Bare Reactor Experiment, Nevada (BREN) Tower (demolished)

USA / Nevada / Beatty /
 tower, historical layer / disappeared object
Jackass Flats was home to a second nuclear-related test. The High Energy Neutron Reaction Experiment (HENRE) program used a linear accelerator to provide neutrons which would be used in a radiation measurement test program. The 1,527 foot tower used in the HENRE program was previously a resident of the Yucca Flat test area, and was employed in the BREN program. It was relocated to Jackass Flats to support the HENRE program in 1966.
The height of the mast is approximately the same as the height at which the bomb dropped on Hiroshima exploded. The mast was designed to simulate the radiation of that bomb.

Last used for experimentation in 1999, the tower fell into disuse and disrepair over the nex decade and after its aircraft warning beacons and internal elevator failed it was ordered demolished. On May 24th, 2012, the tower was brought down in less than 10 seconds by a controlled blast.

atlasobscura.com/place/bren-tower
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BREN_Tower
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   36°46'51"N   116°14'36"W

Comments

  • The BREN Tower was originally constructed in Area 4 of the Yucca Flat test area of the NTS. It was relocated to Area 25 in 1966 through necessity. A planned nearby underground test would have produced ground motion in excess of the tower's physical limits. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) moved swiftly and efficiently to identify a new location for the tower so as to accommodate the joint AEC and Department of Defense HENRE program. The Area 25 location was identified, the HENRE experimental test area was designed and constructed, and the tower was dismantled, moved, and re-erected at its new home within a five month time frame. An earthen mound, shown in the photo just east of the tower base, was the location of the control building for the high energy neutron generator used for HENRE. The building was an earth covered (and shielded) quanset hut that housed the control room and associated equipment and work space.
This article was last modified 8 years ago