A couple weeks ago, there was a Groupon for the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.  Being a geeky engineer, I had already been really excited to go to the museum at some point, but with the reduced price ($6/person, I think), I was VERY excited.  While my parents were in town the weekend of the 4th, we decided to hit it up and see what it was all about.

We weren’t really sure how long to dedicate to the museum, so we got there around noon.  It’s located on Flamingo, a short cab ride or a long [but reasonable] walk from the Strip.  It’s kind of a non-descript building, really, tucked right off of the UNLV campus (or maybe even ON the UNLV campus, I’m not really sure).

We went in and paid our fees.  And at the entrance we found a cut-out of none-other-than THE Miss Atomic Bomb 1957.  She’s the one on the left.  The one on the right is my dad.

I’ll spin the tale of Miss Atomic Bomb 1957 after I finish with the museum.

They told us that there were no pictures (cameras) allowed in the museum, so you’ll have to settle for my narrative. 

So we entered the exhibit hall, which had pretty cool doors that were built to look like they could handle “the fallout.”  The museum was exactly what you might expect, and yet nothing like you might expect, all in one.  The museum details the history of nuclear testing from its start during WWII, up to modern times.  Its biggest focus is on the Nevada Test Site, located outside of Las Vegas, but it discusses all facets of nuclear testing.

I think we spent about an hour and a half in the museum, although, it might have been a little longer.  I could have spent 4 hours there easily.  I was holding us up, though, as the Wife right zipped through.  There was a lot of information that I expected to see, like a discussion about how nuclear reactions occur, mostly focusing on fission.   There was a letter from Albert Einstein encouraging President Roosevelt to pursue a “sustained nuclear chain reaction.”  There were pictures of Fat Man and Little Boy.  There were pictures of buildings being destroyed during a nuclear test.  All the standard stuff that you’ve probably seen, but aggregated into one place.

But then there were things that I didn’t really expect to see.  Like an entire collection of Geigercounters.  Or a complete list of testing events that occurred at the testing site.  Or why, aside from the sheer remoteness of the Nevada desert, the test site had been designated where it was.  I hadn’t thought about the fact that in the 1950s, there was a distinct national security issue associated with performing nuclear testing outside of the continental United States, so being remote was far more than just a safety issue.  I also had never realized how much bigger a hydrogen bomb is over a simple fission bomb.  They had a whole section on an island that was completely destroyed by the first hydrogen bomb test in the South Pacific, sent shockwaves through the ocean for dozens of miles, and scared some of the seasoned testing veterans observing the test.

And then there were things that I hadn’t even thought about.  Like how tests are actually done.  How the underground tunnels were constructed, alone, was fascinating.  I had never thought about the fact that simply GETTING data from the instruments was a challenge, because they were all destroyed by the explosion!  What do you do with all the radioactive material after the explosion? It’s all at the museum.  All very objectively laid out with a good global context included to help frame the events.

As the museum came to a close, there was a bit of a non sequitur.  There was a piece of steel from one of the twin towers there, and a 9/11 memorial.  We couldn’t really figure out what the connection between atomic testing and 9/11 was, but it was interesting to see, kinda like a baseball signed by Babe Ruth right at the end of a tour of Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

So what about Miss Atomic Bomb, 1957?  Well, we were hoping to find the story in the museum, but we never did, so my Dad asked one of the employees (most were former employees at the test site).  As it turns out, when the testing first started, and above ground tests were still conducted, you could actually see the explosions from Las Vegas, out in the desert on the horizon.  Eventually, people in Las Vegas would have atomic parties, where they would live it up all night, and watch the mushroom cloud on the horizon in the morning (detonations were frequently in the early morning).  As it turns out, for one rooftop party (Operation Plumbbob), they held a beauty pageant, and crowned Miss Atomic Bomb 1957.  She worked at the Sands Hotel as a showgirl.  The museum worker said she retired to California and recently died.  Her infamy lives on, however, in that picture.

So aside from the 9/11 memorial, which, while touching, just seemed out of place, the Atomic Testing Museum was a great find.  I definitely see myself going back several times over the next couple years with friends that come to visit, until I get my fill.  We’ll see what the Wife has to say.