Trinity Test Site Tours Yesterday

The annual tour of the Trinity Test Site near Alamagordo, NM was conducted yesterday. Up until just a few years ago the tour was conducted on the anniversary date of July 16, 1945, but the heat in the desert was at times a bit too much for the particpants, so it was changed to a more comforatable time of the year. The Trinity Test verified that the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb design was usable to attempt to have Japan unconditionally surrender during World War II. Radioisotopes with half-lives in excess of 20 years (i.e., Cesium-137) or so are still detectable in the reminants of glazed sand surrounding the test tower.

The two central figures inspection one of the test tower footings in this photo are Dr. Robert Oppenheimer wearing the Pork Pie hat and dark suit on the left and Gen. Leslie Groves (tallest person) on the right.