The absurd (but real) plan
In 1958, a group of scientists hired by the United States Air Force received a highly unusual mission: develop a symbolic way to demonstrate power to the world. The idea needed to be bold, impactful, and ideally visible from Earth. What they proposed was this: nuke the Moon.
The reasoning was straightforward. The Soviet Union had taken the lead in the space race with the launch of Sputnik, and the U.S. was desperate to respond in kind. Therefore, a nuclear explosion outside the planet could serve as a definitive gesture of technological superiority.
The initiative was given a discreet, technical name: Project A119. But who actually tried to bring it to life? And more importantly, how did this plan go from top secret to one of the most bizarre concepts ever considered in the space race?
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Space race and paranoia
A life-size replica of the Sputnik-1 satellite, installed in 2007 in front of the Madrid Planetarium. The sculpture commemorates 50 years since the launch of the first human-made object to orbit the Earth, carried out by the Soviet Union in 1957. Photo by Barcex, via Wikimedia Commons – License CC BY-SA 3.0
Geopolitical tension and competition defined the late 1950s. The Cold War was in full swing, and in October 1957, the Soviet Union shook the world by launching Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in history. This event transformed the space race into a matter of prestige—and national security.
In the United States, the mood was urgent. There were growing fears that the Soviets might be technologically superior—or even militarizing space. As a result, the U.S. began considering a symbolic, public gesture to reaffirm its dominance. That’s the context in which a proposal emerged to detonate a nuclear bomb outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
And within that extreme scenario, the most radical idea of all appeared: nuke the Moon.
The birth of Project A119
Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where Project A119 was developed by the U.S. Air Force. Photo by Ken Lund, via Wikimedia Commons – License CC BY 2.0
The plan was formalized within the U.S. Air Force under the technical title “A Study of Lunar Research Flights.” The Air Force Special Weapons Center, based at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, conducted the project in total secrecy.
To carry out the mission, the military hired the Armour Research Foundation of Chicago. Physicist Leonard Reiffel was appointed to lead the project and coordinate a team of scientists to assess the feasibility of the mission. Among them was a brilliant 23-year-old named Carl Sagan, who would later become one of the most influential science communicators of the 20th century.
The team studied technical, physical, and visual aspects of the explosion. The plan was to detonate the bomb at the lunar terminator—the dividing line between the Moon’s day and night sides—to ensure the explosion would be visible from Earth.
Carl Sagan, researcher who took part in Project A119. Image via Wikimedia Commons – Public domain
What did they really know about the effects?
Despite the precision of their calculations, there was a great deal of uncertainty. Scientists knew very little about the Moon’s surface composition, the potential for debris ejection, or how radiation would behave in an airless environment.
Studies suggested the explosion would leave only a small crater due to low gravity and lack of atmosphere. The proposed warhead had a yield of about one megaton, but visual impact was the main objective. The project wasn’t aiming for mass destruction—just a visible flash as a display of power.
Reiffel’s team also considered the risk of failure. Such a mission required perfect orbital precision and remote control at a time when computers filled entire rooms. Any error could lead to complete failure—or a political disaster.
Why the project was abandoned
In 1959, Project A119 was quietly canceled. There was no public announcement, no congressional debate, no media coverage. Records remained classified for decades.
But the decision wasn’t primarily technical. What really shut it down was the concern that nuking the Moon would instill fear instead of admiration. Such an act could be interpreted as aggressive or provocative, especially as the world began debating the ethical boundaries of nuclear weapons.
There were also genuine doubts about the scientific and strategic value of such a gesture. A nuclear detonation in space offered no real military advantage and could jeopardize future space exploration. With high risk, high cost, questionable usefulness, and a damaging international image, the plan was dropped.
How the world found out
For over 40 years, Project A119 remained a secret. It only came to light in 2000, when Leonard Reiffel gave an interview to The Guardian, revealing key details of the operation. Later, parts of the original report were declassified and released by the National Security Archive.
The revelation made headlines around the world. The fact that a young Carl Sagan had been involved in the calculations made the story even more captivating. Ironically, Sagan’s involvement only became public because he referenced the project in a postdoctoral application—technically violating the mission’s secrecy.
Legacy and reflection
Project A119 never left the drawing board, but its legacy is real. It reflects the extreme ideas that were taken seriously during the most intense years of the Cold War, all in the name of strategic deterrence.
The case also helped fuel the conversations that led to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which prohibits the use of nuclear weapons in space and on celestial bodies. In a way, the world realized it needed rules before any of these plans ever became reality.
Today, the story of when the U.S. considered nuking the Moon circulates as a bizarre historical footnote—a tale that sounds like science fiction but stands as a concrete reminder of the days when power was louder than reason.
References
- A Study of Lunar Research Flights – Volume I (1959). U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo.gov)
- When the US Air Force wanted to nuke the Moon (Association of Air Force Missileers)
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