What Would Happen If A Nuclear Bomb Was Detonated In Space

What Would Happen If A Nuclear Bomb Was Detonated In Space - Not A Myth

Have you ever wondered what would happen if humankind detonated its most powerful nuclear bomb in space? If so, then this article is for you.

When a nuclear bomb explodes on Earth, the huge release of radiation triggers the rapid expansion of air around it, causing the intense blast wave that wreaks so much destruction.

In the vacuum of space, the lack of air means the principal destructive effects come not from the blast, but instead from the particles and radiation pouring out of the bomb, which dump their energy as heat on striking the target.

Nuclear nations around the world (primarily Russia and the US) tested nuclear weapons underwater, in mountains, in the atmosphere, and even in space!

We can probably imagine what most of those explosions would look like, and what the repercussions would be, but what about that final one? What would happen if a nuclear bomb went off in space?

Nuclear Bomb Testing In Space - US History

Detonating nukes in space isn’t a new concept; in fact, the United States government performed such a test in 1962 after launching a 1.4 megaton nuclear bomb into space almost 400 kilometers above Earth’s surface; that's nearly the same altitude occupied by the International Space Station today. The results? Interesting, to say the least.

The bomb detonated above the Pacific Ocean, right over Hawaii. The corresponding explosion produced a bright flash and a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The EMP was so strong that it darkened street lights in Hawaii, made navigation systems go haywire, and even tampered with nearby satellite systems.

But this 1.4-megaton bomb was insignificant compared to the largest nuke ever detonated, the 50-megaton Tsar Bomba.

Performing the same test with the bigger brother of the two bombs would result in a fireball four times larger than the experiment conducted in 1962, and the EMP would be tremendously more powerful. This EMP would fry hundreds of nearby satellites, put International Space Station astronauts at risk of radiation poisoning, and disrupt substantially more of Earth’s power grid.

Fortunately, you needn’t worry about a nuclear bomb of this caliber being detonated in space. Researchers learned a lot from the tests conducted in 1962, and one of the lessons learned was that detonating nukes in space isn’t a good idea. That said, it’ll probably never happen again.




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