Five Men Agree To Stand Directly Under An Exploding Nuclear Bomb
npr.org
npr.org
You got me to click. Congratulations. Still, I'd expect that tactic from Gawker, not NPR.
A live Genie was detonated only once, in Operation Plumbbob on 19 July 1957. It was fired by AF Captain Eric William Hutchison (pilot) and AF Captain Alfred C. Barbee (radar operator) flying a F-89J over Yucca Flats at an altitude of 4,500 m (15,000 ft). A group of five USAF officers volunteered to stand hatless in their light summer uniforms underneath the blast to prove that the weapon was safe for use over populated areas. They were photographed by George Yoshitake who stood there with them. Gamma and neutron doses received by observers on the ground were negligible. Doses received by aircrew were highest for the fliers assigned to penetrate the airburst cloud ten minutes after explosion.
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/science/14atom.html?pagewa...