In the 1950s, the United States launched Operation Ivy, a series of two nuclear tests which inaugurated the thermonuclear era. As part of this operation, the Americans carry out the first real thermonuclear test under the code name Ivy Mikeby detonating this first H-bomb with a power of 10.4 Mt in November 1952.
An ultra-realistic VR experience
Thus, it is November 1, 1952 as Ivy Mike exploded on Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific. Due to its dimensions, this bomb could not be used as a nuclear weapon since it was not droppable. However, a year later, in 1953, the Soviets managed to develop the first air-transportable H-bomb.
For discover this test of Ivy Mikewe invite you to watch this video below.
Impressive ? Indeed, the explosion is much more powerful than the A-bomb. Scientists estimate that Ivy Mike was 500 to 1000 times more powerful than the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But if you want to be even more impressed, here’s something even more sensational!
If you want to know what a nuclear explosion looks like, we invite you to discover it thanks to virtual reality. This is a project made by Yle Sandbox teams on YouTube who have recreated the Ivy Mike explosion in a 360° video transporting us directly to Eniwetok Atoll in the heart of the Pacific at the time of the explosion of this H-bomb. The journalists of the YouTube channel wished model the effects of this nuclear explosion as realistically as possible.
And the least we can say is that the experience sends shivers down my spine, especially when one realizes the situation in Europe currently after the Russian offensive in Ukraine. If you want know everything about the dangers of nuclear power and how the different bombs workwe invite you to read our dossier.