Nuclear Missile Explodes Inside Silo - The Arkansas Titan 2 Incident (1980)

You might think that about the worst thing that could happen if you drop a tool at work might be a broken toe.... This is the story of a near miss nuclear accident, when a dropped tool led to one the destruction of an entire nuclear missile silo in Arkansas.
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[@rationalbacon5872]

Very brave of the men who went in to try and stave off the explosion. David Livingstone is a true hero. RIP 🙏

[@jstretch]

He should have never followed that order.

[@daryllect6659]

"...to try and stave .." to try TO stave

[@bat__bat]

Brushed motors kill

[@daryllect6659]

@@bat__bat I doubt seriously that there were any brushes or slip rings in that silo.

[@davidelliott5843]

The real problem was poor system design, refusal to see how minor mistakes could have serious consequences and young men with no working experience.

[@AiMR]

Flipping a switch causes a small spark, which is why gas company employees never do so on a gas leak call.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Any electric motor with brushes has a non-stop stream of sparks where the brushes contact the rotating contacts in the core... Some are more civilized or polite about it, but many industrial versions even throw some of the sparks quite a distance outside. Once those fans got power, it was "when and not if" it exploded. ;o)

[@AiMR]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 You'd think they'd have someone with this basic knowledge around highly volatile fuel and a nuke 🤷

[@sthenzel]

If it was a spark, then this happened in the switch. Fans above vacuum cleaner size are pretty much always driven by brushless motors.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@AiMR UNfortunately, "Standard Operating Procedures" (aka "SOP") are rarely written by the people who have to be "there" or "in it up to their tits" as it were... This process and hierarchy suffers from the fact that "Nothing is impossible for the assholes who don't have to do it." ...and in military terms, that tends to get people killed over what we'd presume to believe are stupid reasons. The "old boys" in Washington D.C. may have done the job, but it was long enough ago that they've largely forgotten most of the "in it up to their tits" years. From thousands of miles away, they don't have to deal with the splatter or stink of the mess... a virtue of "distance" alone. AND we get this... a sh*t-show. ;o)

[@toxickilljoy9037]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 that emoticon is the stuff of nightmares... ° ¿ °

[@littlespinycactus]

The phrase 'throwing a spanner in the works' suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.

[@cynthiatolman326]

The men who walked into that solo were heros in my book, and the man who died gave up his life trying to save countless lives.. May he RIP. Well done video

[@daryllect6659]

They weren't "solo". There were two of them.😅

[@mkay1957]

It takes a very precise sequence of electronic events to detonate a thermonuclear warhead. The explosion of the missiles fuel would not cause the warhead to detonate. One of the safety features in place was that the warhead would not arm to detonate until well into the flight to the target.

[@mkay1957]

It takes a very precise sequence of electronic events to detonate a thermonuclear warhead. The explosion of the missiles fuel would not cause the warhead to detonate. One of the safety features in place was that the warhead would not arm to detonate until well into the flight to the target.

[@Fusion991]

@@daryllect6659 silo*

[@The_catto1]

@@mkay1957 nice copy paste

[@xdude7300]

A few things of note 1:with how nuclear bombs work, the danger isnt it going off (in fact its almost impossible for it to ever do so from a rocket explosion) its moreso spreading the highly enriched nuclear material all over the site of the silo, and all over the surrounding town 2: Something that was seriously dangerous about the titan 2's fuel leak, was that it used hypergolic fuels. The specific fuels they used are incredibly, incredibly carcinogenic and toxic to humans, which probably caused the biggest headache

[@Nerathul1]

I remember a video of the army where they demonstrated the safety by setting warheads on fire, throwing them off planes without a parachute, shooting them with guns, and just about anything they could think of. Thankfully nuclear weapons are very complex and requires exact circumstances to blow up.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

WRONG ! 1 - Point Detonation was a concern and 4 tests were done at the Nevada Test Site and of the 4 tests, ... 1 did DETONATE , proving that a stray electrical charge could set off a nuke ! I was a major concern, especially with the GENIE Air to Air missile but all the nukes of the time, It took nuke weapons specialists nearly 20 years to get better Fail Safes installed onto nuke warheads ! The spreading of Plutonium from a warhead is second only to a detonation. Areas can be somewhat cleaned up such as Johnston Island , Nevada Test Site, McGuire AFB, etc. Read COMMAND AND CONTROL and another book , ATOMIC ACCIDENTS and learn just how close we've come to self- annihilation !

[@johndemeritt3460]

@@Nerathul1, the US Army wouldn't have conducted those tests: they would have been conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), forerunner of today's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Whether we're talking about the AEC days or the current NRC days, they would have needed assistance of the Air Force, Navy and Army, because neither the AEC nor the NRC own the equipment for carrying out the tests by themselves.

[@johndemeritt3460]

@@SteveWright-oy8ky, I'd respectfully disagree with talk of "self-annihilation". We had accidents and incidents that could have raised alarms east of the Iron Curtain, but most of the nuclear accidents involved relatively small devices with relatively low nuclear yields had they achieved critical mass. We DID have some near misses that could have devastated large areas had they gone nuclear. Fortunately, the Goldsboro, Palomares Spain, and Thule, Greenland incidents DIDN'T achieve criticality, even though they were a right bloody mess to clean up! And speaking of cleaning up nuclear contaminants, you didn't mention the IVY MIKE shot in November, 1951. Not only did it obliterate the island upon which the device was built, it thoroughly contaminated the entire Enewetak Atoll with lethal fallout -- and caught a Japanese fishing boat, too. Enjoy Gojira films? You owe them ti the IVY MIKE shot!

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

@@johndemeritt3460 CORRECTION ! ..... It was NOT the Ivy Mike shot that contaminated the Lucky Dragon #5, but the Castle Bravo shot as it had strayed into the Confinement Zone, unnoticed by security crews. Yes, massive contamination and limited clean ups of the incident areas due to the Govt's and military's wanting to avoid longer term remediation of those areas and the sheer costs ! I was addressing the single event at Damascus, but could go on and on about all the various Nuke events contaminating large tracts of land, people, water and air ! ROCKY FLATS with it's 2 large PLUTONIUM FIRES ! WIND SCALE with it's large Plutonium Fire ! The MIAYK Event in Russia that contaminated thousands of square miles of land, water, air and people ! The HUNDREDS of Open ATMOSPHERIC Nuke Test that have spread nuclear fallout worldwide. And among the worst,... the dozens of Nuke tests in the Pacific that have contaminated the Islanders,... or the hundreds of people contaminated from the DOWNWIND Radioactive FALLOUT from the Nevada Test Site in the town of St. George , Utah and surrounding cities ! There is NO LIMIT to the stories of CONTAMINATION, FALLOUT , DEATH and DESTRUCTION caused by the Nuke Tests ! For evey 1 test you can name,... I can name 2 tests or event's you never heard before ! The Govt and military DON'T WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW ALL THE FACTS !

