Project Vela was a project undertaken by the United States Department of Defense to develop and implement methods to monitor compliance with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty . This treaty banned the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere , in outer space , and underwater , effectively meaning nuclear tests were only to be permitted underground . The Vela Project started as a small budget research program within the DARPA Projects Agencies until 1961 when it was granted greater funding and resources through the authority of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army . This was likely prompted by increased caution over Domestic Nuclear Affairs resulting from the 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash as well as in anticipation of the 1963 PTB Treaty
1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
Project Vela