Project A119, also known as the "Lunar Research Flight Study", was one of the most secret endeavors developed by the United States Air Force in 1958. His goal was to detonate an atomic bomb on the lunar surface. The purpose of this plan was not only to demonstrate the United States' superiority over the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but also to promote research in the field of planetary astronomy and astrogeology.
The project involved, among others: young Carl Sagan, who was responsible for modeling the expansion of the dust cloud that would result from a nuclear explosion on the Moon. It was important to find out how the Moon would react to the explosion and whether it would be visible from Earth. The whole idea of the project was to put on a "big show" that would show the world that the USA is leading in the space race.
The idea was to use the W25 warhead, lighter and with a relatively low explosive yield of 1.7 kilotons, as opposed to the much heavier hydrogen bomb that was originally considered. The explosion of this warhead took place on the shadow side of the Moon, and the resulting dust cloud would be illuminated by the Sun and visible from Earth.
The A119 project was ultimately canceled by the Air Force in January 1959, largely out of fear of the risk to the public if something went wrong during takeoff. Another factor that concerned Leonard Reiffel, the project leader, was the potential threat of nuclear contamination that could affect future lunar exploration projects and its colonization.
Later reports in the 2010s showed that there was also a corresponding Soviet project to detonate a nuclear device on the Moon as a show of force. Like the American plan, the Soviet project was canceled during the planning stages due to concerns about the safety and reliability of the medium.
Ultimately, the prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons in space, introduced by the Partial Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in 1963 and the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, prevented further research into detonating nuclear devices on the Moon.
The existence of the A119 project remained largely a secret until the mid-1990s, when writer Keay Davidson discovered the story while researching the life of Carl Sagan. Information about the project came to light after the publication of Sagan's biography in 1999, prompting Reiffel to reveal details of his studies and comment on the work that had been done on the project.
Despite all the controversy and potential dangers, the A119 project represents a fascinating chapter in the history of the Cold War space race and humanity's pursuit of space exploration. It shows the complexity of ethical and scientific considerations related to the conquest of space and the persistent desire to expand the boundaries of human knowledge.
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