[@fasteddie4145]

We called Three Seventy Four Seven "Four Seven"....the socket was 3-3/4", it was used for tightening the Stage 2 Oxidizer "Boss Plug". The gantry was known as the "thrust mount". The Exhaust fan switch wasn't in the control room, it was near the exit door. The silo door was 760 tons but was more like 200 meters away after the explosion, there was debris more than 1/2 mile away. There was never any danger of a nuclear explosion but the UDMH and N2O4 were highly toxic. Our biggest concern was being poisoned. My room mate at the time was a guy named Pat Tallman. Pat was a PTS troop like Plum and Powell. He was suited up and ready to go back in after Livingston and Kennedy came out. Pat was injured but worse, he started growing a huge goiter on his neck not long after the event. UDMH in particular is extremely toxic, the Soviet's called it "The Devil's Venom". Pat died young, I don't think he made 40. Many Titan II guys wound up with cancer, in particular PTS guys. I was in the ELAB shop. We maintained most of the electronic gear on the complex. Especially the systems for monitoring Fuel and Oxidizer leaks. These systems were manufactured by MSA of Pittsburgh. They used radioactive Ion chambers with either Ra-226 or Am-241 Alpha emitters. They also used reagents that were either Dimethylamine (Dime) or Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) these chemicals were just about as bad as the Fuel and Ox. We replaced these every 30 days on all 18 sites (17 after 4-7) No job in the military was more dangerous than PTS. Elab might be second but anyone that spent any time at all in a Titan II silo got more than their share of carcinogens and toxic exposure. I'm proud of my military service. It was a different world anyone under 50 would likely not understand. That said, there's a reason they get 20 years old's to do those things. 63 year old's wouldn't dream of it. Scary Stuff.....

[@JamesSmith-cz1pj]

Hey Eddie, I was in the ELAB shop back in Tuscon in the late 70's. I remember calibrating those damn MSA's using those big plastic bags and the glass ampules to get the proper PPM sample, then just venting the bags right into the air when we were done. I'll never forget the smell and have always wondered if I would end up sick at some point. I'm 67 now and fortunately never had any cancers, but I know that UDMH is one of those forever chemicals that never leave your body, so it may just be a matter of time. It was a real shame about that site in Little Rock and the other one in Wichita where they ruptured the oxidizer tank and the MSA emptied the 20k water tank onto the N2O4. Man, what a mess that was! BTW, did you ever see anything weird at the haunted site? I heard stories about it but never talked to anyone that had been there.

[@florret2003]

I was a hydraulic repairman and during my three years at Little Rock AFB I had numerous opportunities to work at that site. We were always aware of the dangers concerning the dropping of tools in the silo when working on the surrounding work platforms or on the actual missile itself. You had to be vigilant about where you were working and what you were carrying or using when performing tasks. One false move and that would be it. I was stationed there fourteen years prior to this incident. One thing that I am grateful for was the opportunity to take part in setting up a Titan II airborne hydraulic system at Vandenberg AFB in 1965 and seeing its successful launch down range.

[@foo219]

The flimsy security around nuclear weapons never ceases to amaze me. They get accidentally dropped, blown up, set on fire, or simply just lost in transit. And across the ocean, who even knows how many nukes were lost when the USSR collapsed?

[@Wheresmy240]

It's mind blowing to imagine one warhead has more explosive power than all ordinance used in ww1 and ww2 combined. I find it nearly impossible to fathom but then you think about how much 9.5 million tons of tnt actually is.

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

Now think about the thousands of warheads still available to US, Russia, China, Britain, France, .....

[@cranedaddy678]

On the bright side, WW3 will be over much faster than WW2 and WW1.

[@alistairbartlett6569]

​@@cranedaddy678 If anyone is left after WW3 then WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones.

[@alistairbartlett6569]

​@@princeofcupspoc9073 ....Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea, not to mention what Iran might be up to.

[@alistairbartlett6569]

Wheresmy240 That figure does slightly conflict with the yield of the Tsar Bomb, the largest ever nuclear weapon detonated. That had a yield of 50 Million MT, many times more than all the weapons used in WW2, and I guess WW1 as well.

[@creaturefeaturecosplay]

I've gone on a tour of the Titan Missile Museum and they mentioned this incident in passing. Thank you for the detail in this video! It's crazy to think how something so basic caused such a catastrophe. If anyone visits Tucson Arizona, the Missile Museum is one of the coolest things to do, and not to be missed

[@aellis6692]

I just happened to visit the museum this morning drove out from phx you should check out the pima air and space museum that place is awsome

[@creaturefeaturecosplay]

@Aaron Ellis I love they both! I used to have their membership and it's good for both museums

[@wesrrowlands8309]

I'd love to go see it, the closest thing we have in PA is a few old Nike-Ajax sites and they're all torn up and in private hands.

[@JoeOvercoat]

“ there was that one bad day, but that’s not speak of that.”

[@blogengeezer4507]

ABQNM has a great Nuke museum across from Costco on Eubank SE.

[@Teverell]

I've literally just watched an episode by The History Guy about Broken Arrow incidents (unintentional loss or destruction of a nuclear device), which included this. He mentioned that the Titan 2 had fuel and an oxydiser which would explode when combined and possibly the explosion was caused by the fuel coming into contact with oxygen when the fans were turned on. Pretty sobering - this happened the week I was born.

[@ligmasack9038]

The issue is was that the Missiles were fueled using Hydrazine; and that the crew that did the inspection knowingly used a faulty Socket Wrench. If the guy hadn't have been so lazy and checked his equipment before going into the Silo, or going back for a replacement; the Damascus Incident would have never happened.

[@Bobbias]

@@ligmasack9038 oh god yeah hydrazine is terrifying stuff. There's a reason even the military doesn't use it any more.

