Refrigerator's Saving Grace

I was looking up some stats on atomic bombs (namely Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and saw that there could be fires and some real damage up to 15,000 ft (under 3 miles) from ground zero. But there could be superficial damage up to 40,000 feet, give or take.

Now, assuming Indy uses the rocket sled to get away, we can be sure that it's going pretty fast. A world speed record was just set on a rocket sled (6,000 mph). I doubt a 1953 rocket sled would go that fast, but let's say at least 500 miles an hour, just to be really slow. (I have no idea how fast they went, but it's a freakin rocket. So it will be fast).

Even at 500 mph, it's very plausible for Indy to use the rocket sled for less than a minute to get to a safe distance from any blast, and hide in a refrigerator for further protection against fires/glass/minimal radiation and/or other superficial damage. And I assume he would only experience minor radiation sickness if it even got that far.

Obviously a refrigerator would not save you from an atomic blast at ground zero, or even within a few miles. But if he just uses it for extra protection, I could see it not being so silly. I know the SMFM script says "the room glows white" but that could've been changed for all we know.

After doing a little research, I'm resting a little easier.

donufro said:

I was looking up some stats on atomic bombs (namely Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and saw that there could be fires and some real damage up to 15,000 ft (under 3 miles) from ground zero. But there could be superficial damage up to 40,000 feet, give or take.

Now, assuming Indy uses the rocket sled to get away, we can be sure that it's going pretty fast. A world speed record was just set on a rocket sled (6,000 mph). I doubt a 1953 rocket sled would go that fast, but let's say at least 500 miles an hour, just to be really slow. (I have no idea how fast they went, but it's a freakin rocket. So it will be fast).

Even at 500 mph, it's very plausible for Indy to use the rocket sled for less than a minute to get to a safe distance from any blast, and hide in a refrigerator for further protection against fires/glass/minimal radiation and/or other superficial damage. And I assume he would only experience minor radiation sickness if it even got that far.

Obviously a refrigerator would not save you from an atomic blast at ground zero, or even within a few miles. But if he just uses it for extra protection, I could see it not being so silly. I know the SMFM script says "the room glows white" but that could've been changed for all we know.

After doing a little research, I'm resting a little easier.

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Ahh, with a fair distance between Indy and the blast, the fridge factor sounds more plausible, but thus far we've all been led to believe that he's in Doomtown at the time of detonation. Maybe the bomb goes off at Hangar 51 a few miles away, but who knows? It's just beyond any belief that he could survive an atomic blast when he's essentially at ground zero. You're theory is certainly possible...

Yes, I thought of that too: Though even if he is in Doom Town there's no telling that the atomic blast is a controlled scientific test aimed right at the town. Like you said, it could've been detonated at Hangar 51 where they house the rocket sled, which would be a safe distance from a testing site (a.k.a. Doom Town).

And vice versa. If the bomb explodes at the base, Doom Town would be relatively safe.

So perhaps the refrigerator isn't used to survive the blast at all, merely the radiation after the blast until help arrives. Think of it as a giant vest that your dentist puts on you before you get X-rays.

This is the only way the sequence could work in my mind.

donufro said:

I thought of that too: Though even if he is in Doom Town there's no telling that the atomic blast is a controlled scientific test aimed right at the town.

Given the melee, it could've been detonated at the base where they house the rocket sled, which would be a safe distance from a testing site (a.k.a. Doom Town).

And vice versa. If the bomb explodes at the base, Doom Town would be relatively safe.

So perhaps the refrigerator isn't used to survive the blast at all, merely the radiation after the blast until help arrives. Think of it as a giant vest that your dentist puts on you before you get X-rays.

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It certainly matches the theory that Hangar 51 - and it's secrets - gets Kentucky-fried.

The photos show Indy getting into the fridge in the house at Doom Town. He only had seconds before detonation and no place else to go. In the SMFM script the rocket sled was used in a later sequence but it would make more sense if they changed it so that there was a nearby emergency escape vehicle that Indy finds to blast his way out of Mos Doom Town. Perhaps during his initial panic, Indy climbs into the fridge and says something like "I have a bad feeling about this," and then runs outside looking for a way out and spots the rocket sled nearby. That would make much more sense.

Agent Spalko said:

The photos show Indy getting into the fridge in the house at Doom Town. He only had seconds before detonation and no place else to go. In the SMFM script the rocket sled was used in a later sequence but it would make more sense if they changed it so that there was a nearby emergency escape vehicle that Indy finds to blast his way out of Mos Doom Town. Perhaps during his initial panic, Indy climbs into the fridge and says something like "I have a bad feeling about this," and then runs outside looking for a way out and spots the rocket sled nearby. That would make much more sense.

