the superiority of the United States, whose plans were not only to weaken the positions of the USSR in the constant race of the arms, but perhaps even destroy through a nuclear strike. In our country, I perfectly remembered the fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In order for the threat to not hung over the country, it was necessary to urgently create his own, powerful and frightening weapons. Own atomic bomb. The fact that the Soviet scientists could have been used in their research on the occupation of the German missiles "FAU", as well as to apply other studies received from Soviet intelligence in the West. For example, very important data was secretly handed over, risking their lives, the American scientists themselves who understood the need for a nuclear balance.

After the technical task was approved, large-scale activity on the creation of an atomic bomb started.

The project management was entrusted with an outstanding nuclear scientist Igor Kurchatov, and a specially created committee, which was supposed to control the process, headed.

In the process of research, there was a need for a special research organization, on the venues of which this "product" would be designed and worked out. Studies that were conducted by the laboratory N2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences demanded a remote and preferably deserted place. In other words, it was necessary to create a special center for the development of nuclear weapons. Moreover, it is interesting, the development was carried out simultaneously in two versions: with the use of plutonium and uranium-235, heavy and light fuel, respectively. Another feature: the bomb was to be defined:

• no more than 5 meters long;
• with a diameter of no more than 1.5 meters;
• weight no more than 5 tons.

So strict the parameters of deadly weapons were simply explained: the bomb was developed for a specific model of the aircraft: Tu-4, whose hatch did not miss the above-size items.

The first Soviet nuclear weapon had an abbreviation of RDS-1. Unofficial decryptions were different, from: "Motherland gives Stalin", to: "Russia does herself," but in official documents, she was interpreted as: "the jet" C ". In the summer of 1949, an event was most important for the USSR and the whole world: in Kazakhstan, a test of deadly weapons created at the Semipalatinsky landfill was a test. It happened at 7.00 local time and at 4.00 in Moscow.

It happened on the tower with a height of 37 and a half meters, which was installed in the middle of the twenty-cell meter. The power of the explosion was equal to 20 kilotons in TNT equivalent.

This event once and forever stopped the US nuclear dominance, and the USSR became proud to be called the second, after the United States, the nuclear power of the world.

A month later, TASS has been told to the world about the successful test of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union, and a month later, scientists who worked on the invention of an atomic bomb took place. All of them received high awards and solid, state premiums.

Today, the layout of that bomb itself, namely: the corps, the charge of RDS-1 and the console, with the help of which it was undermined, is in the first museum of nuclear weapons in the country. The museum in which genuine samples of legendary products are stored, located in the city of Sarov Nizhny Novgorod region.

65 years ago, the first air nuclear explosion was carried out at the Semipalatinsk polygon: the Bomb of RDS-3 was reset from the Tu-4 aircraft. The site remembers the most famous nuclear explosions in the history of mankind. October 18, 2016, 13:38

RDS-3. First in the USSR Air Nuclear Explosion

The Soviet Atomic Bomb of the Implosive Type of RDS-3 was developed as an airbab for heavy long-range bombers Tu-4 and average Tu-16. The first air and third nuclear test in the USSR passed at the Semipalatinsky landfill.

On October 18, 1951, the Tu-4 bombarder dropped a bomb with a subsection of it at an altitude of 380 meters. The energy release was 42 kilotons.

The bombing was performed by the bombarder of the captain by B.Davydov. In his memoirs, he told that during an explosion of the arrow of aerodynamic devices, high-volume, indicators of the speed began to rotate. Dust appeared on the plane, although thorough cleaning in the cabins was taken before this flight. "The train from the explosion quickly rose to the height of the flight and began to form and grow" mushroom ". The colors of the cloud were the most diverse. It is difficult to convey the condition that I took possession of after reset. The whole world, all the surrounding around was perceived differently - as if I saw all this, "I recalled the navigator.

After landing, the aircraft crew came out with rush parachutes and oxygen masks. The pilots and the plane were examined for radiation infection, after which the conclusion was made that the Tu-4 aircraft, a bombing unit and equipped with a bombing compartment heating system and a complex of additional special equipment, ensures the safe and trouble-free operation of the RDS-3 product and the sighting bombing them.

