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Project Chariot-The summer my father met Robert Oppenheimer [1]
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Date: 2025-04-20
In the mid 1950s, Edward Teller, the father of the H-Bomb proposed detonating 6 hydrogen bombs near Cape Thompson in northwestern Alaska (68°05'59"N 165°45'49"W). It was called Project Chariot.
Project Chariot, proposed bomb locations DOD document
This would be fantastic feat in geo-engineering using nuclear bombs to create a deep water port. Project Plowshare was tasked by the Atomic Energy Commission with identifying peaceful uses for the hydrogen bomb. One of the first ideas was Chariot.
Project Chariot materials on the beach
Because of political, environmental and health concerns the project never progressed beyond the exploration and research stage.
Weasel track rigs
My father, a geology student at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks had just turned 20 when he was offered a job for the 1959 field season.
Assembly of the drill rig and support tent
He spent the summer logging boreholes and mapping the surrounding geology for the project.
Permafrost, continuously frozen soils, were found to range from 800 to 1000 feet deep. The friction from the drilling action would melt the ice and frozen soils. The melted material would then slough into the hole filling it with debris. Chilled diesel fuel was used to reduce the temperature of liquids in the hole and support the sidewalls of the holes keeping the frozen soils inplace.
These borings were used to study the geology and geotechnical properties of the underlying material. They were also used to facilitate the installation of thermistor strings to collect temperature data from the permafrost.
The preliminary Geology report on the 1958 and 1959 season can be found here.
https://lmpublicsearch.lm.doe.gov/lmsites/5253-cht000010.pdf
Off loading equipment and supplies
A partial season of cores and samples where lost on the way to Seattle. During transit several of the refrigerated sample containers were lost overboard.
Inupiat Barabara
These are my father's photos from the summer he met Dr. Oppenheimer, mapped the surrounding mountains, used 100% Deet to battle the mosquitoes and swam in the Chukchi Sea.
Swimming in the Bering Sea
An excellent description of Project Chariot, is told in the book, The Firecracker Boys by Dan O'Neill.
Drilling in the land of the midnight sun
#ProjectChariot
#Alaska
#Cape Thompson
#Geoengineering
#Science
#Hydrogenbomb
#Oppenheimer
#UniverityofAlaskaFairbanks
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