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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Atomic Bomb Site Opens for a Day V
isitors to White Sands Missile Range, N.M., April 1 will be able to walk
through the Trinity Site, where the world’s first atomic bomb — known as the Manhattan Project — was tested in the early morning hours of July 16, 1945.
One might ask, “What can I see at a nuclear test site?” Visitors can walk to ground zero and see a small obelisk marking exactly where the bomb exploded, as well as histori- cal photos mounted on a fence sur- rounding the area. Treasure hunters scouring the ground might find Trinitite (shown right), a green, glassy residue left
behind after the nuclear testing. Shuttle buses also are available to take visitors to the McDonald ranch house, where scientists assembled the plutonium core of the bomb. The home has been refurbished to its 1940s splendor. Before deciding to venture to the
desert, it’s important to understand how much radiation you might be exposed to on your visit. According to the White Sands website: “Radia- tion levels in the fenced, ground zero area are low. On an average, the levels are only 10 times greater than the region’s natural back- ground radiation. A one-hour visit to the inner fenced area will result in a whole-body exposure of one- half to one millirem.” To give you a better idea of what that means, the
Testing of the first nuclear bomb resulted in a 19-kiloton explosion, which was observed from three stations 10,000 yards from ground zero. In 1975, the 51,500-acre area was declared a national historic landmark.
site goes on to state adults in the U.S. receive an average of 360 mil- lirems every year from natural and medical sources. If you can’t make it April 1, don’t
despair. White Sands Missile Range — an Army installation where DoD weapons testing still takes place today — and the Trinity Site will be open to the public again, free of
PHOTOS: ABOVE RIGHT, LIFE MAGAZINE; ABOVE LEFT, WINIFRED BROWN
admission, Saturday, Oct. 7. In case you’re wondering, the active test- ing facility shuts down some of its operations for the day while guests are present, according to the White Sands website. For more information, visit
www.bit.ly/2k2DtWm or call the White Sands Missile Range public affairs office at (575) 678-1134.
APRIL 2017 MILITARY OFFICER 13
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