A-Blast Rocks Nevada Test Site
An underground nuclear weapons test rocked the Nevada Test Site Saturday, the second blast at the desert facility in the last eight days, a federal official said.
The test, code named “Laredo,” was originally scheduled Thursday, but it was postponed because of strong winds blowing toward Las Vegas, about 75 miles to the southeast. The U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees the testing program, prohibits blasts under certain weather conditions.
The nuclear warhead was detonated about 1,200 feet underground as seven Soviet scientists spent the weekend in nearby Mercury, Nev., a small town about 32 miles from ground zero. The town houses test site workers.
The Soviet scientists are in the area in preparation for a joint experiment later this summer in which they will monitor a U.S. test.
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