Trinity Site open house planned for April is canceled
The Trinity Site monument at ground zero. The Trinity Site open house on April 6, has been canceled.
Richard Pipes/Journal
Adrian Gomez Adrian GomezAdrian Gomez Journal Arts Editor
PublishedModified
Twice a year, visitors flock to the Trinity Site at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.
According to White Sands Missile Range, “due to unforeseen circumstances, (the Trinity Site open house on) April 6 is canceled.”
On July 16, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated in the north-central portion of White Sands Missile Range, about 60 miles north of White Sands National Monument.
For the Trinity Test, the bomb was placed atop a 100-foot steel tower that was designated Zero. Ground Zero was at the foot of the tower.
Just before 5:30 a.m., the nuclear device known as “Gadget” was successfully detonated.
The test ground was named Trinity Site, marking the beginning of the Atomic Age and putting the Manhattan Project, its scientists and J. Robert Oppenheimer into the history books.
The next open house is planned for Oct. 19, according to WSMR.
Trinity Site
A bomb casing similar to that used to encase the "Fat Man" bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki is on display April 1, 2023, during the Trinity Site Open House at White Sands Missile Range.Gabrielle Porter
Trinity Site visitors read a plaque next to the remains of "Jumbo," a massive steel container that was originally intended to help contain the explosion of "Gadget," the first atomic bomb detonated. That plan was abandoned, and Jumbo was eventually placed under a steel tower about 800 yards from ground zero. "The blast destroyed the tower, but Jumbo survived intact," the plaque said.Gabrielle Porter
Vendors hawk Trinity Site-themed T-shirts, hats and other merchandise April 1, 2023 during the Trinity Site Open House event.Gabrielle Porter
A plaque on display during the Trinity Site Open House shows a military portrait of Navy Captain William "Deke" Parsons, head of ordnance at Los Alamos and one of the witnesses of the Trinity test on July 16, 1945. Parsons was born in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and was the person who armed the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on the flight to Japan on Aug. 6, 1945.Journal file photo
People explore "Ground Zero" of the Trinity Site, the spot where soldiers and scientists successfully detonated the worlds first atomic bomb, during an April 1, 2023, open house.Gabrielle Porter
Volunteer Jim Eckles, a local author and former member of the White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office, fields questions from visitors to the Trinity Site on April 1, 2023.Gabrielle Porter
Signs mark the way to the Trinity Site during an open house on April 1, 2023.Gabrielle Porter
Anti-nuclear bumper stickers festoon the back of a van at the Trinity Site Open House on April 1, 2023. The event drew thousands throughout the day, including both protesters and nuclear enthusiasts.Gabrielle Porter
Trinity Site visitors walk through fencing toward Ground Zero, where the world's first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945.Gabrielle Porter
A "keep out" sign stands behind fencing at Trinity Site. The site is on the White Sands Missile Range, still an active military installment.Gabrielle Porter
