AEC Films Available Online at the National Archives
The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), established in 1946, used documentary filmmaking as one of its primary public outreach tools. Between the late 1940s and the agency’s dissolution in 1974, it sponsored hundreds of films that documented nuclear research, promoted peaceful uses of atomic energy, trained scientists and engineers, and shaped public opinion about the Atomic Age. By 1972, the AEC catalog listed 232 films available through regional film libraries for schools, universities, industry, and civic organizations.
Most of these films are available for viewing at the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) in its Moving Pictures and Sound Research Room in College Park, Maryland. However, the vast majority are only available in 16 mm format. Only a fraction have been digitized.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of AEC’s creation, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) History program is providing direct, phased access to more of these films. The first phase includes descriptions and links to 22 films that can be downloaded from the NARA website. The second phase will provide access to films that have not previously been digitized by NARA, but will soon be viewable via DOE’s History program.
For reference, the 1972 USAEC Combined Catalog lists 17 subject categories for educational and informational films and describes 134 films in areas including agriculture, biology, ecology, environment, industrial applications, medicine, nuclear research, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and power reactors. Part 2 of the catalog lists 16 technical and professional subject categories and describes 98 technical films for use primarily by professional audiences such as colleges and universities, industry, researchers, scientists, engineers, and technologists. The subjects include engineering, fuels, medicine, peaceful nuclear explosives, physical research, and principles of atomic energy. At the time, all films were available for free from the five AEC libraries listed.
The following 22 films are currently available for downloading at NARA and also available below.
Atomic Energy as a Force for Good is a 1955 dramatized educational short film produced by Father James Keller’s Catholic civic organization, the Christophers. The 27-minute production highlights the contrast between the destructive nature of atomic weapons and the peaceful applications of nuclear energy such as power generation, agricultural advancements, and disease treatments. The film addresses public skepticism and champions the medical and industrial potential of atomic power. In the film, AEC is buying up ranch land to build an atomic energy plant. Members of the community debate whether they want the government building A-bombs in their town. A child with brain cancer is the deciding factor.
Atomic Energy as a Force for Good highlights the contrast between the destructive nature of atomic weapons and the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. The film addresses public skepticism and champions the medical and industrial potential of atomic power.Atomic Energy Can Be a Blessing is a 27-minute vintage 1952 educational short film hosted by actor Fred MacMurray and produced by the Christophers. The documentary outlines the peaceful applications of nuclear power in medicine, industry, and agriculture, framing the atom as a divine gift rather than a human-made curse. Coverage features the Brookhaven National Laboratory alongside general stock footage facilities from AEC. The short was designed to counteract the era’s widespread fears of nuclear devastation in the wake of World War II by championing the positive potential of nuclear technology.
Atomic Energy Can Be a Blessing is hosted by actor Fred MacMurray and outlines the peaceful applications of nuclear power, framing the atom as a divine gift rather than a human-made curse.Atomic Energy for Space is a 1966 educational documentary produced by the Handel Film Corporation in cooperation with AEC and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Running about 17 minutes, it outlines the role of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Nevada Test Site in early development of nuclear power for space exploration, specifically contrasting the efficiency of nuclear rockets with traditional chemical engines. The film is part of “The Magic of the Atom” series and is designed to explain two primary ways nuclear energy was envisioned to be utilized in space: nuclear propulsion and spacecraft power.
Atomic Energy for Space outlines the role of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Nevada Test Site in early development of nuclear power for space exploration.The Atomic City is a 12-minute episode in “The Magic of the Atom” series, produced by the Handel Film Corporation in the 1950s. It explores the infrastructure, layout, and daily operations of planned, government-constructed “atomic cities” (such as Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington) built to house scientists and workers during the Cold War. The series was produced with technical assistance from AEC and the University of California, Los Angeles and designed to present a positive, peaceful vision of nuclear development.
