Testing, Testing, Tory 2 A and C...
The machinery needed to realize the tests was just as impressive as the weapon and reactor designs themselves. Remember, this device is a barely-shielded nuclear reactor. it wasn't safe for individuals to approach the device during operation. In his excellent article on the subject,
Barton C. Hacker explains the lengths they went to to ensure safe operation:
"Because ramjets function only at high speed, ground-testing posed unique challenges. Simulating Mach 3 flight conditions required an air system able to deliver to the reactor test unit's intake roughly 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of air per second at upwards of 1,000°F (570°C) and almost 600 psi (40 kg/cm2). The air storage farm held 1.2 million pounds (550,000 kg) of air at 3,600 psi (250 kg/cm2), enough for a five minute test run at full power. Important data came from taking the reactor apart for study after testing. Highly radioactive, it required a purpose-built, heavily shielded building where the reactor could be disassembled with remote controls. Remote controls also directed the battery-powered railcar that carried the reactor over the two miles (3 km) of track between test pad and disassembly building. The static test facility ranked with the reactor itself as Project Pluto's 'two major technical accomplishments'."
Devices such as these would be impressive today, but this is all happening in the early 50's! At one point, nearly 300 people were working simultaneously on Project Pluto. These tests were conducted at Jackass Flats, at the Nevada Test Station by Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.
