Nevada Test Site
The
Nevada Test Site is a
United States Department of Energy reservation located about 65 miles northwest of the City of
Las Vegas. Formerly known as the
Nevada Proving Ground the site, established on
January 11,
1951 for the testing of
nuclear weapons, is composed of approximately 1,350 square miles of desert and mountainous terrain.
Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site began with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats on
January 27, 1951.
- 1,100 buildings
- 400 miles paved roads
- 300 miles unpaved roads
- 10 heliports
- 2 airstrips
On
July 17,
1962 the "Small Boy" test shot Little Feller I became the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada Test Site.
Site is home to Area 51 and the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility.
See also: Atomic Energy Commission, Frenchman Flat, Big Explosives Experimental Facility, U1a Experimental Facility