Operation Misty Picture was conducted on May 14, 1987 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The Defense Nuclear Agency detonated over four thousand tons of ANFO in a fiberglass dome to replicate the blast and shock of a small nuclear explosion.1 The resulting airblast allowed agencies to evaluate the effects on weapons systems, vehicles, and structures. The test was part of the Misty Castle series and followed the Minor Scale event two years earlier.2
Objectives and Execution
Misty Picture aimed to create a realistic nuclear environment for Department of Defense experiments. Seven thermal radiation sources were used to augment the blast, and missiles and rockets were fired into the dust cloud to study erosion on reentry vehicles.3 The explosion produced an overpressure equivalent to an eight kiloton nuclear device, providing valuable data on ground motion and thermal effects.4
Legacy
Data from Misty Picture informed later hardening and survivability programs. The official report details the preparation and environmental measurements collected during and after detonation.5