Can you visit the site of the first atomic bomb?

Twice a year, on the first Saturdays of April and October, the U.S. Army opens the gate to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, allowing in civilians to tour a patch of sand known as the Trinity Site, where the very first atomic explosion was set off and the history of nuclear dread began. It was so named by J.

What were the risks of the Manhattan Project?

Dangers from blast, fragments, heat, and light, once one was sufficiently removed from ground zero, evoked little concern. The real concern, barring a catastrophic underestimation of the size of the blast, was with radiation.

What happened at the Los Alamos laboratory?

On July 16, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated 200 miles south of Los Alamos at Trinity Site. This test proved that scientists at the Laboratory had successfully weaponized the atom. By this time, Hitler had been defeated in Europe, but the Japanese Empire continued an aggressive war.

Can I visit the Trinity test site?

This event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required. For more details click on the information links/short videos below or contact the WSMR Public Affairs Office at 575-678-1134.

Can you tour the Trinity test site?

Touring the Trinity Site is free but it’s only opened to the public twice a year, on the first Saturday in April and October. Thousands of visitors enter the site from either the Stallion Range Gate or the Tularosa Gate.

Is Los Alamos safe from radiation?

Plutonium and other radioactive particles remain in the canyon, but that doesn’t keep people from recreating there. Lab teams monitoring the canyon say the radiation levels are below the federal standard set to protect health.

Is White Sands New Mexico Radioactive?

It was here that the atomic age dawned at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945. Less than a month later, the same style of bomb was detonated on Nagasaki, Japan, instantly killing more than 80,000 people.