The explosive consisted of 4685 tons of an Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO) mixture loaded in bulk into a 44-foot (13 m) radius fiberglass hemisphere.

From the introduction to the test report: MISTY PICTURE was sponsored by the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA), with Field Command.

These experiments are designed to determine the response of tactical and strategic weapon systems, communications equipment, vehicles and a variety of structures to a simulated nuclear environment.

A third objective is to provide a simulated nuclear precursor environment in support of the Air Force Hardened Mobile Launcher (HML) program.A more detailed description later in the report: MISTY PICTURE will be a High Explosive (HE) event designed to provide a blast, thermal, and shock environment for the Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Government Agencies, and foreign governments sponsoring target experiments.

The rockets are samplers to define the environment that the re-entry vehicles were exposed to.The test was conducted at the Permanent High Explosive Test Site (PHETS) on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the Northern Range boundary.