The Atomic City explores the infrastructure, layout, and daily operations of planned, government-constructed “atomic cities” built to house scientists and workers during the Cold War.The 28-minute 1962 documentary Atomic Furnaces, produced by AEC, highlights the science and infrastructure of early nuclear reactors. The film covers reactor principles, including the fundamental physics behind splitting the atom and how a nuclear reactor serves as a controlled “furnace.” Historical locations include a virtual tour of pioneering research facilities, including installations at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos. A segment also demonstrates step-by-step how materials are irradiated in AEC’s famous “water boiler” reactor at Los Alamos.
Atomic Furnaces highlights the science and infrastructure of early nuclear reactors and covers the fundamental physics behind splitting the atom and how a nuclear reactor serves as a controlled “furnace.”Atomic Physics is a 1948 film produced by United World Films for the J. Arthur Rank Organization Ltd. This 82-minute film discusses the history and development of atomic energy, stressing nuclear physics. Michael Faraday’s early experiments in electrolysis, Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table, and early concepts regarding atoms and molecules are also discussed. The film presents research tools of nuclear physics and explains the work of Frédéric Joliot-Curie and James Chadwick discovering the neutron and John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton splitting the lithium atom. Albert Einstein explains how their work illustrates his theory of the equivalence of mass and energy. Other featured scientists include J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, J.D. Cockcroft, and Otto R. Frisch.
Atomic Physics discusses the history and development of atomic energy, stressing nuclear physics. The film presents research tools of nuclear physics from a variety of scientists.Atomic Power at Shippingport is a 1958 informational short film and documentary detailing the creation of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the world’s first full-scale atomic electric plant built exclusively for peaceful civilian use. The 28-minute film focuses primarily on technical aspects and uses animation to explain scientific principles like nuclear fission, heat transfer, and fuel fabrication. The film includes footage of President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the dedication of Shippingport along with footage from construction milestones.
Atomic Power at Shippingport details the creation of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the world’s first full-scale atomic electric plant built exclusively for peaceful civilian use.Atomic Tests in Nevada is a famous 1955 short promotional documentary produced by AEC. This 25-minute nontechnical film explains the reasons for continental testing of nuclear weapons and describes testing procedures at the Nevada Test Site, with detailed information on measures taken to protect the public. Designed as a public relations tool to convince the American public that atmospheric nuclear testing was safe and vital for national defense during the Cold War, it showcases the extensive precautions taken by the military and scientists, including weather tracking, cloud monitoring, and public notifications in nearby towns like St. George, Utah.
Atomic Tests in Nevada explains the reasons for continental testing of nuclear weapons and describes testing procedures at the Nevada Test Site, with detailed information on measures taken to protect the public.Atomic Weatherman was produced by the Martin Company for AEC. This 18-minute 1961 film describes the world’s first radioisotope-powered weather station, which is still operating unattended at a remote site in the Canadian Arctic. The atomic weather station is powered by a thermoelectric unit in which the heat from the decay of strontium-90 is directly converted into electricity. The film showcases the generator operation: loading the radioisotope source into the weather station generator; direct conversion of heat into electricity; weather-station equipment for sensing, data processing, and control and transmission; final testing; and the 4000-mile journey north into the remote Canadian Arctic aboard an icebreaker. Brief information is also given on the application of other strontium-90 thermoelectric devices.
Atomic Weatherman describes the world’s first radioisotope-powered weather station, which is still operating unattended at a remote site in the Canadian Arctic.The Atomic Zoo is a 1954 short educational documentary film from the series “The Magic of the Atom,” produced by the Handel Film Corporation with AEC. The 12-minute film focuses on the peacetime applications of atomic science for economic benefit. It explores how radioactivity affects animals and food products, featuring experiments with sheep, fowl, and fish. It shows how tests can track the transmission and impact of radioactive materials in aquatic life, livestock, and basic food supplies to promote public confidence in the atomic age. Footage from Hanford includes sheep studies and fish studies conducted by biologists who measure the effects of radiation exposure.
