Humanity’s Transition into the Atomic Age

Norris Bradbury with the “Gadget” on top of the Trinity test tower. Photo courtesy of the Atomic Heritage Foundation

Humanity’s Transition into the Atomic Age #Trinitytest

December 2-3, 2018

Cost per person:
Double Occupancy – $630 (includes a $50 tax-deductible donation to SAR)
Single Occupancy – $680 (includes a $50 tax-deductible donation to SAR)

To register for this trip, click here.
Limited to 22 people.

Study Leader: Ellen Bradbury Reid

[Due to the Trinity Site’s unpredictable testing schedule, SAR will not be able to confirm the December 2-3 date until a week before the trip. Should the trip details change, all registered participants will be notified.]

July 16, 1945, was a day that changed the world forever. At 5:29 a.m. Mountain War Time, just minutes before sunrise, the night sky above central New Mexico was illuminated in a brilliant fireball of white light as the US military tested the world’s first atomic bomb. Called Trinity Site and located in a remote section of White Sands Missile Range, the first man-made atomic explosion sent a huge multi-colored cloud surging to an altitude of 40,000 feet. The resultant sloping crater at Trinity Site is mute evidence of humanity’s transition to the Atomic Age.

In this exclusive field trip, you will have a guided tour at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, then we’ll head south to Socorro. During this time of year there are great bird migrations and, since our group will spend the night in the area, we will be in time for a “fly in” at Bosque del Apache. Our visit to the Trinity Site the next day is unique because the site is open to the public only twice a year, but our group will be granted special access. There we will see Ground Zero and the restored McDonald Ranch, where the plutonium core was assembled and much of the filming of the explosion took place.

Ellen Bradbury Reid

Ellen Bradbury Reid grew up in Los Alamos. She is the daughter of Edward Wilder, who worked at S-Site machining the explosive charges for the implosion detonator, which was used in the Trinity test. Her father-in-law, Norris Bradbury, ran the Trinity test and succeeded Oppenheimer as the director of Los Alamos lab. Her involvement with Los Alamos and the atomic era is extensive.

Activity Level: Easy

Includes: Overnight accommodations at Best Western Socorro Hotel and Suites, dinner, breakfast and one lunch, transportation, guide, entry fees, gratuities, and water on the bus