The Vela Incident. By Carey Sublette Last changed 1 September 2001 The Vela Incident On 22 September 1979 around 00:53 GMT, the Vela 6911 satellite detected the characteristic double flash of an atmospheric nuclear explosion apparently over the Indian Ocean or South Atlantic.
The test location was later localized at 47 deg. S, 40 deg. The Vela satellite program was an nuclear detonation (NUDET) detection system setup after the 1963 limited test ban and was designed to detect nuclear explosions in space and (later) air. Vela 6911 is presumably one of the Advanced Vela pair launch launched on 23 May 1969 (perigee 77,081 km, apogee 145,637 km, inclination 61.6 deg), and had thus been operating over ten years at the time of the 1979 detection. The Vela satellite system had previously made 41 similar detections of atmospheric tests, each of which had been subsequently confirmed through other means. The Start of the Controversy No natural phenomenon is known that can imitate this signature. The U.S. Prince Edward Islands. The Prince Edward Islands are two small islands in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean that are part of South Africa.
The islands are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne) and Prince Edward Island. The islands in the group have been declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, No. 57 of 2003, and activities on the islands are therefore restricted to research and conservation management.[1][2] The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a meteorological and biological research station run by the South African National Antarctic Programme on Marion Island. Geography and geology[edit] The island group is about 955 nmi (1,769 km; 1,099 mi) south-east of Port Elizabeth in mainland South Africa. Marion Island ( WikiMiniAtlas Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island ( Marion Island Both islands are of volcanic origin. Climate[edit] Flora and fauna[edit] History[edit] Logo of Marion Island Legal status[edit]
Vela Incident. Prince Edward Islands Crozet Islands While a "double flash" signal is characteristic of a nuclear weapons test in the atmosphere, the signal could also have been a spurious electronic signal generated by an ageing detector in an old satellite, or a meteoroid hitting the Vela satellite.
No corroboration of an explosion, such as the presence of nuclear byproducts in the air, was ever identified. Numerous passes in the area by Boeing WC-135s, planes designed by the U.S. Air Force to detect airborne radioactive dust, were negative. Detection[edit] Vela-5A/B Satellites in a clean room. The satellite reported the characteristic double flash of a small atmospheric nuclear explosion of two to three kilotons, in the Indian Ocean between the Crozet Islands (a very small, sparsely inhabited French possession) and the Prince Edward Islands (which belong to South Africa) at WikiMiniAtlas 47°S 40°E / 47°S 40°E / -47; 40Coordinates: 47°S 40°E / 47°S 40°E / -47; 40. Possible responsible parties[edit]