[@uss-dh7909]

"this happened the week I was born" I guess you could say... you came in with a bang. :P

[@almostfm]

The propellants were hydrazine and dinitrogen tetraoxide (N2O4) that are a "hypergolic" mixture, meaning they ignite as soon as they're combined. Bringing hydrazine into contact with oxygen won't set it off

[@ethanweeter2732]

The Demon Core is another good one to read about.

[@homerjay2561]

Nothing like letting a 19 and 21 year old to ensure safety of a nuclear weapon....nothing could possibly go wrong. "Military intelligence" at it's finest.

[@mupty]

I love how you explain these events in a simple yet fascinating way that keeps the viewer hooked.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

The US developed a high explosive that has incredibly robust characteristics. The exact detonation sequence is classified but the warhead can reenter from space and hit the ground at terminal velocity without setting off the charges. As shown here, even the intense energy released when the fuel detonated wasn't enough to initiate the warheads firing sequence.

[@skull20002000]

Proven further by the fact that America "nuked" itself. But because it wasn't intentional, the bomb hit the ground and obviously never blew up.

[@ethanweeter2732]

That is a redundancy developed in US warheads because you understand the consequences of an accidental sequence of a nuclear warhead. It is also why we have such strict protocols in place with regards to the nuclear football and why not one person alone can launch a nuclear warhead, it takes the POTUS, Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander at the silo or air base or on the submarine to even get the process going. Plus the man who will actually start the sequence to fully arm the warhead and the man or woman carrying the nuclear football with the codes needed to even begin orders.

[@muninrob]

Even if the explosives had cooked off, it would have been a "dirty bomb" instead of a nuclear detonation. The timing on those explosive lenses requires an amazing level of precision to produce super-criticality.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

@@muninrob reaching critical is easier than you think. Yes, to get the most efficient chain reaction, and highest yield, requires a near instant detonation. But they have initiated a reaction with a single charge going off. The infamous manhole lid that was "put into orbit" from an underground explosion was actually a test to see what would happen if only one charge went off. Scott Manley has a whole series on nukes and I always thought that one was intriguing since technically the manhole hit well over escape velocity. But the friction of moving that speed through our atmosphere would have vaporized it long before it left orbit. There is a chance that some metal fragments are now floating around the solar system, but sadly there's no manhole out there... But the fact one piece of the explosives brought the nuclear pit to a critical enough state that it released that much energy is just one of the reasons they developed this class of explosive. It doesn't have to be perfect to be bad.

[@dakmycat3688]

Sounds like rocket science 😙. Which Is pretty cool😊

[@ChIGuY-town22_]

My father was pilot in the Air Force, stationed in little Rock Arkansas at this time. He told us about this incident, as you can imagine everyone was a bit shaken. He would often reference this in the importance of us in putting his tools back where they belong.

[@jeffreyrizzo785]

My family and I went to the Titan Missile Museum about 2 months ago. Highly recommend it to everybody. They put on an amazing tour and you actually get to go down into The Silo and the underground complex and get to see the missile with your own eyes. You even get to go on top of the Silo and look down into it.. The whole thing was just top notch. The tour guide was former Air Force who was actually station in a Titan Silo so he is super informative. Again highly recommend it to everyone. They actually let you turn the keys. I was geeking out the whole time

[@kevinpittman2517]

lol they let u tirn the keys... think about how macabe that is for a second... they let u pretend to start WW3 and the end of our civilization. what a profound psychological effect that would have on some people.... sociopaths and the like... wow... Like giving heroin to a junkie.

[@jeffreyrizzo785]

@@kevinpittman2517 oh it gets even creepier than that. The tour guide runs you through the entire notification verification and launch sequence leading up to turning the keys including authenticating codes from the safe and the whole shebang.

[@stuartf2946]

This was an interesting one Mr Raven. Never heard about it. Thanks for continuing with great content.

[@crazyleyland5106]

There have been at least 2 "broken arrow" incidents in Britain. A B47 crashed and burned on top of a nuclear bomb store at a US base in the late 50s, and there was also some kind of serious incident involving one of our own Thor ground launched nuclear missiles.

[@TracyA123]

This is actually one I'm very familiar with and the video is right on the mark! The Titan 2 and it's systems is something I've been into for years. It's fascinating how the systems and the missile worked. The Air Force was able to design a launch systems that was shockingly easy to use! It took less than a minute and anyone could be trained to launch that missile within a short time. The amazing thing is that, though they made it completely idiot proof, it was also entirely preventative of an accidental launch by some bored missile technician. It didn't matter what someone or any group did.... That missile would NOT leave that silo without a confirmed order from the President. It is an amazing system and surprisingly simple! They had safeguards for the safeguards...for the safeguards..lol. I highly recommend learning about the Titan 2's! Also..here's something crazy..NONE of those systems were classified at all! They gave tours of the silos to boy and girl scout groups! The only classified material in the entire facility was the codes used to confirm launch orders that were kept in the red safe. Literally everything else, to include the missile and it's warhead, wasn't classified.

[@TracyA123]

Sorry to geek out..😂 Love this subject matter!!👍

[@meetoo594]

Didnt the military's not trust the president to issue the launch codes and so they were all set to zeros for many years in some silos? I recall reading about it a while back.

[@TracyA123]

@@meetoo594 That's an urban legend. What it refers to is a dial lock..almost exactly like a briefcase lock..that had to be set correctly with a code received with launch authorization. This would open a valve in the fuel system and allow the fuels to mix to start combustion. It was genius too. You got 6 chances to get the code right. On the 7th attempt the locks electronics would fry themselves and the valve was sealed for eternity. This was to prevent some bored technician from repeatedly trying to guess the code. The odds were 1 in 16 million to get it right but the Air Force thought even that was too much of a chance. Hence, the 6 tried limit. A few years ago a former missile commander claimed that the code was always 000-000. However, the code was never transmitted to a missile silo in the entirety of the Titan 2 program. Furthermore, this guy served in a silo and not in the command structure that would have possible access to the numbers. Somehow, the internet turned all of this into the Military not trusting the President which is just moronic. The only authority that can order the use of nuclear weapons is the President alone. The so called "nuclear codes" weren't codes that were entered into a computer to launch a weapon. The codes were to verify the identity of the President. The dial code for the valve was the only code required to launch. The missile was launched with the turning of 2 keys.

