The Big Problem That Happened After We Nuked Space

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Credits
Writer: Julia Masselos
Editor: Nick Shishkin
Thumbnail Designer: Peter Sheppard
Producer: Alex McColgan / Raquel Taylor

NASA/ESO/ESA

#astrum #astronomy #space #spacetechnology #nuclear #nuclearwar

[FredPilcher]

When I was a wee lad living in Sydney Australia my father woke me up one night and took me outside to see the red sky, which he explained was aurora australis. It was only years later that I realised that what we were seeing was Starfish Prime,

[Funder_Studio]

Blows holes in the atmosphere
Then quickly decides to stop
Then hole in ozone layer is blamed on the public use of hairspray

[Matthew.Morycinski]

I understood the need for peace when I was a 10 year old in Communist Poland. I understand it today as a 60 year old retiree in Canada. What we all, I think, underestimated, is how the voices of reason can be easily drowned out by the drumbeat of propaganda. This time it's many kinds of propaganda, but the result is the same: a spread of division, an inability to listen to reason, underestimating of threats to our survival, lack of cooperation. My hopes for the future are dim. We will likely all perish unless we realize that there is not a different future for each political, social and religious mythology. It's one future - same for all.

[Mr_Cognito]

I love how a big issue with the original nukes was "If we're not careful, we might ignite the oxygen in our atmosphere and set off a chain reaction that could kill everyone" and it evolved to "Lets set off a nuke bigger than the one we were concerned might burn off our oxygen, Really high up in the atmosphere"

[MagFireUK]

Only recently found your channel and no disrespect but really only began listening as something in the background to fall asleep to because your videos are delivered in such a smooth calming voice. But after a few videos I began to get more and more interested in watching them rather than falling asleep. I've never been a huge space person but your videos are so interesting I've learned so much. Thank you

[macun]

What I take away from this is how a willing few could care less about everyone else and having no idea what this could have done, still did it.

[Djrealfake]

When I recently heard the news about a hole in the magnetic field growing over the Pacific, a hole that has been tracked since the 50s. I immediately thought of these tests.

[ambergris]

I'm impressed by your understanding of international treaties. Thanks for pointing out clearly their features, strengths and flaws, not all channels can unfortunately.

[markfischer]

You omitted one of the most important conclusions, the nuclear blackout effect. The excitation of the ionosphere blinds all radar making defensive systems like S500 and THAD useless. In a nuclear war the first detonations will be above the earth's atmosphere. After that the defense systems won't intercept a single warhead or missile. The tests also convinced American scientists that their warheads would still detonate over their designated targets.

[robertduke]

In New Zealand I remember my father who was working at the local railway station waking my mother and the stood on the railway station gazing up at the sky. I was not supposed to be awake so only observed it from the doorway of the house. It was only years later when my parents discussed it that I realised what they had been looking at.

[kahidunn]

Mad men. Anyone that thinks a nuclear war is winnable is out of their mind.

[harrickvharrick]

The unbelievable insanity of the thoughtless desire to bring on destruction that many individuals push, destruction that increasingly threatens all of us, and takes away from livable circumstances for all of us on earth

[conquerunderstanding]

If you fire a gun in city limits you go to jail, but the government fires a nuke in the sky over earth and that’s ok. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[randyhavard]

Some of those nuclear test they did in the 50s were wild

[anitapeura]

As a science nut since my childhood in the 60s, so much of this is completely news to me. All my naive enjoyment of the advances in physics and space then take on a different colour now. And as for disrupting communications and power systems in a war, no-one needs nukes to do that any more! Thanks for making this, it's really important information that's easily forgotten, or buried.

[_Mute_]

I talked to an old Navy man who witnessed Starfish Prime firsthand! I saw him in the store with an aircraft carrier hat on, asked him what's something he won't forget about his time in and he told me the story!

[philipcarter]

I saw the glow of Starfish prime at age 5 in New Zealand, looking out the window while going to sleep. Really scary for a young child seeing the sky light up like that!

[SkipMDMan]

My mother worked for one of those three letter government agencies at the time and was part of a group that went to Hawaii. No idea what she was supposed to be doing but she took me along. I can remember watching the explosion and going through a lot of the after effects. It was amazing to my 11 year old self. I have to admit I kept after my mother to get assigned somehow to one of the ground or water based explosions so I could see the mushroom cloud but it never happened.

[ionnottelling]

Sir. We found the enemy. And He is...us!

[CAROLDDISCOVER-]

By 17 minutes this episode is over. Brings up some really good information at the beginning.