The first preliminary examination of the effects of nuclear detonations upon various metal and non-metal materials, occurred in 1955 with Operation Teapot, were a chain of approximately basketball sized spheres of material, were arrayed at fixed aerial distances, descending from the shot tower. In what was then a surprising experimental observation, all but the spheres directly within the shot tower survived, with the greatest ablation noted on the aluminum sphere located 60 feet from the detonation point, with slightly over 1 inch of surface material absent upon recovery. These spheres are often referred to as "Lew Allen's balls", after the project manager during the experiments.