The results of a successfully conducted aerial testing of the atomic bomb became the basis for making decisions on the equipment of the Air Force with nuclear weapons: the serial production of atomic bombs of RDS-3 and carrier aircraft Tu-4 was organized.

American "thing". First atomic bomb

The first atomic bomb was the American "Pie" ("Gadget") project "Trinity". She was tested a few weeks before the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The "Stupka" undermined in New Mexico, at the Alamogordo Polygon, also known as the White Sands.

The bomb was installed in a 30-meter watchtower. Bunkers were located at a distance of 9000 meters so that it was possible to clearly observe the explosion. On the night of July 16, 1945, the "Pedhek" was blown up. As a result of an explosion in the desert, a shock wave flashed, destroying the tower in the sins and forming a giant nuclear mushroom with a height of 12,000 meters. The flash from the explosion was brighter than ten suns. She was seen in all parts of New Mexico, as well as in some areas of Arizona, Texas and Mexico.

Explosion "Things" in 0.016 seconds after detonation. The size of the plasma bowl is about 200 meters.

Immediately after the explosion, the landfill was closed, and since 1965 declared a national historical monument.

Despite the fact that hundreds of leading physicists from the project worked within the project different countries The world, before testing the bomb, none of them knew exactly what would happen on the landfill. Some believed that the charge would not work, others predicted the monstrous force of an explosion, which almost destroyed the entire state of New Mexico, the third feared that the atomic bomb burns out all the oxygen on the planet. The closer to all the truth was Isidid Rabbi, according to the calculations of which, the bombing capacity was to be 18 kilotons in Ttatil equivalent. In fact, its power was 21 kilotonne.

"Kid" and "fat man." Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hiroshima and Nagasaki - symbols of the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Bombs on Japanese cities with civilians dumped American bomber.

After the explosion on August 6, 1945, about 140 thousand people were killed in Hiroshima Bombs "Baby" (three tons weight and capacity of up to 20 kiloton).

Bomb "Kid", discarded on Hiroshima

At about 8 o'clock in the morning two bomber B-29 appeared above Hiroshima. An alarm was given, but due to the fact that there were few aircraft, everyone thought it was intelligent. And a few minutes later, an explosion rang out, which turned the city into ruins.

In Nagasaki, another bomb was involved - "fat man." This explosion occurred three days after the first and sailed more than 80 thousand people.

Bomb "Tolstik", discarded on Nagasaki

To date, the bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains the only case of the use of nuclear weapons in the history of mankind.

Baker. First underwater atomic explosion

On July 25, 1946, in the lagoon of the Bikini Atoll, the Americans conducted a test "Baker" - the first underwater explosion, at a depth of 28 meters.

The purpose of the Crossroads operation, within which the explosion produced was to study the effect of atomic weapons on ships. In order for the target ships to enter the harbor, 100 tons of dynamite were used to destroy coral protrusions at the entrance to the Bikini Lagoon. In total, 95 ships were concentrated there: outdated battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, etc. Some ships as an "crew" loaded 200 pigs, 60 guinea pigs, 204 goats, 5000 rats, 200 mice and grains containing insects - to study influence on genetics.

Explosion in the Lagoon Bikini Atoll

At first, the Bomb "Aibble" was blown up in the air. Her explosion flooded five ships and badly damaged fourteen. Underwater explosion "Baker" almost did not give a dazzling outbreak, but twin two million tons sea water And sand up 150 meters. The underwater explosive wave destroyed, and flooded 10 ships. A wave threw up to 305 meters in the height of a wave threw huge ships as toys, and landing vessels threw ashore. Baker gave unprecedented strong infection, and surviving, but the "fountains" target ships were flooded right there.

"Russia does herself", "Motherland gives Stalin" - so deciphered the name of the first domestic atomic bomb. The official designation of RDS-1 was - "Jet engine" C ".

The test of the first domestic atomic bomb of the RDS-1 took place on August 29, 1949, 170 km west of Semipalatinsk at the Polygon number 2. At the site of the tower with a bomb formed a funnel with a diameter of three meters and a depth of 1.5 meters, covered with a melted glass-like substance.