[@TracyA123]

@@meetoo594 It really is fascinating how it was done. Also, amazing how they considered the physical needs of the silo crew after the launch. It was really antiquated by our standards today, but the way they used physics and common sense to launch the missiles is just incredible. I've never been on the tour of the one remaining complex, but it's on my bucket list.☺

[@TracyA123]

Also, all of the electronics needed to operate both the silo and the missile took up two entire floors of the accommodation area. What's crazy is that the cell phone you're holding could accomplish every bit of it today.☺ Sorry, I'm a geek.

[@benisaten]

When youre working at heights, and a socket/tool just barely gets away from you and rolls over the edge and all you can do is......."oh shittt, heads uppppp!"

[@grmpEqweer]

Hmm. Do they make tool lanyards? Not sure how they'd do that, other than a fastener with magnets to hold some tools.

[@harridan.]

@@grmpEqweer i have seen nets around some high sites...

[@grmpEqweer]

@@harridan. Yes. I see that at a site near where I work. I hope those are substantial enough to hold falling humans.

[@harridan.]

@@grmpEqweer one would hope!

[@duncancurtis5971]

Diamonds are Forever low budget atom bomb booms.

[@BrettonFerguson]

This is probably the main reason the US phased out liquid fuel rockets and kept solid fuel rockets for their nuclear arsenal. Both land based Minuteman III and submarine based Trident ballistic missiles use solid fuel rockets.

[@harridan.]

comforting.

[@BrettonFerguson]

@UChD5TetOOz47P_MKjHeV4JA You seem to have poor english comprehension. I never said "This is why Titan missiles were replaced". I certainly never said anything about Atlas missiles. I said this is probably why liquid fuel rockets were replaced with solid fuel designs. This being the the risk of leaks, risk of explosions, the actual leak, the actual explosion, and the maintenance necessary on liquid fueled rockets which lead to the leak and explosion. Solid fuel eliminates or greatly reduces all of these problems. They could have replaced the Titan with a newer liquid fueled rocket design. They didn't. They only build solid fuel rockets. MGM-134A Midgetman, 1991 prototype. LGM-30G Minuteman III, 1970-still in use. Pershing II, 1980. LGM-118 Peacekeeper, 1986. LGM-35 Sentinel, proposed 2026. UGM-133 Trident II, 1990- still in use. After this incident in 1980, all the liquid fuel designs were cancelled. They produced only solid fuel designs after 1980. They still make new designed liquid fueled rockets to launch satellites and people. So liquid fuel works fine for that use. Just not nuclear warheads that need constant maintenance for years to be ready to launch on short notice.

[@carlosvictoriafalcon637]

I was a young crew commander in the 70s and pulled alert on the day after the accident. Pre-departure took extra time as we had to make numerous corrections to our “dash-1” tech orders. For several alerts thereafter we were updating our tech orders to make procedural changes. The site was full of hazards and the fuel/oxidizer especially so. Pulling alert at the Titan II was more engaging than Minuteman I suspect as we were co-located with the sortie and the liquid fuel system requires much more maintenance and environmental conditioning than the minuteman. Their challenges were keep on top of their many systems. My only regret is that I didn’t do a follow up tour on GLCM or airborne launch crew.

[@Dobviews]

The SAC ignored the men on the ground hampering actions on site and slowing everything down to a crawl. Instead of listening to the men onsite and working quickly SAC held up almost all actions making the situation worse/more dangerous from 6 pm - 3 am. I was about 3 when this took place.

[@kimikriggs1966]

I lived 90 miles northeast of Damascus when this happened. It was a terrifying realization that we were that close to destruction.

[@Youcanttouchmyhandle]

History has taught us that a transparent Government is best. Putting you own country at risk to destroy the whole world is really not saving anything it’s self destruction. The effects of working with nuclear , the cancer , diseases, pollution , loss to habitat and animals the list of just don’t do it in the first instance is endless. Thank you for sharing no doubt you would remember the terror of human mistakes like it was yesterday

[@nickyblue4866]

@@Youcanttouchmyhandle if we want to stop climate change we need to go full nuclear-powered for energy consumption.

[@Myuutsuu85]

Not sure, what you mean by this. The warhead can't detonate unless it happens under very specific, and highly precise circumstances. And even, if the warhead detonated, a distance of 38 miles is sufficcient enough to not feel any effects of the blast at all.

[@Youcanttouchmyhandle]

@@nickyblue4866 one word Chernobyl

[@kimikriggs1966]

@@Myuutsuu85 I was in high school when it occurred. I know now that there was no immediate danger. In 1980 I was 14, it was very scary to me not knowing there were missiles, much less nuclear, in the state.

[@user-nj2ol1tg8t]

I remember as a kid my dad would point out silos around us here in Arkansas. also not too far from here they cleaned up an old reactor not too many years ago.

[@jasonduncan69]

Arkansas has only ever had 1 nuclear reactor site. Arkansas One in Russellville. If you are referring to the power plant in Newark. It's coal fired.

[@user-nj2ol1tg8t]

@@jasonduncan69 not too far out of fayetteville there was a test reactor site.

[@user-nj2ol1tg8t]

@@jasonduncan69 seriously look it up, as much as you want to be right. and call someone out about you being superior in your knowledge.

[@bbbcfitchburg2563]

I remember this well. It occurred a couple of years before I left the USAF. I remember the briefings. Very tragic to be sure. I concur that there was zero change of a nuclear detention, BUT the chance of radioactive debris was very real and quite fortunate that it did not occur. Thanks for the good video. Cheers!

[@teeanahera8949]

*detonation

[@eugeneoreilly9356]

Probably auto text.

[@alanwatts8239]

Nuclear dentention sounds like some evil torture method used in the Fallout universe.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

Read my entry at the top of the comments. 1-Point Detonation can occur. Test done and proven at the Nevada Test Site . ! of the 4 test DID DETONATE !

[@TheGrumpyEnglishman]

The Titan served admirably as a launch vehicle for the 1960's Gemini manned space flights.

[@333ivan333]

Excellent summary thank you! I have heard bits about this but now it is much more understandable. Props as always to you and your channel!

[@333ivan333]

FYI it is possible they DID test safety features on live warheads (Coloumb tests???) IIRC though not to the degree you've described (thank God) IIRC (and this is going back to a thesis I worked on at university a lifetime ago) there were several live tests of such features on actual (small yield) warheads in the Nevada desert in the 1950s. Now that might be a topic you'd be interested in - tangentially of course, or perhaps Fallout City USA (specifically, the radioactive contamination that several times fell upon St. George, Utah and surrounding areas, particularly during tests Nancy and Harry), or perhaps the atomic soldiers. Anyway, great vid that certainly spawned a lot of thought!

