Shot John.

This is coolbert:

Out-of-uniform!

Air-air missile Genie carrying two kiloton warhead detonated the skies with personnel directly below at ground zero! Human guinea pigs.

"The Time We Nuked Five Men to Prove a Point"

"On July 19th, 1957, a 2-kiloton nuclear warhead exploded above the heads of five volunteers during 'Shot John' of the Operation Plumbbob series of US nuclear tests. Why would anyone volunteer to be at ground zero for such a blast, and what happened to them?"

Danger to the men on the ground rather nil if even that! Maybe if they were looking directly at the detonation as it occurred they would be blinded temporarily or permanently?

From the NukeSite map and simulation web site see the results for a two kiloton atomic detonation at an altitude of of 18,000 feet [about five and one-half kilometers] above Reno, Nevada, USA.

Effect distances for a 2 kiloton airburst*: ▼ [Detonation at an altitude of 18,000 feet [about five and one-half kilometers]

* Fireball radius: 80 m (0.02 km²)

Maximum size of the nuclear fireball; relevance to damage on the ground depends on the height of detonation. If it touches the ground, the amount of radioactive fallout is significantly increased. Anything inside the fireball is effectively vaporized. Minimum burst height for negligible fallout: 70 m.

* Radiation radius (5 rem): 1.83 km (10.5 km²)

"5 rem ionizing radiation dose; no immediate symptoms; less than 1% of survivors will die of cancer as a result of exposure."

* Thermal radiation radius (no harm): 1.91 km (11.4 km²) 6,500 feet. Thermal. 

"The distance at which anybody beyond would definitely suffer no damage from thermal radiation (heat). 100% probability of no significant thermal damage at this yield is 1.2 cal/cm2."

* Light blast damage radius (1 psi): 2.49 km (19.5 km²) 8,200 feet.  Blast.

"At a around 1 psi overpressure, glass windows can be expected to break. This can cause many injuries in a surrounding population who comes to a window after seeing the flash of a nuclear explosion (which travels faster than the pressure wave). Often used as a benchmark for light damage in cities. Optimal height of burst to maximize this effect is 0.59 km."

It seems YES those five men on the ground all officers the danger almost non-existent from radiation/thermal/blast danger!

Officers out-of-uniform not wearing headgear. If the hat of one man blown off and lost then all five still without headgear uniformly in violation of regulation. I guess that more important than anything else?

coolbert.