Photographic film was placed in nearby towns to detect radioactive contamination, and seismographs were placed in Tucson, Denver, and Chihuahua, Mexico to determine how far the explosion could be sensed. Calculations stated that even if the mechanical and electrical systems did not fail, the likelihood of a non-optimal test was greater than 10%. The observers set up a betting pool on the results of the test. Teller was the most optimistic, predicting . He wore gloves to protect his hands and sunglasses underneath the welding goggles that the government had supplied everyone with. He was one of the few scientists to watch the test (with eye protection), instead of following orders to lie on the ground with his back turned. He also brought suntan lotion, which he shared with the others. Ramsey chose zero (a complete dud), Robert Oppenheimer chose , Kistiakowsky , and Bethe chose . Rabi, the last to arrive, took the only remaining choice, which turned out to be the winner. Bethe later stated that his choice of 8 kt was exactly the value calculated by Segrè, and he was swayed by Segrè's authority over that of a more junior [but unnamed] member of Segrè's group who had calculated 20 kt.
Photographic film was placed in nearby towns to detect radioactive contamination, and seismographs were placed in Tucson, Denver, and Chihuahua, Mexico to determine how far the explosion could be sensed. Calculations stated that even if the mechanical and electrical systems did not fail, the likelihood of a non-optimal test was greater than 10%. The observers set up a betting pool on the results of the test. Teller was the most optimistic, predicting . He wore gloves to protect his hands and sunglasses underneath the welding goggles that the government had supplied everyone with. He was one of the few scientists to watch the test (w,ith eye protection), instead of following orders to lie on the ground with his back turned. He also brought suntan lotion, which he shared with the others. Ramsey chose zero (a complete dud), Robert Oppenheimer chose , Ki:stiakowsky , and Bethe chose . Rabi, the last to arrive, took the only remaining choice, which turned out to be the winner. Bethe later stated that his choice of 8 kt was exactly the value calculated by Segrè, and he was swayed by Segrè's authority over that of a more junior [bu.t unnamed] member of Segrè's group who had calculated 20 kt.