[@briancisco1176]

I watched the launch of a Titan at Vandenburg AFB in the early 1960s. The sound alone was overwhelming, awesome, unforgettable.

[@bobgrey6137]

As someone who lives in the area (and have my entire life), I've always found this situation fascinating, but also worry about the potential of the area still being a prime first-strike target for enemy missiles.

[@bobgrey6137]

@@tony78uk48 They wouldn't fire at that silo, but one of several dozen other silos in the area. And yes, the US has a very capable defense system, that is never a guarantee.

[@dakotalucky13]

Nuclear sponge

[@alun7006]

Honestly, that's a good thing. In the event of nuclear war you want to be as close to a target as possible. You want to be vaporised in the first wave, not eking out a miserable post-apocalyptic existence waiting to die of radiation poisoning or previously treatable disease.

[@atigerclaw]

"Was there ever any risk of a nine and a half megaton explosion?" No. Nuclear weapons are actually horrendously difficult to set off. Detonating a nuclear warhead is actually a perfect storm of conditions that must be precisely controlled in order to sustain the reaction to the point of detonation. If the warhead was damaged in any way during the incident, you would lose the precision to create those conditions, and the result would be a messy dud explosion from the ignition explosives. Secondly, there would be no risk of accidental triggering, as there are _multiple_ safety interlocks that prevent arming of the warhead. And I'm not talking 'oh there's a switch here' casual speak. I'm talking: 'Until the silo gives a fire order to the missile, there are physical pins and stops that separate the arming mechanism from the firing mechanism entirely'. These weapons were designed by people who fully understood what they were messing with, and really didn't like the prospect of the thing going off in their face... Even without nuclear materials. It's STILL a container full of explosives. Nuclear weapons are HARD. That's why they only get built by properly industrialized and technologically mature powers. Otherwise, they'd be as common as cannons in the 17th century.

[@LandNfan]

From 1966-1969 I was stationed at McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS. My job was maintaining communication equipment on sites identical to these. The biggest danger around the Titan II, officially known as the LGM-25C weapon system, was the fuel and oxidizer used in it. Liquid fueled missiles prior to Titan II used cryogenic liquid oxygen and a kind of kerosene. Because of the super-cold oxidizer, the missile could not be kept on alert with fuel loaded. It had to be fueled after receiving the launch order, a process which took nearly an hour. The Titan II used a hypergolic fuel and oxidizer which was stable at ambient temperature, allowing the missile to be stored fully fueled. It could launch within about one minute of receiving the order. Both the hydrazine fuel and the nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer were horribly toxic and ignited when they came in contact with each other.

[@zae2193]

I really need to ask, how could such a wrench puncture such a strong weapon? How is it so flimsy? Flimsy so much that a tool part could blow the fuel outwards. Was the metal used; Aluminium or something? Also surely using Nitrogen would cause many more problems like causing metal damage. Like it becoming brittle. Would that be the reason that happened or am i just completely wrong all together? haha

[@ToastGamingNCrew]

​@@zae2193 the skin of the missile is just aluminum sheetmetal, an 8 pound socket going pretty fast will cut a hole through it pretty easily, and since the interior section it punched through had *pressurized fuel*, just like a can of compressed air, it sprayed out into an aerosol mixture. The oxygen and nitrogen compounds are used specially designed cryotainers made to hold them so that the incredibly combustible oxygen doesn't boil and ignite immediately, while I'm not as familiar with nitrogen, it's the same basic principle

[@zae2193]

@@ToastGamingNCrew Sheetmetal for real? I've worked around that for a while and know it is pretty brittle in that sense that it doesn't take much to cut into. Surprised such little would be used on such a highly dangerous weapon. Thanks for the explanation, helps a lot more, now understanding.

[@USAmerican100]

@@zae2193 Has to be thin to keep the missile light. Otherwise could not go 6000 miles.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

@@zae2193 Yes, you are partly wrong. The airframe is rather thin on the Titan to save weight. To make the entire structure strong, it utilizes pressurization of both fuel and oxidizer tanks to keep the tanks and missile skins in tension rather than compression, making is very robust. However, as the 1 tank was leaking and no air could get inside the tank, negative pressure or a vacuum formed inside the tank. The very weight of the full and pressurized upper tank was bearing down on the lower tank and airframe structure. As the hours passed the lower tank became so weak that COLLAPSE was definite and would cause the upper tank to rupture, mix the fuel and oxidizer and EXPLODE ! Also calculate the weight of an 8 lbs. socket falling a distance of 50 to 60 ft. It now has greater weight and the VELOCITY at which it hit the side of the missile. Evidence of the explosion shows it began IN THE SILE and NOT AT THE FAN OR SWITCH. The evidence is that the SILO DOORS blew of in time before the warhead could impact them as shown by the pics of the recovered warhead. Second, you are thinking of CRYOGENIC NITROGEN, super cold. This is just gaseous nitrogen to pressurize the tank/ airframe as a homogenous unit and prevent any oxidation !

[@digitalworms]

I live in Arkansas I've never thought about seeing if you can check out this nuclear silo! May take a small road trip one day!

[@laurenalexs]

If memory serves, there are up to 12 interlock conditions that must be met before a nuclear weapon can arm and detonate, resulting in a nuclear explosion. There have been a few cases in US military accidents like this when the only last interlock was the only safeguard stopping the ignition sequence, with all of the other interlocks made or failing to do their job.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

CORRECT ! Watch video , " NUCLEAR 911 " . Read " COMMAND AND CONTROL " then read , " ATOMIC ACCIDENTS ", and you'll get a much better idea of just how many times we Lucked Out !

[@captainscarlett1]

I bet all of the residents of Damascus, Arkansas were very aware of the existence of the ICBM silos just up the road. An outsider could drive up the road and not really see anything but the locals saw Air Force personnel coming and going and knew they were in the vicinity of a prime target for nuclear destruction.

[@tommym321]

Yep. It was also a local landmark, used when giving directions to people

[@patrickdunnett2447]

Thank you for this episode. Once again you've provided very interesting content and exemplary narration. I always enjoy your clips!

[@GodlikeIridium]

Great video! There are professions where you don't want to hear an "Ops"... I've worked with a lovely old woman in a lab. Who, because of her age, just didn't learn new stuff. No matter how often i told her, that the instrument shut down for safety while she changed the column on a gas chromatograph, because she didn't shut down the hydrogen flow before doing it, she did it again and again... And also left the flame ionization detector on, who, as the name suggests, has a flame in it... Luckily there is good ventilation in a lab, so it was safe. But still...

[@thomasmeyer6407]

I'm at work and seeing this video just made my day! Thank you much!

[@theravenseye9443]

Ha - glad I could help..!

[@SteveMack]

@The Raven's Eye - Discovered your channel a few nights ago, and have since binge watched everything; love your work - New subscriber from Australia :)

[@EstorilEm]

I would have stresses and clarified that the Titans performance was almost entirely due to its lightweight construction - so light, that it couldn’t support its own weight. I know it was mentioned that the “heavy upper stage and nuke might crush the bottom part” - but many aren’t aware that the rocket literally can’t support itself if it isn’t pressurized.

[@carlosvictoriafalcon637]

The steps taken to swap out a missile require careful propellant transfer to prevent the airframe from collapsing.

[@stevenewton7787]

Mental

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

ALL missiles and rockets are designed for weight savings so a larger payload can be lofted into space orbit. The missile design is sound as long as it is maintained as designed. Fuel and oxidizer tanks are kept at specific levels and pressure to keep the airframe strong and integral ! Amazing that the airframe didn't collapse sooner !

[@chriswerkes8313]

I worked on the T-ll program, and the fuel is Hydrazine, and the oxidizer is Nitrogen Tetroxide. Since the mix is hypergolic, when Hydrazine comes into contact with any oxidizer, it immediately combusts. It was only a matter of time before the leaking fuel came into contact with some rust in the silo- like a metal staircase, or some rust on a pipe not covered with paint. Rust is oxidized metal, and therefore an oxidizer. Slowly, over time, the shift to solid fuel motors on strategic missiles became the norm, because they are more stable over the long term.

[@chrisanderson6204]

While working on an Atlas rocket, near the joint between the booster and the interstage adapter, a co-worker lost a bic lighter from his shirt pocket .(prohibited to have ignition sources on your person on the pad while fuel was aboard) the lighter impacted the elbow of the 10 inch external LOX line from the LOX tank to the turbopumps 5 decks below. that line is like .040 stainless. the lighter ruptured (BOOM) but there was no flame. We tethered our tools to our wrists, and were supposed to keep lighters in our pants pockets. Fortunately there was no fuel on board, but if the line had been compromised it could have meant de-stacking the whole missile and sending it back to the factory for repairs. Also fortunately it was downstream of the LOX shutoff valve, which was closed. This guy had been working Atlases since I was a pup. fred.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

Scary as hell ! Protocol should have been everyone must empty out their pockets in front of an ARMED GUARD , pull Pockets inside out, etc ,.... just exactly for that reason. 1 single human mistake could have cost thousands of lives depending on damage to the warhead ! An Air Force tech used a screwdriver rather than a fuse puller and fired the retro- rockets on a R-V , causing it hit the silo door then fall down between the silo wall and the missile air frame ! And just because he was TOO LAZY to go get the Right Tool for the job !

[@Metal73Mike]

No conventional explosion can set of a thermo-nuclear device. In fact you need an atomic explosion to set it off :-) Nice vid !

[@terryt5512]

This one is reminiscent--not in a good way--of the B52 that broke up over North Carolina in 1961, and was carrying two 3-megaton nuclear bombs. One bomb disintegrated without detonating but the other was only prevented from doing so by one safety switch--all of the others failed. Those were respectively "only" three megatons. A three-megaton explosion would wipe a city like New York off the face of the earth and leave fallout that would render much of the northeastern seaboard uninhabitable. And this involved a 9-megaton warhead! Lord in heaven. Accidents such as these are beyond terrifying.

[@elliottprice6084]

The events covered on this channel are eye popping. That's why I love watching these videos

[@VictoryAviation]

I’ve been to the museum in AZ. If you get the opportunity, definitely go check it out. It’s an incredible thing to see in person.

[@das5813]

Not strictly true that the bomb couldn't be accidentally fired. The fissile material in the core, already overloaded through extensive refinement with neutron heavy material simply needed to be compressed to become critical. This compression is usually created by explosives wrapped around the core. The explosion using a type of plastic explosive can also be used as a fire lighter as it can be made to burn readily with a flame, unless, , ,it's in a confined space in say a nuclear warhead, in which case once it reaches its self accelerating decomposition temperature, it'll explode. Your welcome.

[@Roanish]

Not that it was mentioned here, but "Command and Control" by Eric Shlosser is an excellent book covering this event in significant detail as part of a larger story around the systems, politics and shortcomings of managing and controlling a nuclear arsenal.

[@davids2839]

Don’t worry. Everyone in those rural areas were and are acutely aware that nuclear silos are within their midst. No different than us city folk being acutely aware of the Nike missile sites surrounding the city centers until the 80s.

[@cw4608]

Hey now, I was built in the 60’s and doing just fine thanks! ;)

[@waynewilson8714]

I remember when there was a fire in the Bomarc missle silo on Ft. Dix back in the 1970's. They couldn't stop the fire so they filled the silo with concrete. Incidentally, there was a report in the same year of an MP killing an alien on Maguire AFB right next to Ft. Dix.

[@calebsmith2362]

The only channel worth the price of a new video notification.

[@nitehawk86]

9:22 This was used as the missile silo for the Phoenix in Star Trek: First Contact.

[@PaulRubino]

As soon as i heard an exhaust fan was being turned on i thought "there's your spark".

[@nickd3157]

I watched the documentary they did on this incident, such an innocent mistake, such deadly consequences.

[@keliciaigbinazaka4538]

I have never heard of this before! Another brilliant video from you Raven

[@TheRealCCSmith]

I have some friends who live near Damascus Arkansas, they told me about this incident probably 25 years ago. I thought they were full of crap. A few years later a coworker claimed that he worked on the decommissioning of the silo.

