Nuclear Energy: Good Start for Gasbuggy

On a butte above New Mexico's Leandro Canyon last week, chilled ob servers fell silent as a voice on the public-address system reached the end of the countdown. For a tense moment, nothing happened. Then the earth jolted underfoot and a dull, distant boom was heard, followed by a second, more gentle, rolling shock. Someone shouted: "We did it! We did it!" Hand shakes were exchanged all around. The U.S. had successfully set off the first nuclear explosion sponsored jointly by the Government and industry.

Detonated 4,240 ft. below the surface, the 26-kiloton nuclear device was the key tool...