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 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[?]