Part 2: A Lot of Physics Happened in New Mexico!
By Matt Otten
The next morning, Day 4, we awoke early and caught a bus to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, N.M., and then to the Trinity test site, where the first atomic device was detonated. The test site is only open twice a year, and this is the last year that it is open free to the public.
Our first stop at Trinity was the McDonald ranch house, where the Los Alamos scientists assembled the first atomic bomb, known as the "gadget." A few wonderful docents, retirees of Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, explained the significance of each site at Trinity. Then, we traveled approximately three kilometers from the ranch house towards the site of the first atomic explosion.
The docent explained Jumbo, the large device that was supposed to help save the plutonium if gadget failed, but was never used. It cost tens of millions in 1940 dollars to make and transport, as it was a very large, very heavy iron cylinder, and it had to be transported across the country, from Ohio to the test site.
As this was explained, an original, incredible condition DeLorean pulled up. Yes, a DeLorean, the car from Back to the Future and the only car to successfully use a flux capacitor. This elicited much laughter from our group, as the odds were astronomical. It was the first time I, and a few others of the group, had ever seen a real DeLorean on the street.
We then walked one-half kilometer from Jumbo to approximately the actual location of the detonation, where an obelisk has been set up in memorial. The docent explained the explosion and the physicists' reactions. The ground was originally covered in a greenish glasslike material called trinitite. The explosion's intense heat fused the deserts sand into this material. The site eventually bulldozed most of it, but small pieces remain scattered around the landscape. We spent some time searching for these pieces, as well as looking at historical pictures that were posted around the perimeter of the area.
After we took in that extremely historical site, we boarded the bus to New Mexico Tech to view some demonstrations of much, much smaller explosions. A trained explosions specialist explained the explosions we were to see: det cord, datasheet, detagel, and two ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) blasts. Our group watched in the bunker as five spectacular explosions went off. We were then allowed out of the bunker to watch a much larger explosion of ANFO (which was much farther away). This was amazing; you could feel the shock wave.
After this demonstration, we returned to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. They previewed a new exhibit: a vintage duplicate of the "gadget" from the National Nuclear Security Agency. We toured the rest of the museum as well, learning much about, well, nuclear science and history. As we left the museum, one of the docents, a physicist from Sandia, gave us some great career advice.
The next day, Day 5, we drove to Los Alamos, completing the journey that the physicists of the Manhattan Project had completed many, many times. Our first stop was the buildings of the Los Alamos Ranch School. The town of Los Alamos was originally founded around a boys' school. The government evicted the school when it decided to construct the laboratory used to design and build the first atomic weapons. After a quick stop at Ashley Pond, which was the center of the laboratory, we headed to the Bandelier National Monument, which was once home to the Anasazi Indians.
We hiked around, viewing the scenery and Indian building. Eventually, we arrived at a path that led straight up; there were many, many warnings about the climb that was to come. There were several ladders, and a few very narrow paths. At the top was a stunning view of the landscape, and a reconstructed kiva in the Ceremonial Cave built 140 feet above the canyon floor.
After climbing back down, we traveled back into Los Alamos to go to two museums, the Los Alamos Historical Society Museum and the Bradbury Science Museum. The former is housed in one of the old ranch school buildings on Bathtub Row, where the leading Los Alamos scientists lived. The latter is in a modern building and is operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory. At the more modern building, we were greeted with the same DeLorean that we had seen the day before, over three hours south of Los Alamos.
We explored both museums, learning even more of the history of the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, and nuclear science in general. Our final destination was an overlook in a nearby town, where they had built a small platform right on the edge of this mountain, looking down at the Rio Grande. After many pictures of the dazzling scenery, we headed back to our hotel for the final time. The following day we left the hotel at 3:45 a.m. for a 6:00 a.m. flight back to Chicago.
The trip was very informative, as well as very fun. I learned much of the history of nuclear power and weaponry that is not generally taught in a classroom. I also was able to explore many great natural features of the American Southwest, giving the trip variety. It was a great experience, one that will stay with me for a long, long time. I will even go back, if I get the chance! First, though, I think I should check the flux capacitor in that DeLorean....
posted: