National Atomic Testing Museum

Originally published here: http://forums.govteen.com/anthropology-geography-diary/181409-atomic-tourism-5-print.html
National Atomic Testing Museum 

I’m going to start doing a variety of post on the atomic history here in the Las Vegas Valley. But before I start those, Las Vegas is home to the Smithsonian’s National Atomic Testing Museum.

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Smithsonian’s National Atomic Testing Museum Website

Those visiting Las Vegas in the 1950s probably saw massive mushroom clouds rise from the Nevada Test Site (NTS). NTS was the country’s nuclear testing location just 65 miles outside the city. In fact, some casinos even offered people seats so they could sit and watch. 
Operating for almost four decades, from 1951 to 1992, NTS had a total of 928 announced nuclear tests (100 atmospheric, 828 underground) and played a major part in the Cold War. The state no longer conducts these tests, but the National Atomic Testing Museum preserved all of the history, propaganda, controversy and much more.

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That's what it feels like when you step into the 10,000-square foot National Atomic Testing Museum. In late 1991, Congress chartered the museum as the country's only official atomic museum.An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum houses interactive displays, short films, timelines and real equipment from the former testing site. You can even toy with some gizmos and gadgets, including testing your own radioactivity.

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From testimonies of on-site workers to facts about the Cold War and the bombing at Hiroshima, the museum will make you feel like you've gone back in time. In addition, the wall panels and touch screens throughout the attraction provide answers to the following: Why nuclear weapons? Why was Nevada a major test site? What impact did this type of testing have in Las Vegas in the 1950s? And what role did Albert Einstein play in all of this? If the composition of nuclear bombs sounds too complex, the museum includes a Disney cartoon to help break things down.

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The world events and pop culture timeline (1940s - 1990s) along the walls is also a fun read and includes information on all of the historical atomic bombings. To get a true feel of an explosion, stick around for the 10-minute movie inside Ground Zero Theatre, designed to look like a bunker. This experience not only takes you back in time with rich history, but you'll feel bursts of air and vibrations from your seat. 
Just outside the theater, take a magnifying class and see before/after photos of mannequins exposed to the blast. And just past the underground test area exhibit, there's a button you can press to set off a bomb (don't worry -- it only sets off a scene you'll see on a movie screen). Take a moment to browse through the Today and Tomorrow Gallery, which showcases a piece of the Berlin Wall (symbolizing the end of the Cold War) and World Trade Center artifacts. 

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If you're a fan of "X-Files," "Roswell" or anything out of this world, a visit to the Atomic Testing Museum's Area 51 display hits the spot. Read news articles on the first reported UFO sightings, biographies on investigative journalists and information on high-tech test planes. See what you look like in the mirror (from the perspective of an alien) and try on a pair of goggles to have alien eye vision. You'll also see an A-12 pressure suit up close.

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