The Atomic Zoo explores how radioactivity affects animals and food products, featuring experiments with sheep, fowl, and fish.This 15-minute 1961 documentary, Atoms at Work: The Latin American Exhibit, features AEC’s traveling exhibition rather than domestic nuclear production sites. The tour’s key international host cities featured in the film are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. After opening-day ceremonies, there is a flashback showing the construction of the exhibit structure and facilities. The film shows various exhibits and facilities, including the three-screen theater, the nuclear power exhibit, the industrial-applications exhibit, the agricultural exhibit, the medical exhibit, the health and safety exhibit, the gamma tank, and the nuclear-research test reactor.
Atoms at Work: The Latin American Exhibit features AEC’s traveling exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.Produced with the cooperation of Encyclopedia Brittanica Films Inc., Paramount News, the U.S. Information Agency, and AEC, Atoms for Peace is a 17-minute film on the beneficial uses of atomic energy. It ties together film footage from various sources to cover the entire range of peaceful applications of atomic energy in industry, biology, medicine, and agriculture with an emphasis on radioisotopes, cancer treatment, and the potential of nuclear power with footage from Experimental Breeder Reactor I.
Atoms for Peace ties together film footage from various sources to cover the entire range of peaceful applications of atomic energy in industry, biology, medicine, and agriculture.
Atom Smashers is a 17-minute film from 1954 that is part of “The Magic of the Atom” series produced by the Handel Film Corporation. It explains the purposes, principles, and methods of particle accelerators. It shows how swift atomic projectiles “smash” atomic nuclei apart for the scientific examination of subatomic particles. Views of various particle accelerators include the first 4-inch cyclotron, the giant “Bevatron” at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Cosmotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory, as well as images of photographic trails left by smashed atoms.
ATOM SMASHERS explains the purposes, principles, and methods of particle accelerators.The 1949 AEC documentary Bikini Radiobiological Laboratory is a nontechnical film about the 1946 atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, revisiting the area three years on and examining the effects of radioactivity on plants and marine life. The 20-minute film provides details on scientific field studies, marine-life tracking, and long-term radiation analysis, featuring the work of University of Washington Applied Fisheries Laboratory scientists who provide reports to AEC.
Bikini Radiobiological Laboratory is about the 1946 atomic tests at Bikini Atoll, revisiting the area three years on and examining the effects of radioactivity on plants and marine life.The Church in the Atomic Age is a 19-minute film from 1948 produced by RKO Pathe Inc. that engages moral questions related to the use of the atomic bombs at the end of World War II and the challenges facing Christians in the new atomic age. It opens with the Bikini Atoll testing explosions and traces events leading up to use of atomic bomb as a weapon of war, beginning in 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, continuing with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s declaration of war, developments at Oak Ridge, experiments at Los Alamos, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Footage includes graphic images from World War II, notable Manhattan Project scientists, and captured Japanese film never before released showing Japanese developments in the atomic race.
The Church in the Atomic Age engages moral questions related to the use of the atomic bombs at the end of World War II and the challenges facing Christians in the new atomic age.Giving Wings to the Atom is an AEC documentary film that explores the development of atomic propulsion for aircraft, focusing on the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion project from 1946 to 1961. The film covers the primary goals of the program, the various technological approaches explored, and test flights conducted.
Giving Wings to the Atom explores the development of atomic propulsion for aircraft, focusing on the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion project from 1946 to 1961.The International Atom is a 25-minute 1961 AEC film that explains in basic terms nuclear fission, the use of nuclear power for the propulsion of ships, the use of irradiation in the food industry, and the production and use of radioisotopes in medicine with radioactive tracers and the sterilization of instruments and in agriculture with fertilizers and screw-worm elimination. The film also demonstrates international cooperation and research in a wide range of nuclear research and development fields.
The International Atom explains in basic terms nuclear fission, the use of nuclear power for the propulsion of ships, the use of irradiation in the food industry, and the production and use of radioisotopes in medicine and agriculture.The 26-minute1948 AEC film Operation Crossroads documents the 1946 U.S. nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, showcasing the devastating impact of the aerial Able and underwater Baker blasts on a fleet of 95 target warships. The films detail the intense damage, radioactivity, and scientific data gathered, including the use of test animals to study radiation effects.
