Has anyone visited the Trinity Site?
Sep 26, 2007, 9:44 pm
#31
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They had a display showing the radiation exposure for an hour visit is much less than an X-ray or even a cross-country flight. But still wouldn't hang around too long 
There's also an abandoned house a few miles away that you can visit. The entrance is near the town of Soccoro, New Mexico, off of US380.
There's also an abandoned house a few miles away that you can visit. The entrance is near the town of Soccoro, New Mexico, off of US380.
Sep 26, 2007, 9:49 pm
#32
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I think that they wanted to try two different types of detonators. Also, I seem to recall that the Hiroshima bomb was uranium and the Nagasaki bomb was plutonium. And I think that there was difficulty in making enough enriched material for either. That might have had something to do with it.
Testing the detonator doesn't need a bomb. You can build it and see what happens to pieces of metal without using fissionables.
Sep 26, 2007, 9:53 pm
#33
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http://www.atomictourist.com/nts.htm
Sep 27, 2007, 11:45 am
#34
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IIRC the test and the two war bombs used up all the refined material on hand. Of course Japan did not know it, but it was several weeks or months later before more cores were ready. For a short time after Nagasaki, the world was a nuclear bomb free zone.
Sep 27, 2007, 12:51 pm
#35
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No. The third bomb was ready. Truman would not approve it's use. Then the Japanese surrendered.
Sep 27, 2007, 9:58 pm
#36
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At the time it was much harder to do isotopic separation (U235) than chemical separation (Pu238 made in reactors). At the same time, plutionium requires implosion detonation which is rather tricky while uranium can work in a simple gun-type bomb. Therefore it was felt that there was no need to test a uranium gun-type bomb, but there was a desire to test a plutonium gun-type bomb rather than have it go fizzle in a bombing meant to have frightful impact on an enemy...
(Note that the reverse does not apply--you can make a U-235 implosion bomb.)
Oct 9, 2007, 8:11 am
#38
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I visited the Trinity Site this past weekend, and thought I would share some observations.
First, definitely arrive early. I arrived at the Stallion Gate at 8:00 a.m. just as the gates were opening. (For those driving from Albuquerque, the drive was just under 2-hours from my home on the east side of Albuquerque, including a rest-stop and a stop to pick up a breakfast burrito.) There was no ID check at the gate, but they did record each license plate. The drive from the gate to Trinity is about 20-minutes.
The walk from the parking lot to ground zero is 1/4-mile one way. The folks above have mentioned what is there, so no need to really go into it here.
The busses to the McDonald house ran every five to ten minutes. There is a time-capsule near the house that is scheduled to be opened in 2009 (didn't say April or October) where some archives will be revealed.
Upon returning to Trinity from the McDonald house, the crowd had trebbled (at least) in size... this is just over an hour after our arrival on site. Parking lot was going into overflow and the path to ground zero was pretty thick.
The drive back through the gate an into San Antonio was uneventful. The Owl Bar is a definite stop, and getting there early really helps. The green chile cheese burgers are awesome (including a hand-pattied burger) and are on any future trips that we take south on I-25. Be sure to pop into the gas station next door for some fudge; it was a nice treat after the burger.
Finally, the veggie stand across the street has fresh fruits and veggies. If you are staying in the area for a while and want a snack, I'd definitely recommend stopping by.
First, definitely arrive early. I arrived at the Stallion Gate at 8:00 a.m. just as the gates were opening. (For those driving from Albuquerque, the drive was just under 2-hours from my home on the east side of Albuquerque, including a rest-stop and a stop to pick up a breakfast burrito.) There was no ID check at the gate, but they did record each license plate. The drive from the gate to Trinity is about 20-minutes.
The walk from the parking lot to ground zero is 1/4-mile one way. The folks above have mentioned what is there, so no need to really go into it here.
The busses to the McDonald house ran every five to ten minutes. There is a time-capsule near the house that is scheduled to be opened in 2009 (didn't say April or October) where some archives will be revealed.
Upon returning to Trinity from the McDonald house, the crowd had trebbled (at least) in size... this is just over an hour after our arrival on site. Parking lot was going into overflow and the path to ground zero was pretty thick.
The drive back through the gate an into San Antonio was uneventful. The Owl Bar is a definite stop, and getting there early really helps. The green chile cheese burgers are awesome (including a hand-pattied burger) and are on any future trips that we take south on I-25. Be sure to pop into the gas station next door for some fudge; it was a nice treat after the burger.
Finally, the veggie stand across the street has fresh fruits and veggies. If you are staying in the area for a while and want a snack, I'd definitely recommend stopping by.
Oct 28, 2023, 8:59 pm
#40
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A week ago was the third Saturday in October and one of the two days out of the year that the Trinity Site is open. I think this is the first time it’s been open since the movie Oppenheimer came out. I was reminded by an article saying crowds at the site were bigger than normal this October.
