Trinity
As a member of the 1995 IPMS National Convention I went on the tour of
the site of the first manmade atomic explosion: Trinity in central New
Mexico. The tour coincided almost to the day with the fiftieth
anniversary of that fateful date: July 16, 1945. But since our tour
was a week before the actual anniversary, we didn't have to deal with
mobs of people: there were about a hundred or so of us modelers...
along with a Japanese TV crew. I don't think they were getting the
reactions they wanted...
One of my obsessions is the history of the atomic bomb and subsequent
nuclear policy. It may be a somewhat bizarre and morbid fascination,
but I'm a child of the Cold War: I used to have nightmares about
nuclear holocausts. The more I read about the nuclear politics of the
late 1940's through the late 1980's, the more amazed I am that we
managed to survive without triggering Armageddon... perhaps there's
hope for humanity yet. But I digress...
The day started early as we boarded the busses at the convention
center. We were taken to the northern edge of the White Sands Missile
Range where the Trinity Site is located. The map below shows where
everything is and the DOE brochure 
we were given tells the
story of what happened fifty years ago, so I won't get into
that... I'll just give a few of my impressions with the photographs.
One more thought: if you're in the area, be sure to stop at the Owl
Cafe in San Antonio and have a green chile cheeseburger. You might
regret it later, but trust me, it's worth it.
The Photographs
Sven Knudson, IPMS#32490
sven@ninfinger.org