Operation Crossroads documents the 1946 U.S. nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.Operation Greenhouseis the official documentary film for the 1951 U.S. nuclear weapon tests at the AEC Pacific Proving Grounds on Enewetak Atoll. The 21-minute film from 1952 describes joint AEC and U.S. Department of Defense scientific and technical operations during proof testing of weapons. It shows the effects of blast and heat on structures, aircraft, and various other items.
Operation Greenhouse is the official documentary film for the 1951 U.S. nuclear weapon tests at the AEC Pacific Proving Grounds on Enewetak Atoll.Radiation As a Cause of Cancer is a 20-minute AEC film from the1960s that claims to offer a public service by presenting an overview of the basic facts that have been clinically and experimentally established regarding the effects of radiation on living tissue. It explains how ionizing radiation causes malignancy through direct DNA damage, mutations, and the failure of cellular regulatory mechanisms and illustrates the molecular processes that transform normal cells into cancerous growths.
Radiation As a Cause of Cancer presents an overview of the basic facts that have been clinically and experimentally established regarding the effects of radiation on living tissue.The Warm Coat is a 1969 color documentary produced by AEC detailing Operation Sea Otter Transplant, a joint wildlife conservation effort to relocate sea otters from Amchitka Island to new Alaskan habitats. The film chronicles safety and conservation measures, capturing efforts to move otters from the site of AEC underground nuclear tests to Southeast Alaska and the Pribilof Islands.
The Warm Coat details Operation Sea Otter Transplant, a joint wildlife conservation effort to relocate sea otters from Amchitka Island to new Alaskan habitats.The archival documentary film Weapons Effects Test Grable documents the historic 1953 Shot Grable nuclear test, featuring the firing of a 15-kiloton nuclear artillery shell from the M65 Atomic Cannon at the Nevada Test Site. The 4-minute film shows the massive 80-ton cannon setup, the launch, and high-speed footage of the destructive overpressure and shockwave hitting desert test structures, along with footage of military personnel and leadership, including Arthur W. Radford and Charles E. Wilson, viewing the exercise from safe observation trenches.
Weapons Effects Test Grable documents the historic 1953 Shot Grable nuclear test.Working Together is a 1957 film from the U.S. Information Agency that summarizes international cooperation advancing the peaceful applications of atomic energy. Topics include U.S. shipments abroad of radioisotopes; President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” announcement to the United Nations (UN); the first shipment abroad by AEC libraries; and the UN General Assembly debate on the international agency.
Working Together summarizes international cooperation advancing the peaceful applications of atomic energy.
NARA Films Digitized By DOE History Program
The DOE History program has worked with NARA to digitize several films that previously only existed in 16 mm form in AEC’s collections at the Moving Image and Sound Research Room at NARA in College Park, Maryland. These films represent a wide range of work done by AEC over the course of its history and demonstrate some of the techniques used to educate the public and promote the agency’s missions.
Atomic Power and the United States is a 25-minute film from 1959, produced by the U.S. Information Agency, which summarizes activities of both the government and private industry as they deploy atomic energy to generate electric power. It compares conventional and nuclear approaches. By animation and live action, it explains six important nuclear power projects at Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho’s National Reactor Testing Station, Santa Susana’s Sodium Reactor Experiment, Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, Virginia’s SM-1 Pressurized Water Reactor at Fort Belvoir, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Homogeneous Reactor Experiment. The film outlines industry’s contributions and the sharing of technical know-how overseas through the Atoms for Peace program. Footage also includes images from CP-1 and Enrico Fermi.
Atomic Power and the United States summarizes activities of both the government and private industry as they deploy atomic energy to generate electric power.Atoms For Space is a 28-minute film from 1962 that describes the development and use of compact nuclear power sources for space under AEC’s Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) program. By means of animation and models, the two basic concepts of the SNAP program are shown. In one approach, the energy of decay from radioactive isotopes is used to generate electricity directly, without moving parts. This method was developed for AEC by the Martin Company, the aerospace division of the Martin Marietta Corporation. The other SNAP approach, developed by Atomics International, a division of North American Aviation Inc., uses the heat from a compact nuclear-fission reactor to generate electricity by a turbogenerator system or by direct conversion. The film briefly summarizes applications in communications, weather observation, research, navigation, astronomy, exploration, and the consequent need for more compact electrical power sources as space technology advances.