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Perhaps it's a canny Lucas in-joke. He knows the S.M. script is out there, so he f**ks with the audience for a second. As you've suggested, Indy climbs in the fridge, the cinema-goers cringe, then Indy sees good sense and decides on a sane plan. Audience falls in love with O'l George like it was 1977. Again...

Hehe, I like the humorous possibility The Man just thought up too.

I just don't believe everybody in the cast/crew thought it would work to use a refrigerator to survive a nuclear blast. Even surviving a fall from a plane in a rubber liferaft isn't anywhere near ridiculous as this. There has to be some explanation which includes the rocket sled.

I think the chances of surviving a fall from a plane in a rubber dinghy are far greater than hiding in a fridge. Preposterous. My friend tried the dinghy escape and came away with only a broken neck, three broken legs and four broken arms. It is plausible. He has yet to try the fridge manouvere.

herr gruber said:

I think the chances of surviving a fall from a plane in a rubber dinghy are far greater than hiding in a fridge. Preposterous. My friend tried the dinghy escape and came away with only a broken neck, three broken legs and four broken arms. It is plausible. He has yet to try the fridge manouvere.

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haha

Love it!

donufro said:

Hehe, I like the humorous possibility The Man just thought up too.

I just don't believe everybody in the cast/crew thought it would work to use a refrigerator to survive a nuclear blast. Even surviving a fall from a plane in a rubber liferaft isn't anywhere near ridiculous as this. There has to be some explanation which includes the rocket sled.

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We don't know that this moment is in the film, so I wouldn't worry.

Doomtown is not hit directly. That's absurd.

on the pictures of the rocket sled there's a countdown timer. maybe the base has some sort of self-destruct mechanism built in incase any commies infiltrated it and the rocket sled is like an "escape shuttle". So Indy blasts out of there and hides in the fake town.

The Man said:

Perhaps it's a canny Lucas in-joke. He knows the S.M. script is out there, so he f**ks with the audience for a second. As you've suggested, Indy climbs in the fridge, the cinema-goers cringe, then Indy sees good sense and decides on a sane plan. Audience falls in love with O'l George like it was 1977. Again...

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According to the Indy Mad Libs book, Indy goes for a little ride in the fridge. The blast or the shock wave sends him flying...

so that is the fridge and not the rocket sled!

Dr.Sartorius said:

According to the Indy Mad Libs book, Indy goes for a little ride in the fridge. The blast or the shock wave sends him flying...

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You know, that sounds marginally more plausible than a fridge withstanding the blast at ground zero.

What if the Ark is the destructive force blowing up the base, and not an atomic bomb?

scifiwolf said:

What if the Ark is the destructive force blowing up the base, and not an atomic bomb?

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According to the Mad Libs book, Doomtown is destroyed by a nuclear weapon.

So many factors come into play. Assuming that DoomTown is actually at the Nevada Proving Grounds, which is where the US conducted its nuclear testing campaign during the 1950s, which btw is very close to real-life Area 51.


They tested all sorts of atomic bombs at the NPG during the 1950s. Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs were 15 kilotons and 20 kilotons in yield respectively. The largest nuclear weapon tested in the US in the atmosphere was 70 kiltons (Plumbob Hood). Weapons as small as <0.005 kilotons were tested.

During some of the tests, soldiers were positioned sometimes a mile or less from ground zero, in trenches, depending on the yield of the explosion, and other factors (such as wind direction, explosion height, etc.)

Even today at the Nevada Test Site you can still see some of the houses built there during the 1950s that were used for the atomic tests. A few are still standing with little to no damage.

It is entirely possible for Indy to survive an atomic explosion hiding in a fridge less than a mile from an atomic explosion. Initially, the most dangerous thing would be the intense heat and light of the explosion; if the fridge was not in direct line of sight to ground zero, it would not absorb as much heat. After that it's the blast (shockwave), and this depends on 1.) the power of the explosion 2.) distance from the explosion 3.) height of the explosion 4.) where the fridge rests (i.e. in a trench, hole, close to the ground). Once again, if the circumstances are right, it is entirely possible for a person to survive an atomic explosion at relatively close proximity hiding in a fridge.

The last thing to worry about is the radiation, and this depends also on many things, probably the most important thing is wind direction. If the wind is blowing away from Indy's position, most of the deadly radiation would be carried away from him. If the bomb exploded on top of a tower or suspended from a balloon (which were the common methods used for atomic testing), localized radioactive fallout would be minimal.

Yeah, it's seeming more and more plausible that Indy could escape the consequences of distant atomic blast by huddling in a fridge.

Thanks for the info Tsar - awesome stuff.

See folks? It's not so bad...

...assuming they do it right in the movie.