AllMovie

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union launched and detonated a combined total of more than 20 thermonuclear weapons in the upper atmosphere. After more than 35 years, results of nuclear weapon testing are finally revealed. In Nukes in Space: The Rainbow Bombs, renowned special-effects filmmaker Peter Kuran explores the history of the space nuclear weapons testing program, anti-ballistic missile systems, the Cuban missile crisis, hazards posed to artificial satellites and astronauts, and other implications of the testing. Newly declassified test footage and government documents divulge the inside story hidden for nearly four decades. William Shatner narrates the film. The Moscow Symphony Orchestra performs music.