Atoms For Space describes the development and use of compact nuclear power sources for space under AEC’s Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power program.Balloon Borne Radiation Spectrometer is a 7-minute AEC film from 1962 that explores the role of an Argonne National Laboratory instrument in following the movement of debris after Soviet atmospheric bomb tests. Images of the instrument, interviews with scientists, and animation are used to illustrate how the instrument works to detect radioactive material at altitude. Future studies of fallout deposition are also briefly discussed as part of a joint collaboration with AEC and the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Balloon Borne Radiation Spectrometer explores the role of an Argonne National Laboratory instrument in following the movement of debris after Soviet atmospheric bomb tests.Building for Atomic Energy is a 21-minute AEC film from 1958 that documents the construction of the Savannah River Plant (SRP), the largest single construction project ever undertaken by AEC at the time. The film focuses on the specialized engineering requirements for nuclear facilities. It also provides background information on atomic energy and radiation exposure and protection. Images of the SRP and the surrounding area are coupled with construction scenes involving various buildings, powerhouses, distribution systems, communication networks, cooling water systems, reactors, tank farms, and processing facilities. Some peaceful uses of the atom are also briefly discussed, including use of radioisotopes.
Building for Atomic Energy documents the construction of the Savannah River Plant, the largest single construction project ever undertaken by AEC at the time.Construction of the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor is a 14-minute AEC film from 1955 that provides information about this unique facility constructed at Argonne National Laboratory. The film illustrates critical construction phases, including the fabrication of the 119-foot-high steel containment shell and the installation of the reactor pressure vessel and control mechanisms.
Construction of the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor provides information about this unique facility constructed at Argonne National Laboratory.Chromosome Labeling by Tritium is a 15-minute sound and color film produced by the Jam Handy Organization for AEC in cooperation with Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1958. The film, narrated in French, outlines the advantages of using tritium, a weak beta-emitting isotope, for high-resolution autoradiography in cellular and chromosome studies, using a combination of laboratory footage and animation.
Chromosome Labeling by Tritium, narrated in French, outlines the advantages of using tritium for high-resolution autoradiography in cellular and chromosome studies.EBR-1 Core Disassembly After Melt Down is a 13-minute film from AEC produced in 1958. The film presents some major aspects of the removal and subsequent disassembly of the core of the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR) I following a meltdown in 1955. It illustrates the hot laboratory remote-control techniques used to separate and recover enriched fuel from the damaged core during disassembly of the core at Argonne National Laboratory. Samples of the core are also collected and analyzed in the film, with 40-50% of the fuel being found to enter a molten phase during the meltdown. All of the fuel was recovered for reprocessing.
EBR-1 Core Disassembly After Melt Down presents aspects of the removal and subsequent disassembly of the core of the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR) I following a meltdown in 1955.EBR-II Fuel Cycle Development is a 9-minute AEC film from the 1950s that presents some of the major aspects of the development, then in progress, of a completely integrated fuel cycle for the EBR II. It includes coverage of the remote handling, reprocessing, fabrication, and reassembly of the EBR II fuel element. The film uses animation and equipment mock-ups to illustrate the processes and techniques involved.
EBR-II Fuel Cycle Development presents the aspects of the development, then in progress, of a completely integrated fuel cycle for the EBR II.Group Shelter is a 9-minute 1960 film produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Motion Picture Service for AEC. Designed to be of interest to both technical and nontechnical personnel concerned with the protection of large groups from the effects of nuclear weapons, it describes an underground corrugated metal arch shelter design for the protection of 100 people for two weeks or more. A model shows the aboveground entryway and belowground compartments for sleeping, living, services, and utilities. The design is based on experience gained during 1957 effects tests at the Nevada Test Site and subsequent engineering studies and is described in detail in Civil Effects Test Operations Report CEX 58.7 AEC Group Shelter.
