What is frenchman flats?

Frenchman Flat is an area within the Nevada National Security Site, located about 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas in the United States. It was used as a nuclear testing site for the United States government from 1951 to 1962. This area was named after the Frenchman Mountains, which are located to the east of the site.

The first nuclear test conducted at Frenchman Flat was the Operation Ranger test series, which involved three air-dropped bombs. A total of 27 nuclear tests were conducted at the site, including the famous Operation Upshot-Knothole in 1953, which tested the effects of nuclear detonations on military equipment, vehicles, and buildings.

The last nuclear test conducted at the site was the Operation Sunbeam test in July 1962. The site has since been used for non-nuclear experiments and is now closed to the public due to safety concerns. However, it is still used for research and development by the National Nuclear Security Administration and other government agencies.