[ RadSafe ] Re: Testing bombs

[Jeff Terry]

To add to Richard's comments, in many years with good planning, it is  
possible
to hit both the Nevada Test Site and the Trinity Site within about 10  
days and often
as little as 5 days as the NTS typically has tours on a Wed and the  
Trinity Site a Saturday.

It is a short drive between Albuquerque and Vegas with stops possible at
Meteor Crater, Painted Desert, and Petrified Forest National Parks.

For those with interest in Atomic Testing, this is an interesting  
trip. I have
taken groups on this trip in the past and everyone found it enjoyable.

One doing this trip should go to the National Atomic Museum in  
Albuquerque as well.
I recommend there tours of the Trinity Site as they make a stop at the  
Energetic Materials
Research and Testing Center at New Mexico Tech for a demonstration of  
explosives after
touring the Trinity Site.

Jeff

Jeff Terry
Illinois Institute of Technology
3101 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago IL 60616


On Jun 30, 2008, at 4:05 PM, Hansen, Richard wrote:

> radsafe Digest readers and anyone interesting in the history or  
> testing
> of nuclear weapons should consider visiting the Atomic Testing Museum
> (open daily) in Las Vegas and the Nevada Test Site tour (approximately
> once a month).
>
> The Atomic Testing Museum
> The Atomic Testing Museum, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian  
> Institution,
> portrays world history through varied representations of the story of
> the Nevada Test Site and its programs. The museum features many not  
> seen
> before, first-person narratives, large iconic artifacts, environmental
> re-creations, theatrical devices, and interactive elements for  
> personal
> exploration. It also presents multiple viewpoints expressed in
> multimedia presentations and stunning graphics. The Atomic Testing
> Museum is located only minutes from the Las Vegas strip.
> http://www.atomictestingmuseum.org/
>
> The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security  
> Administration
> Nevada Site Office provides free general interest tours of the Nevada
> Test Site on a monthly basis. Most tours depart from the Atomic  
> Testing
> Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Reservations required. Because the Nevada
> Test Site is a restricted access government reservation, visitors must
> apply well in advance for tours tailored to their individual interests
> and needs. See the Nevada Test Site website for more information:
> http://www.nv.doe.gov/nts/tours.htm
>
> Some of the points of interest on the tour include:
>
> Sedan Crater:
> Sedan was a cratering experiment as part of the Plowshare program -  
> the
> peaceful uses of nuclear explosives. The 104-kiloton nuclear device
> explosion displaced about 12 million tons of earth, creating a crater
> 1,280 feet in diameter and 320 feet deep. This underground test was
> conducted on July 6, 1962. A platform on the edge of the crater allows
> visitors to experience the impact of the crater's size.
> http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_712.pdf
>
> Frenchman Flat, where on January 27, 1951, the first atmospheric  
> nuclear
> test on the Nevada Test Site, ABLE, took place. Thirteen subsequent
> atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted at the site between 1951 and
> 1962.
>
> Civil Effects Tests
> http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_714_Rev1.pdf
>
> Current WMD Training and Exercise Sites
> Today, one of the areas used for the Civil Effects Tests has been
> rebuilt as an exercise site for training first responders. Training is
> provided at no cots to the attendees and prepares the responders to  
> take
> immediate, decisive action to prevent or mitigate terrorist use of
> radiological or nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD), such as
> Improvised Nuclear Devices (INDs) and Radiological Dispersal Devices
> (RDDs or "dirty bombs").The Radiological/Nuclear WMD Incident Exercise
> Site at the Nevada Test Site was constructed after 9/11/2001 at the  
> T-1
> Site, located at the ground zero of four nuclear detonations conducted
> between 1952 and1957. The radioactive material remaining in the ground
> from the nuclear detonations produces safe radiation levels throughout
> the ten-acre exercise area, with higher than normal background  
> radiation
> levels. Attendees train in an area with simulated widespread
> radiological contamination from an RDD or IND, without the risks of
> contaminating themselves.
>
> T-1 Exercise Site
> http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1232.pdf
> Counter Terrorism Operations Support (CTOS) Overview
> http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1252.pdf
>
>
> Rick Hansen
> Senior Scientist
> Counter Terrorism Operations Support Program
> National Security Technologies, LLC, for the U.S. Dept of Energy
> hansenrg at nv.doe.gov
> www.nv.doe.gov/nationalsecurity/homelandsecurity/responder.htm
>
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