The first Soviet atom bomb was tested

August 29, 1949 at 7 a.m. Moscow time on Semipalatinsk training test site № 2 under the Ministry of the Armed Forces was successfully tested the first Soviet atomic bomb RDS-1.

The first Soviet atomic bomb RDS-1 was created in CB-11 (now the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, VNIIEF) under the supervision of Igor V. Kurchatov and Yuli B. Khariton. In 1946, Yu. Khariton wrote the terms of reference for the development of an atomic bomb, structurally resembling the American bomb "Fat Man". RDS-1 bomb was a plutonium aircraft atomic bomb of the characteristic "teardrop" shape and the mass of 4.7 tones, 1.5 m in diameter and 3,3 m long.

Prior to the atomic explosion, efficiency of systems and bomb’s mechanisms had been successfully tested while dropping the bomb from an aircraft without the plutonium charge. August 21, 1949 a special train brought to the test site a charge of plutonium and four neutron fuse, one of which was to be used for undermining the military product. Kurchatov, under the instruction from L. Beria, ordered the test of RDS-1 August 29 at 8 a.m. local time.

On the night of August 29 was held the assembly of the charge, and the final assembly was completed by 3 a.m. Over the next three hours, the charge was raised to the test tower, fused with detonators and connected to subversive scheme. Members of the ad hoc committee L. Beria, M. Pervukhin and V. Makhnev controlled the final operations. However, due to bad weather, it was decided to shift all the works under the approved rules one hour earlier.

At 6:35 a.m. operators turned on the power system automation, and at 6:48 a.m. automatic test field was turned on. Exactly at 7 a.m. on August 29 at the Semipalatinsk test site was successfully tested the first atomic bomb of the Soviet Union. 20 minutes after the blast, two tanks were sent to the center of the field, equipped with lead shield, for the radiation survey and inspection of the center of the field.

October 28, 1949 L. Beria reported to J. Stalin about the test results of the first atomic bomb. For successful development and testing of atomic bomb, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of October 29, 1949 a large group of leading researchers, designers, engineers was awarded with orders and medals of the USSR; many were awarded the title of Stalin Prize winners, and the very developers of the nuclear charge - the title of Hero of Socialist labor.

Lit.: Андрюшин И. А., Чернышёв А. К., Юдин Ю. А. Укрощение ядра: страницы истории ядерного оружия и ядерной инфраструктуры СССР. Саров, 2003; Гончаров Г. А., Рябев Л. Д. О создании первой отечественной бомбы // Атомный проект СССР. Документы и материалы. Кн. 6. М., 2006. С. 33; Губарев Б. Белый архипелаг: несколько малоизвестных страниц из истории создания А-бомбы // Наука и жизнь. 2000. № 3; Тольц В. Первая советская атомная бомба [Электронный ресурс] // Радио Свобода. 2004. URL: http://archive.svoboda.org/programs/hd/2004/hd.072404.asp; Ядерные испытания СССР. Саров, 1997. Т. 1.