It is known that located 25 meters from the tower of the building from reinforced concrete structures during the explosion partially collapsed. Of the 1538 experimental animals (dogs, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, rats) as a result of the bombing died 345. Light damage received T-34 tank and field artillery, located within a radius of 500-550 meters from the explosion epicenter. Mounted at the distance of a kilometer from the epicenter and then every 500 meters of 10 passenger cars "Victory" burned down. Residential panel and log downtown houses were completely destroyed in a radius of five km. The main damage was not obtained from the explosion itself, but from the shock wave.

The test of RDS-1 was successful. Mounted in the setting of complete secrecy documentary The explosion and consequences were shown to Stalin and for 45 years was not available for viewing. Now the video of the explosion of the first Soviet atomic bomb is in open access.

Atomic "Shrimp"

The 100-kilometer nuclear mushroom rose over the Pacific Ocean on March 1, 1954. Once again, an atomic bomb was tested at the US bikini atoll. It was assumed that the power of TX-21 would be about six megatons. But the "shrimp" underestimated, and the power of the explosion was 15 megaton, which is a thousand times more than bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Explosion TX-21 "Shrimp"

The inhabitants of the islands closest to the place of explosion were evacuated only in two days. By this time, many began diseases of the thyroid gland. As a result of the tests of 840 inhabitants of the atoll died from cancer, 7,000 people were evacuated, the status of test victims received more than 1.5 thousand inhabitants. Atoll island victims were uninhabited until 2010. Yes, and now nobody rushes back there.

From Totsk to Nevada. Explosions on military exercises

Burst on the Totsk Polygon

In 1954, the Soviet command decided to test the interaction of troops in the conditions of nuclear bombing. The total number of servicemen who participated in the teachings on the Totsk Polygon, reached 45,000 people. The task of the teachings was to work out the possibilities of a breakthrough of the enemy defense using nuclear weapons.

During the explosion of a bomb capacity of 40 kilotonn, the troops were located in special shelters at a distance of five kilometers from the explosion. Then several divisions went to the "offensive" through the area near the epicenter. About 500 people passed through the epitral zone on the technique.

The exercises were often criticized for the fact that thousands of soldiers and local residents, evacuated or not far, or received the dose after maneuvers, were subjected to the radiation impact.

Also in September 1956, during the sevenpalatinsk teachings to the explosion area, a landing land was planted in the amount of 272 people in individual protective equipment.

More similar tests in the USSR were not conducted, but in the US, exercises with the use of nuclear weapons were carried out before and after Totsky maneuvers. The divisions of the American army more than once passed through the place of the epicenter of the atomic explosion in the desert area of \u200b\u200bNevada. At the newsreel DESERT ROCK, the soldiers are in open trenches, and after passing the shock waves, they will run out of the trenches and go to the attack without protection equipment. Tourists even came to the landfill to look at the test of the wonder-weapon.

The emergence of such powerful weapons as a nuclear bomb was the result of the interaction of global factors of an objective and subjective nature. Objectively, its creation was caused by the rapid development of science, which began with the fundamental discoveries of physics of the first half of the twentieth century. The strongest subjective factor was the military-political situation of the 40s, when the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition - the United States, the United Kingdom, the USSR - tried to get ahead of each other in the development of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear Bomb Prerequisites

The point of reference to the scientific path to the creation of atomic weapons was 1896, when the French chemist A. Becquer opened the radioactivity of uranium. Exactly chain reaction This element was based on terrible weapons.

At the end of the century and in the first decades of the twentieth century, scientists discovered alpha, beta, gamma rays, discovered a lot of radioactive isotopes. chemical elementsThe law of radioactive decay and laid the beginning of the study of nuclear isometry. In the 1930s, neutron and positron became known, as well as the core of the uranium atom with the absorption of neutrons. It was the impetus to the beginning of the creation of nuclear weapons. The first invented and in 1939 patented the design of the nuclear bomb. French physicist Frederick Jolio-Curie.

As a result of further development, nuclear weapons have become a historically unprecedented military-political and strategic phenomenon that can provide the national security of the state owner and minimize the possibilities of all other weapons systems.

The design of the atomic bomb consists of a series different components, among which there are two main:

• housing
• automation system.

Automation along with a nuclear charge is located in the housing that protects them from various influences (mechanical, thermal, etc.). The automation system controls the explosion to occur in a strictly set time. It consists of the following elements:

• emergency undermining;
• prevention and Cutting Device;
• power supply;
• sensors under the charge charge.

