nuclear-tests-on-blimps

On august 7, 1957, a U.S. Navy Blimp was pulled down by the shock wave from a nuclear blast at the Nevada Test Site. The blimp was in temporary free flight in excess of five miles from ground zero when collapsed. Navy personnel on the ground in the vicinity of the experimental area were unhurt.

Operación Plumbbob was a series of nuclear tests conducted between May 28 and October 7, 1957 at Nevada desert. It was the biggest, longest, and most controversial test series in the continental United States. As part of the operation, some blimps were used to lift nuclar weapons or to test the shock wave effects on aircrafts. Here you are some amazing pictures of that era:

Photos courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office