Operation Cue atom bomb test. Image 2 of 2. Two-storey wood-frame house destroyed by an atom bomb explosion. This structure was located 1675 metres from the blast. During an atomic explosion, non-thermal radiation (gamma rays) is followed by a thermal pulse and then a blast wave. This test took place on 5 May 1955, at the Nevada Test Site, USA, as part of Operation Cue. This operation, supervised by the Federal Civil Defense Administration, included experiments like these, to test the effect of an atom bomb on civilian areas. For the house before the atomic explosion, see image C028/4086.