Thanks to ArsTechnica, an Internet news/interest site for geeks, I was told about Trinity Site being open to tourists earlier this year. Unfortunately, due to other engagements, I was not able to go on an “ArsMeet” (a gathering of people who knows each other from ArsTechnica) there, much to my disappointment.
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The Trinity Site, for those who may not know, was the site where the world first denotation of the atomic bomb occurred. It is located within White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), a very active government research site in New Mexico. Practically everything within the military is tested there, with at least one notable exception - nuclear weapons. Ever since that first explosion, there has been no nuclear testing at that site, with all nuclear testing shifted to Nevada and elsewhere.
Considering the confidentiality of those products, and the inherent danger of the same products, the Trinity Site is only opened twice a year - the first Saturday of April and October. Yes, the day the explosion occurred was during the mid-summer - July 16. The weather in New Mexico during the summer is similar to Phoenix, quite brutal during the day. Due to the remoteness, lack of adequate infrastructure (very few water supply), and the increased danger due to the heat, it would be difficult to support the tourists at that site. There is also a lack of toilets available at the site. Hence, to provide the best opportunity for us to appreciate what occurs, and to minimize the impact the tourists have on the rest of the WSMR, the two days were chosen.
Photography of the area between the entrance gate to WSMR to the Trinity Site have been forbidden, as there are indeed several test sites that we passed through. There are two ways to get to Trinity - the northern route, where you can enter via the Stallion Gate, and the east-side route where you must be escorted from Alamogordo, New Mexico on a bus. We chose to go via the Stallion Gate.
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I Lay Thy To Rest
We stayed the night before in a Best Western in Socorro, New Mexico - approximately 25 miles to the northwest from the Trinity site. Its proximity is ideal, but the hotel itself is somewhat disappointing. Well, disappointing for a person who is experienced with hotels and motels due to his travels over the past few years. The hotel itself is rated as 3 stars, which is overtly generous, and only focused on the amenities (indoor pool and spa, workout room, and free breakfast.) I would deduct points due to their lack of pest control both inside and outside the hotel, the subpar queen bed, and slow Internet access. Holiday Inn Express next door appears to be much newer and better maintained, but it was already booked by the time I got around to booking a room for the trip.
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Having Dinner Like A Poor Coyote
We had dinner at Rancher’s Steakhouse & Roadrunner Lounge in the same town. There is a historical charm with the 50s lounge color choice, and much older artifacts from the area, along with an interesting collection of swords. Lions Club has designated a room within this place as their meeting place of choice. A visitor would instinctively know that this would be the best restaurant in town. However, the service we got there were subpar to our expectation of this type of place. While my steak was decently done, my father was unsatisfied with his steak, declaring it to be undercooked and way too cold to be considered as medium rare. The service was long, especially between the ordering of drinks and the ordering of food. Nobody volunteered to check on us to ensure our meals were to our satisfaction. We had to flag down different waitresses to get my father’s meal corrected. The level of staffing is disappointingly low in the restaurant, especially as we were there toward the end of the day. It does keep the prices low, but this is a big demerit for a place aspiring to be a fine-dining designation.
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The Morning After
We arrived to the Stallion Gate ten minutes before the 8am opening time, and were fortunate to see only approximately 30 vehicles ahead of us waiting for the gate to open. It was a warm and breezy morning during our visit there, perfect for a day of mild radiation poisoning. We were strictly advised to follow the route, the only location of the latrines, and to not take any photographs until we reach the site itself. We were then asked if we carried any weapons. I thought to offer my manhood, but I realized that humor would not be welcome in a place where they probably heard the same line among themselves for over 50 years.
Constitutional rights are suspended in this area, as free expression is not allowed within or surrounding the property.
After driving several miles, taking a left, and driving even more, we found ourselves at the Trinity Site’s parking lot. From there, we could see the quarter-mile walkway to Ground Zero, several shops, an military ambulance, and Jumbo.
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Jumbo
Jumbo is a tank of a sort, approximately six inches thick, and meant to retain the bomb itself in the middle. Back then, there were concerns that the atomic bomb would not work as designed. You see, there are actually two stages to this bomb - the regular explosion, and the atomic explosion. The regular explosion is trigger around the plutonium ball, sending enough neutrons into the unstable material, triggering a cascading event of breaking atoms (along with releasing quite a bit of energy.) It was feared that the regular explosion would not be enough of a fuel to trigger the atomic explosion, and resulting in spraying highly radioactive plutonium all over the area. Not only is it dangerous, it is considered as very rare at the time. The amount of equipment and the amount of time needed to create enough fuel at the time were considered too costly to sacrifice plutonium for a failed test.
So hence, Jumbo was created. It would be strong enough to withstand the regular explosion, yet not strong enough for the atomic bomb itself. However, exhaustive tests and evaluation of the bomb over the year or so led scientists to be far more confident that this will indeed work as designed. So they skipped the use of Jumbo, preferring to observe the bomb without any interference (”Real World Use” in other words). Obviously, they were correct with their assumptions.
Jumbo was used later by the military for other conventional bomb tests, forever destroying the ends. Finally in 1979, Jumbo was placed to its current resting place, just outside the entrance to Ground Zero.
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The Glowing Cigs
There are two ringed fences, one for the exterior around the radioactive ground, and one surrounding the Ground Zero where it was sufficiently cleared for temporary tourists. Just before the entrance to the interior grounds, there is a table filled with objects left in the near-vicinity of Ground Zero, and got irradiated by the bomb. A carton of Marlboro was notable; a smoker would have the opportunity of slow poisoning not only naturally but also artificially. A clock, salt shaker, scientific objects, and others also were present. The most radioactive material was a metal bar within a bag, triggering 15+ mR/h. Yes, I did hold the object, and yes, my hands are glowing.
Next to the objects are Trinitite. A rock created by super-heating explosion over sand, it is slightly green in tinge, due to the presence of iron within. Unfortunately, time wasn’t good to those rocks, as the bold green tint have faded throughout the years. It is still strictly prohibited to have a private collection of this radioactive material.
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Let There Be Light
A small bowl-like area surrounds a lava-rock obelisk marking the very center of where the atomic bomb was rested several hundred feet above. Nearby is the last remaining part of the tower that held the bomb up, only to be vaporized by the explosion. Next to the two objects is a truck carrying a model (hopefully!) of Fat Man - the atomic bomb design used over Nagasaki, Japan less than a month after this successful test.
Toward the other side of the inner ring is a small structure covering the last of the Trinitite lying at the site, kept there intended for future research. Unfortunately, the sands have long since creped in and covered the Trinitite there, preventing any possible viewing.
Dotted across the rear of Ground Zero, hung on the fence, are pictures taken of Trinity Site before, during, and after the atomic bomb explosion.
A stiff wind blew in the same direction it did back then, spreading the fallout toward the northeast. A careful eye would spot the structure next to the former buildings where the observation of the bomb occurred. Unfortunately, none of the buildings, except a rare few at the Trinity camp are still around.
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(Album Link) It is a sobering, yet fascinating experience, and well worth the effort to go on the rare few days the site is open to the public.
