A nuclear invasion on the moon? Yes, you heard it right! If the U.S.A went ahead with its plan during the Cold War with Russia, there would have been significant bits and pieces of the moon floating in the space today. In a secret project recently discovered, the United States had planned to blow up the moon with a nuclear bomb in the 1950s as a display of its strength during the Cold War space race.
The sight of a magnificent nuclear flash from Earth was meant to terrify the Soviet Union and boost US confidence. The nuclear detonation could have occurred by 1959, which is when the US Air Force deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles. The project documents were kept secret for nearly 45 years and the US government has never formally confirmed its involvement in the study – physicist Leonard Reiffel, 85, told the Associated Press.
The nuclear load was to be launched through a missile from an undisclosed location and later ignited when it hit the surface of the moon, causing a huge explosion which could have been visible from Earth’s surface in the form of a huge flash.
However, for the good of future space explorations and for fear of space contamination by radioactive materials, the mission was aborted and the project was officially cancelled by the Air Force in January 1959, says RT.com.