Group Shelter describes an underground corrugated metal arch shelter design for the protection of 100 people for two weeks or more.The Magnetic Bottle is a 10-minute film from the U.S. Information Service from 1958 that provides a concise summary of the United States Sherwood Program for research into controlled nuclear fusion, which was located at multiple primary national laboratories and universities, key among them being Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and Princeton University in New Jersey. It shows various operating experimental devices, explains their principles and the many complex problems involved in possible future development of full-scale machines to create unlimited industrial power by controlling a continuous fusion process at millions of degrees of temperature.
The Magnetic Bottle provides a concise summary of the United States Sherwood Program for research into controlled nuclear fusion.ML-1 Mobile Nuclear Power Plant is a joint production from the U.S. Army and AEC from 1963. This 26-minute film states the Army’s logistical need for mobile power and shows how that need is partially filled by the design, construction, testing, and field operation of a new transportable power reactor plant, the ML-1. The film explains the design and development of this gas-cooled, water-moderated reactor, which took place at AEC’s National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho, and the Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. The film also covers operating crew training, ML-1 assembly, checkout and test run, system transportability testing using mock-ups, simulated transportation of the ML-1 to the field, and its startup and criticality.
ML 1 Mobile Nuclear Power Plant shows how the U.S. Army’s need for mobile power was partially filled by the design, construction, testing, and field operation of a new transportable power reactor plant, the ML-1.
No Turning Back is a 27-minute AEC film from 1971, narrated by well-known actor Lorne Greene. The film asks if “society can continue to produce and thrive and grow in harmony with Nature’s plan” and suggests some people trying to answer this question are part of the ecology research program supported by AEC. It features visits with scientists and researchers involved in ecological field studies at various laboratories and natural sanctuaries across the United States. This includes work being done at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Savannah River Site, Hanford Site, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
No Turning Back is narrated by well-known actor Lorne Greene. The film asks if “society can continue to produce and thrive and grow in harmony with Nature’s plan” and suggests some people trying to answer this question are part of the ecology research program supported by AEC.Nuclear Energy Goes Rural is a 15-minute AEC film from 1963 that presents the background, planning, and construction of the Elk River Reactor for Minnesota’s Rural Cooperative Power Association. After the film establishes the rural background and setting, it shows the planning of the reactor. Using animation, it explains the principle of the boiling water reactor with conventional superheated steam, comparing this process with household hot air heating systems. The reactor’s control rods are compared to the thermostat. The film also covers the “SCRAM” emergency shutdown process along with fuel operations and the air monitoring system.
Nuclear Energy Goes Rural presents the background, planning, and construction of the Elk River Reactor for Minnesota’s Rural Cooperative Power Association.Power Reactor Experience is a 28-minute AEC film from 1964 that surveys the current status of power reactor development in the United States with particular emphasis on the economic aspects and the development of the privately-owned nuclear power industry. The film discusses fuel burnup, power levels, and containment. The narrator also explains how increased design limits have allowed light water reactors to compete with fossil-fueled plants. Finally, the film covers topics including breeder reactors, thorium and plutonium recycle techniques, and chemical and spectral shift reactor controls.
Power Reactor Experience surveys the status of power reactor development in the United States with particular emphasis on the economic aspects and the development of the privately-owned nuclear power industry.Project Dugout is an 8-minute AEC film from 1964 that documents this chemical high-explosive experiment conducted June 24, 1964, at the Nevada Test Site in AEC’s Plowshare program. The experiment involved the simultaneous underground detonation of five 20-ton charges of nitromethane placed in a row. The principal purpose of the experiment was to advance fundamental knowledge of nuclear excavation technology and row cratering effects in a hard rock medium. The film describes the purpose and objectives of the experiment, previous work with single-charge underground explosions, preparations for the detonation, the detonation, and the resulting row crater. The moment of detonation is shown in regular and slow motion and from several vantage points.
