Operation Argus
Operation Argus was secretly conducted during August and September of
1958, in the South Atlantic (see:
South Atlantic Anomaly), by the
US Atomic Energy Commission, in conjunction with the
Explorer IV mission. About
1800 km southwest of
Cape Town,
South Africa the USS Norton Sound AVM-1, of Top Secret Task Force 88, launched three modified X-17a missiles armed with
1.7 kt W-25
nuclear warheads into the upper atmosphere, in order to conduct tests regarding the
magnetosphere and the Van Allen radiation belts. The tests were proposed by Nicholas Christofilos of the
Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (LRL) as a means to determine the possibility of creating artificial radiation belts for
military purposes.
The Argus explosions created artificial electron belts resulting from the β-decay of fission fragments. These lasted for several weeks. Such radiation belts affect radio and radar transmissions, damage or destroy arming and fusing mechanisms of intercontinental ballistic missile warheads, and endanger crews of orbiting space vehicles.
The tests were first reported by the New York Times on March 19, 1959. More than 4,500 people participated in the operation. Followed the Hardtack I series, but preceded Hardtack II.
Argus Missile Launches
- Argus I
- Argus II
- Time: 03:18 August 30, 1958 (GMT)
- Location: 49.5 deg South, 8.2 deg West
- Altitude: 182 Miles
- Argus III
- Time: 22:13 September 6, 1958 (GMT)
- Location: 48.5 deg South, 9.7 deg West
- Altitude: 466 Miles
See also: Operation Hardtack I