[@dark2023-1lovesoni]

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, "This American Life" by NPR/PRX, and they had an interview where Airman Dave Powell tells the entire story (episode is called "Human Error in Volatile Situations", highly recommended). He starts with very little introduction. I remember hearing things escalate in the story and just constantly thinking, "Obviously, it doesn't go worst case scenario. I'm a huge military history nerd, and I'm certain I would've heard about any serious nuclear missle silo accident previously." I was clearly wrong. By the time they started describing the blast (a good 35+ minutes into the story), I was transfixed, surprised, curious, and horrified, all in equal measure. Apparently, the US gov did their best to downplay the story, suppress media attention, and prevent widespread documentation. Powell has a LOT, beyond what's already in the video, to add. Such as the fact that he and Livingston (the dead man) were close buddies and roommates. Or the fact that initially he lied to command about what had actually happened and that delayed their ability to respond accordingly. The event eventually ended Powell's military career and caused him much remorse. Anyone that's even a tiny bit interested NEEDS to definitely give that episode a listen. It's quite literally my favorite episode of my favorite podcast.

[@Nefville]

Its not really possible for a warhead to go off accidentally like that. Even if the explosives that surround the core were to explode, they have to go off in a very particular sequence to compress the core, if they don't it won't detonate. Not that it has to, it could still spread radioactive materials all over the place. Its so improbable its basically an impossibility.

[@chrisanderson6204]

If the warhead had been compromised, cracked, broken open, there would have been radiation leakage, which could have been bad enough, but the design of the nuke required a specific sequence of events to detonate impossible to duplicate outside of it's design. Even so, the warhead was a tough nut to crack.

[@johndemeritt3460]

I just came across this piece in my feed -- again -- today. As I looked at the thumbnail, I thought, "Oh! I've already seen this one." Then I looked at the thumbnail again and noticed that the missile climbing out of the silo is actually a Titan I: you can tell by the smaller diameter second stage and the different reentry vehicle configuration. Am I the only one to miss this previously?

[@paulaburrows8660]

Jeez everybody knows that when there's a gas leak you don't switch anything on because of a possible spark.

[@kenlane8484]

I was assigned to the 2MAPS squadron at Little Rock AFB, the base where the crews came from I drove a tractor trailer from base to rocket site with equipment the very next morning ,the warhead had be found and was removed just before i got there...the site was just a giant farm field covered in softball size concrete chunks from the 750 ton blast doors twisted fences and giant steel beams everywhere i remember the crew pickup truck close to the hole all burned and twisted...when we got back to base we had to get blood and urine tests at the hospital

[@Gail1Marie]

When I was stationed at Edwards AFB in the 1990s, a Titan rocket motor (from a solid-fuel booster, if I recall correctly) was dropped and slid down the cliff below the Rocket Lab on Lehman Ridge, across the lakebed from the base. It ignited and blew up. I was walking to my car to go to a meeting, and my first thought was, "Gee, that sun sure gets in your eyes." And they I realized that the sun was off to my right. A few seconds later, the "boom" came, and everyone came boiling out of the buildings to see what had blown up. And that was just a booster motor. I can't imagine the primary or second-stage boosters blowing up.

[@joeylawn36111]

9:06 Not totally true. When the US tested nuclear weapons, some of the tests were safety tests of warheads where they were indeed tested to make sure there was no unintended full detonation. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_design#Warhead_design_safety

[@Evocati-Augusti]

We had Silos on the same road as our High School on Defense hill Rd. Shoreham NY and are home run fence had 30 abrams tanks lined up...

[@jakesteele4047]

Faulty ventilation system, wow. Wonder which contractor constructed the bunker. But no the thing couldn't have gone critical, it survived a massive external explosion and landed intact after flying through the air. Even if the casing was breached the explosion around the fissile material has to be uniform for the reaction to work.

[@mcintoshdev]

Actually a lot of the tests conducted by the US before the bans revolved around the testing of safety features. Also take note that the exact physics required of a starter explosion using conventional means is very precise.

[@ethanweeter2732]

For one, the fission only occurs if the core is first activated. I assume there are redundancies on how the core is activated to the point it would never activate accidentally on a nuclear warhead.

[@Lambda.Function]

Luckily, it's true. Due to how criticality works, nuclear warheads are mechanically incapable of detonating even if their lens array detonates due to sympathetic explosion, or if any of the firing mechanism is damaged. The precision required to achieve criticality due to implosion requires the bomb to be in perfect working order or it just won't happen. If anything is damaged or goes wrong, it just sprays radioactive dust over a small area.

[@SteveWright-oy8ky]

A small correction to the statement by the Air Force that , " a nuclear detonation could not happen " is wrong ! Due to the number of Broken Arrows and other nuke weapons mishaps, 4 tests were done at the Nevada Test Site of what was called 1-Point Detonation ! That a single stray bullet, electrical charge or hot shrapnel could in fact , set off a nuclear detonation . 1 of the 4 test PROVED CONCLUSIVELY that a 1-Point Detonation can happen in REAL LIFE , it was now established as a FACT ! Yet it still took nearly 20 years for the weapons safety designers to get the military to install the better fail-safe devices and P.A.L.s ! Far too many accidents of the many different nukes is concern enough to us all and is still a major issue !

[@asnarf6881]

There's another Titan II that you can visit, not just the one at the Titan II museum. The National Museum of the United States Air Force has both a Titan I and a Titan II in the Missile Gallery.

[@civiliandefenseradio]

I’m very close to a PTS member who was directly involved with this. Absolutely crazy how this all went down and to hear it from an inside source.

[@yzScott]

Re: the possibility of accidental nuclear detonation To get a nuclear detonation requires a perfectly coordinated detonation of the conventional explosives around the primary. It simply cannot happen without the detonators being triggered by the firing circuit. Those circuits would not be energized at that time. Any unsymmetrically in the lenses that compress the primary and it just won't work. It might make a hell of mess spreading plutonium around the local area, but it won't be problem measured in megatons. In fact, there was an incident where a B58 landing gear collapsed and caused a big fire. Several B53 warheads burned. Their primary explosives were detonated, but "nothing" happened. (for a very exciting definition of "nothing")

[@eugeneoreilly9356]

Adds a new dimension to the old saying,dropping a spanner into the works.

[@MIXMAXENTERTAINMENT]

Amazing video ! Well structured and truly interesting! Additionally as someone who watches KZbin in bed before going to sleep, I'm happy to hear you've got a leveled soothing voice! You've earned my subscription!

[@duncancurtis5971]

I've suggested to Plainly Difficult doing the ghastly 1917 Modane train crash, one destined to happen due to ignorance and bad planning in wartime. So awful it was hushed up for years.

