# " OPERATION BLOWDOWN " SIMULATED NUCLEAR BLAST TEST ON RAIN FOREST AUSTRALIAN CIVIL DEFENSE 74922

This film from 1963, "Operation Blowdown", explored the impact of a (simulated) nuclear explosion on a tropical rainforest. It begins with an introduction to the dense rainforest, increasingly affected by humans. Australian defense, lacking data on nuclear effects, planned a joint Army and Department of Supply experiment. Conferences and tests followed, with equipment designed in Melbourne. The remote Iron Range on Cape York Peninsula, with its WWII airstrip, was selected. The Army cleared the site, built a canvas city, and installed scientific instruments. TNT arrived, safety officers prepared the charge, and dummy figures were positioned. Final checks, evacuations, and high-speed cameras preceded the blast, captured in slow motion. Aerial inspections followed, revealing a mushroom cloud. Deemed a success, the operation provided critical data on nuclear effects in jungles, involving international observers and emphasizing meticulous planning. 00:00: Introduction 0:39: Tropical rainforest, rich in life, resisting civilization. 1:00: Human influence extends into the rainforest. 1:16: Question: impact of nuclear explosion on rainforest. 1:23: Lack of data prompts Australian defense planning. 1:34: Joint Army and Department of Supply experiment. 1:41: Operation Blowdown begins. 1:49: Conferences and tests; alternative to nuclear blast. 2:03: Special equipment designed in Melbourne. 2:15: Variety of scientific instruments used. 2:24: Months of preparation. 2:28: Iron Range on…

- Kind: Film
- By: PeriscopeFilm
- Genres: Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/74922operationblowdown)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/74922operationblowdown?play=1)