Delivery of atomic charges is carried out using aviation, ballistic and winged rockets. At the same time, nuclear ammunition can be an element of Fugas, torpedoes, air bombs, etc.

Sminovation systems of nuclear bombs are different. The easiest is an injection device in which the subsequent formation of the supercritical mass becomes the impression for the explosion.

Another characteristic of atomic weapons is the size of the caliber: small, medium, large. Most often, the explosion power is characterized in TNT equivalent. Small caliber of nuclear weapons involves the charge power of several thousand tons of trotyl. The average caliber is already tens of thousands of tons of trotyl, large - measured by millions.

Operating principle

The diagram of the atomic bomb is based on the principle of using the nuclear energy allocated during the chain nuclear reaction. This is the process of dividing heavy or synthesis of light nuclei. Due to the allocation of a huge amount of internal energy in the shortest period of time, the nuclear bomb refers to weapons of mass lesion.

During the specified process, two key places are distinguished:

• the center of the nuclear explosion in which the process directly proceeds;
• the epicenter, which is the projection of this process to the surface (land or water).

With a nuclear explosion, such an amount of energy is released, which in the projection on the ground causes seismic shocks. The range of their distribution is very large, but significant harm environment Applied at a distance of only a few hundred meters.

Atomic weapons have several types of lesions:

• light radiation,
• radioactive infection
• shock wave
• penetrating radiation
• electromagnetic impulse.

The nuclear explosion is accompanied by a bright outbreak, which is formed due to the release of a large amount of light and thermal energy. The strength of this flash is many times higher than the power of sunlight, so the danger of lesion by light and heat is spreading a few kilometers.

Another very much dangerous factor The effects of the nuclear bomb is the radiation formed during the explosion. It values \u200b\u200bonly the first 60 seconds, but has a maximum penetrating ability.

The shock wave has a greater power and a significant destructive effect, so in a matter of seconds causes great harm to people, technique, buildings.

Penetrating radiation is dangerous for living organisms and is the cause of the development of radiation disease in humans. The electromagnetic pulse affects only the technique.

All these types of lesions in the aggregate make an atomic bomb of a very dangerous weapon.

First nuclear bomb tests

The greatest interest in B. atomic weapon The first was the United States. At the end of 1941, huge funds and resources on the creation of nuclear weapons were allocated in the country. The result of the work was the first tests of the atomic bomb with the explosive device "Gadget", which were held on July 16, 1945 in the US state of New Mexico.

For the United States, it comes time to act. For the victorious end of World War II, it was decided to defeat the ally of Hitler Germany - Japan. In the Pentagon, targets were chosen for the first nuclear strikes, on which the United States wanted to demonstrate how powerful weapons they possess.

On August 6 of the same year, the first atomic bomb under the name "Baby" was reset to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and on August 9, a bomb with the title "Tolstik" fell on Nagasaki.

Hiroshima hit was recognized as perfect: the nuclear device exploded at an altitude of 200 meters. The blast wave was overturned the stoves in the houses of the Japanese, heated by coal. This led to numerous fires even in urban areas remote from the epicenter.

The initial flash was followed by a heat wave blow, which lasted seconds, but its power, covering the radius of 4 km, melted the tile and quartz in granite slabs, seeded telegraph poles. Following the heat wave, drummer came. Wind speed amounted to 800 km / h, and his impulse demolished almost everything in the city. Of 76 thousand buildings 70 thousand were completely destroyed.

A few minutes later, there was a strange rain from large droplets of black. It was caused by condensate formed in the colder layers of the atmosphere of steam and ash.

People who have fallen under the fiery ball at a distance of 800 meters were burned and turned into dust. In some, the burnt skin was torn by a shock wave. Drops of black radioactive rain left incurable burns.

The survivors have become ill-known previously ill. They began nausea, vomiting, fever, attacks of weakness. In the blood, the level of white Taurus sharply fell. These were the first signs of radiation sickness.

After 3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, a bomb on Nagasaki was reset. She had the same power and caused similar consequences.

