The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, known in the West as Joe-1, on Aug. 29, 1949, at Semipalatinsk Test Site, in Kazakhstan. The Soviets called their first atomic test "First Lightning." ...

Fast, fearsome, and nuclear-capable — the Tu-22 was the Soviet Union’s answer to supersonic ... this bomber was both a symbol of power and a technical challenge. From its sleek delta wings ...

The physicist who headed the Soviet nuclear program from 1943 until his death in 1960, was also remembered by the scientists who worked for him as a man with a robust sense of humor; a warm and ...