On the morning of Sept. 4, near the small Colorado town of Rifle (pop. 2,200), the Atomic Energy Commission will set off a 40-kiloton underground nuclear blast that will shake the earth for miles around. Project Rulison is part of AEC's program for developing the peaceful uses of nuclear explosives. It is designed to release natural gas trapped in rock 8,000 ft. underground. If successful, it will be followed by similar detonations with a total explosive yield of 20 megatons, 500 times that of the first blast. The plan has also inspired...
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