Project Dugout documents this chemical high-explosive experiment conducted June 24, 1964, at the Nevada Test Site in AEC’s Plowshare program.Project Gnome is a 29-minute AEC film from 1963 that features famous physicist Dr. Edward Teller, who discusses the objectives of the Plowshare Program and the preliminary results of Project Gnome in the opening and closing scenes. This film covers the first nuclear detonation conducted under AEC’s Plowshare Program for development of peaceful uses of nuclear explosives from its planning stage through the early months of the post-detonation period when scientists entered the human-created cavern.
Project Gnome covers the first nuclear detonation conducted under AEC’s Plowshare Program for development of peaceful uses of nuclear explosives.Project Rover is a 22-minute AEC film from 1963 that offers a progress report on AEC’s program for the development of a nuclear rocket for spacecraft propulsion. The film explains the principle of the nuclear rocket, demonstrating the advantages of the system. A survey of the work at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory follows, showing work done in the design, fabrication, and testing of a Kiwi non-flying test reactor. This includes core configuration studies in a “Honeycomb,” the reactor design staff at work, the test facilities, the blending of graphite and uranium for fuel, and construction of the reactor components by contractors. The film also showcases testing of the Kiwi at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station.
Project Rover offers a progress report on AEC’s program for the development of a nuclear rocket for spacecraft propulsion.Radioisotopes: Their Application to Humans as Tracer Studies and for Therapeutic Use is a 23-minute film from 1963, produced by AEC and the Medical Film Guild. The film features a drawing of a human being labeled to show the ways in which radioisotopes can be used in diagnosis and treatment. Along with presenting the characteristics of radioisotopes, the film introduces equipment used in tracer studies, demonstrated on patients. Graphs, charts, and drawings present the data collected in cases of a pedicle graft, atrophied skin after X-ray therapy for cancer, iron metabolism, the permeability of teeth, therapy for thyroid disease, bone tumor metastases, malignant lesions of the eye, corneal transplants, ovarian cancer, brain tumor, and polycythemia vera.
Radioisotopes: Their Application to Humans as Tracer Studies and for Therapeutic Use presents the characteristics of radioisotopes and introduces equipment used in tracer studies, demonstrated on patients.The Radioisotope: Part IV — Methodology is a 40-minute film from 1951. The film is number four of six of the U.S. Army’s Professional Medical Film Series on the radioisotope. It explores the underlying principles and practical considerations governing tracer usage along with the design of tracer experiments. The film also discusses the seven criteria of tracer methodology through illustrative experiments.
The Radioisotope Part IV — Methodology explores the underlying principles and practical considerations governing tracer usage along with the design of tracer experiments.The Radioisotope: Part VI — Practice of Radiological Safety is a 33-minute film from 1952. The film is part six of the U.S. Army’s Professional Medical Film Series on the radioisotope. It focuses on practical considerations and techniques involved in the safe handling of radioisotopes, basic principles of safety as outlined in the Bureau of Standards Handbook, the layout of a typical high-level radioisotope laboratory, protective clothing and metering equipment, exposure control and decontamination, monitoring, and shielding techniques.
The Radioisotope Part VI — Practice of Radiological Safety focuses on practical considerations and techniques involved in the safe handling of radioisotopes.Underground Nuclear Explosion Excavates Artificial Lake is a 10-minute AEC film from 1958 that documents Soviet peaceful nuclear explosions. The film highlights Soviet nuclear test footage from the Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy program, specifically demonstrating earth-moving cratering tech used to form reservoirs like Lake Chagan. The film uses animation and footage from the shot to demonstrate techniques, monitoring and recording equipment used to collect data for subsequent evaluation. The explosion in the film excavated more than 10 million cubic meters of geological material. The film also includes images of the crater, measuring nearly 100 meters deep and 350 meters in diameter, along with images from subsequent laboratory study and flooding to create the reservoir, holding 6 million cubic meters of water.
Underground Nuclear Explosion Excavates Artificial Lake documents Soviet peaceful nuclear explosions. The film highlights Soviet nuclear test footage demonstrating earth-moving cratering tech used to form reservoirs like Lake Chagan.