[@theravenseye9443]

Was that the French one - where the troops were coming back from the trenches..?

[@meaninglessvalue7778]

Plane ride home from Florida I see my step-dad sat next to a guy in a flamboyant caddilac jacket. Turns out it was one of the guys that got blown up here, showed him a binder of photos from the incident, told him about the documentary he's in called "command and control" we watched it that night, ive watched it more than 5x now probably and have told many people about it I highly highly recommend it.

[@theresadimaggio7241]

These Workers where stupid.. I saw this on frontline. both of the workers, once inside the container where the rocket was, decided not to go back to get the right tool for the job. At one point, once the huge nut was removed, the one worker, handed the item over to the other. Asking if he had it tight in his hand. He said he did . However, it slipped out of his hand, falling down hitting the side of the rocket. That is when the rocket fuel began to spay out. It began filling the whole container. Rocket fuel is extremely. toxic and if inhaled, will burn up the lung instantly. The two workers decided not to tell anyone in the plant about what happened. However, the computer alarms started firing off wildly. The only ones I feel bad for, are the firefighters who died in the accident. Extreme radiation was now filled in the area. The firefighters went in, risking their lives. Farmers who lived around this hidden missile sight, had no idea it was even there? I hate all nuclear company's. I am hoping we will stear away from it in the near future. God Bless

[@jasonduncan69]

You are confusing this explosion and Chernobyl. No radiation was released in this, and only 1 was killed. 21 were injured, and Jeff Kennedy later died from cancer attributed to areozine 50 contamination.

[@florret2003]

Get you facts straight. There was no radiation and one person died.

[@poowg2657]

I was 24 when this happened and it wound up on all major news shows. Seems like yesterday.......

[@sulfertrioxide4029]

I didn't know about this until a story, My grandfather was on Sight after the Titan 2 explosion an just saw a hole in the ground.

[@rogerspence1332]

Jesus everytime I hear stories, it's insane how hard it is to make a nuke go off "accidentally".

[@lulabelle5452]

I'm from Fayetteville, AR & I had never heard of this til I saw it on another disaster video on youtube! This is crazy! 😲

[@captainkhakis9826]

My father was the longest serving TV news director in Little Rock history. 41 years at the same station. I recently lost my mother ,father and grandmother back to back to back. I know everyone goes through it but it's been extremely difficult for me. My dad died of pancreatic cancer. He was a healthy, active man, he exercised, didn't smoke. I wasn't born till 86' but when I was a kid my dad had my scout troop come do a tour of the news studio, control room, etc, and described that he was one of the first media crew on site of this incident when he was first starting out in journalism. It never really hit me until about 3 days after he was diagnosed. He lasted 13 days. I can't stop thinking that this was probably the contributing factor to his cancer. Miss ya mom and dad.

[@tomhekker]

Great vid, happy KZbin recommended your channel to me!

[@uss-dh7909]

I wonder what happened to the two kids that were originally performing the checks?

[@Chris-vz7en]

'19' and' 21' year olds doing maintenance around a nuclear missile already makes me really nervous.

[@leticiaigbinazaka2283]

So many disasters that we never get to hear about! Great video as always!

[@DoubleMonoLR]

Personally I've heard of this event multiple times.

[@robinwells8879]

Coordinating the detonation of the implosion charges to produce a perfect implosion was one of the major challenges in the development of the bomb. The risk was of a low order explosion resulting in a dirty bomb. The fact that it Shrugged off this mechanical insult is testament to the skills of the design engineering team responsible for its development.

[@thomthumbe]

The worst possible “nuclear” event would be a dirty explosion. The only way the warhead could have blew up as a true nuclear explosion is if the complex ignition system in the missile would have done its job, which is to set off all the conventional igniters at a very specific moment. All of the safety systems and safety measures did their job. I’m guessing the blast from the rocket propellent below the warhead would have been a very unorganized blast of energy upward, resulting in little more than a huge, inefficient mortar for the entire warhead.

[@casper3130]

Yep, l was 17 and thought life might end, we headed North from Clinton to Marshall until we found out that wasn't far enough and drove 200 miles into Missouri staying at a cheap hotel until they said it was safe again.

[@Davest420]

I can’t believe they wouldn’t have thought about the spark from those fans getting turned on. Ridiculous.

[@TileGuyJesse]

Talk about a design flaw. I can't believe the guys that drew up that silo design didn't take into account the fact that fuel leaks and/or chemical leaks in a confined space require a spark-less and static free exhaust system as well as insulated switch panels and phones. I remember being in paint and solvent factories and THEY thought enough to implement those things as well as required footwear for visitors that would eliminate static discharge. That poor kid was a victim of government bureaucracy plain and simple. They gave him a button that would instantly kill himself. And how did that clown that had the wrong socket live with himself knowing that his screw up killed a serviceman. Tragic.

[@blazerbarrel2]

Really , always now under threat , so sad for us all , everyone . Take the time to get along with each other !

[@johnkubik8559]

Congratulations to all the engineers who build a warhead able to go thru a 750 tons concert door without exploding, while only using slide rulers. Let's just hope the modern engineers performing simulations on petaflops computers can perform as well.

[@tufsoft1]

"there were safety measures in place to ensure that no accidental ignition of the warhead could ever happen". If safety measures are that foolproof, why weren't there safety measures in place to ensure that the silo couldn't explode in the first place?

[@otaku1524]

Remember hearing of this when I was younger. RIP to Airman Livingstone.

[@dominicseanmccann6300]

The biggest boom he ever heard? He was lucky he didn't get the 'boom' he wouldn't hear. 9.5 mt? These people are nuts.

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

The thing about that type of nuclear weapon is that it needs a very specific timing for triggering the explosives for the implosion of the weapon core. If the whole sphere does not detonate within a window of a few microseconds, then it just doesn’t trigger the nuclear reaction. Cooking off explosives like that could not deliver the extremely precise timing needed

[@ShadeEmberi]

Won't turning on the fans create a spark... Yes, yes it will

[@jennylee9278]

19 and 21 years old. Children guarding the most dangerous weapons ever created.

[@rosalindwyatt8274]

If the guy who dropped the piece of equipment had been using the correct tool, and he dropped that instead from the same height, would it have just pinged off the metal of the missile instead of causing a hole? Just curious for comparison. Does anyone know what happened to the guy? A terrible thing to live with. Thank you for this video, very interesting 👍🏼