>>6324258In war even the simplest of words come into conflict over meaning - the destruction of a trespassing target to deny access over disputed territory will always be perceived as an "attack" by an encroaching victim, and as "defense" by the executing instigator. Conflict and competition is characterised by mirroring of actions by both sides - the counterpart to Starfish Prime / Operation Fishbowl nuclear tests for the United States in 1962 were the Soviet Project K detonations launched from Kapustin Yar in Russia. Before these military tests, both the United States and the Soviet Union had bizarrely investigated "Peaceful Nuclear Explosions", known as Project Plowshare in the US, and "Nuclear Explosions For The National Economy" in Russia, where in both countries, atomic explosions were conducted for the purposes of mining, nuclear excavation for roadcutting, artificial canals, harbours and rail construction, as well as for surfacing petroleum / natural gas and connecting underground acquifers. Beyond venting radioactive steam, tritium and radionuclides contamination, most of these experiments ceased with the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963 that prohibited all test detonations above ground.
The Partial Test Ban Treaty also prevented the initial conception of the United States Moon mission, a highly top secret classified document known as Project A119, conceived in 1958 when the US perceived itself as losing the Space Race against the Soviets, and thus sought to detonate a nuclear weapon on the Moon as a show of force, with the radioactive explosion targeted at the bright/dark side lunar boundary visible from Earth, as a means of restoring American morale. For this indignity, the Moon herself obtained revenge, when in 1960 Oct 5, a BMEWS warning radar at Thule, Greenland reported a massive incoming Soviet missile attack with 99.9% probability to NORAD - upon verification, this attack was revealed to be the rising Moon. Yet all the vaunted deterrence power and destructive promise of nuclear arsenals, their overwhelming dominance in war could not match the ultimate ideological victory of a peaceful Moon landing for science and exploration by the United States, televised and broadcast before a world audience. Similarly, the pursuit of nuclear weapons could not save white minority government in Rhodesia / apartheid South Africa - abandoned by Britain and ostracised by the entire international community, after the United Nations Security Council Resolution 216 of 12 November 1965 called upon "all States not to recognise this illegal racist minority regime... and to refrain from rendering any assistance".