Two atomic bombs destroyed hundreds of thousands of people in seconds. The first city was practically erased by a shock wave from the face of the Earth. More than half of the civilians (about 240 thousand people) died immediately from the received wounds. Many people were irradiated, which led to radiation disease, cancer, infertility. In Nagasaki, 73 thousand people were killed in the first days, and after a while in strong flour, another 35 thousand inhabitants died.

Video: Nuclear bomb tests

RDS-37 trials

Creating an atomic bomb in Russia

The consequences of bombing and the history of residents of Japanese cities shocked I. Stalin. It became clear that the creation of its own nuclear weapons is a matter of national security. On August 20, 1945, the Atomic Energy Committee was headed in Russia, which was headed by L. Beria.

Studies on nuclear physics were conducted in the USSR since 1918. In 1938, a commission on the atomic kernel was created at the Academy of Sciences. But with the beginning of the war, almost all works in this direction were suspended.

In 1943, Soviet intelligence officers were transferred from England closed scientific works Atomic energy, of which it followed that the creation of an atomic bomb in the West advanced far ahead. At the same time, reliable agents in several American centers were introduced in the United States. nuclear Research. They transferred information on the atomic bomb with Soviet scientists.

The technical task on the development of two options for an atomic bomb was their creator and one of the scientific leaders of Y. Khariton. In accordance with it, it was planned to create a RDS ("Special Jet Engine") with an index 1 and 2:

1. RDS-1 - a bomb with a charge of plutonium, which was supposed to undermine by spherical compression. His device handed over Russian intelligence.
2. RDS-2 is a cannon bomb with two parts of the uranium charge, which should get closer in the trunk of the gun before creating a critical mass.

In the history of the famous RDS, the most common decoding - "Russia does herself" - he invented the deputy Y. Harriton scientific work K. Schulkin. These words very accurately passed the essence of the work.

Information that the USSR mastered the secrets of nuclear weapons caused in the United States to rush to the fastest beginning of the proactive war. In July 1949, a "Troyan" plan appeared, according to which martialctions It was planned to start on January 1, 1950. Then the attack date was postponed on January 1, 1957 with the condition that all NATO countries entered the war.

Information obtained through the channels of intelligence has accelerated the work of Soviet scientists. According to Western specialists, the Soviet nuclear weapons could be created no earlier than 1954-1955. However, the test of the first atomic bomb occurred in the USSR at the end of August 1949.

At the landfill in Semipalatinsk on August 29, 1949, the Nuclear Device of RDS-1 was undermined - the first Soviet Atomic bomb, which the team of scientists, headed by I. Kurchatov and Yu. Khariton, was invented. The explosion had a power of 22 CT. The design of the charge imitated the American "fat man", and the electronic filling was created by Soviet scientists.

The "Troyan" plan, according to which the Americans were going to reset the atomic bombs on the 70 cities of the USSR, was torn due to the probability of a response strike. The event at the Semipalatinsky landfill reported to the world that the Soviet Atomic Bomb put an end to the American monopoly on the possession of the new weapon. This invention completely destroyed the US Military Plan and NATO and warned the development of the Third World War. Began new story - The epoch of the world around the world, which is threatened by total destruction.

"Nuclear Club" of the world

The nuclear club is a conditional designation of several states owning nuclear weapons. Today there is an armament:

• in the USA (from 1945)
• in Russia (originally the USSR, from 1949)
• in the UK (from 1952)
• in France (from 1960)
• in China (since 1964)
• in India (since 1974)
• in Pakistan (since 1998)
• in the DPRK (since 2006)

Israel is also considered to have nuclear weapons, although the country's leadership does not comment on its presence. In addition, on the territory of NATO member states (Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada) and allies (Japan, South Korea, despite the official refusal) is the US nuclear weapon.

Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, who owned a part of nuclear weapons after the collapse of the USSR, in the 90s transferred it to Russia, which became the only heir to the Soviet nuclear arsenal.

Atomic (nuclear) weapon is the most powerful global policy tool that firmly entered the arsenal relationship between states. On the one hand, it is an effective intimidation means, on the other, a significant argument to prevent military conflict and strengthening peace between powers owning this weapon. This is the symbol of the whole era in the history of mankind and international relations, with which it is necessary to contact very reasonably.

Video: Nuclear Weapon Museum

Video about Russian tsar bomb

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