:
Section source: NMoNSH The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting information about scientific, historical, and cultural aspects of the Atomic Age. Permanent exhibits focus on the following: Superfortress on display. on display. on display. Note the simulated
B61 bomb under the wing on display. on display with
AGM-28 Hound Dog under the wing on display. .
Pioneers of the Atom – An interactive display that introduces the individuals who questioned and defined the matter which makes up the universe. Visitors can use the interactive kiosk to trace the study of the atom.
World War II – A display that teaches the history leading up to the creation and use of the atomic bomb and the countries that became involved.
Critical Assembly, the Secrets of Los Alamos 1944: An Installation by Jim Sanborn – A special exhibition, staged as a tableau, that recreates the laboratory environment in which the first atomic bomb was assembled. Based on scholarly and eyewitness accounts, this exhibit features many artifacts that would have been (or were actually) present at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1940s. (This exhibit replaced "Secrets, Lies & Atomic Spies" in 2017.)
The Decision to Drop – The dawn of the Atomic Age began with the design and testing of the world's first atomic bomb during the
Manhattan Project. Visitors are introduced to the daily lives of the scientists who lived at Los Alamos and journey with them to the
Trinity site, where the first explosion occurred in 1945. These exhibits include a series of displays striving for an objective examination of the history leading up to and the policy decisions regarding the deployment of the first nuclear weapons code-named
Little Boy and
Fat Man. The exhibit includes the text of comments by Manhattan Project staff (including a contentious
Edward Teller statement advocating a high-altitude night-time demonstration detonation over Tokyo to precipitate Japanese surrender), the text of statements by Japanese politicians and military leaders, a copy of the
petition protesting use without warning submitted by nuclear physicist
Leó Szilárd, and photographs from the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The display also features video footage of the reminiscences of Col.
Paul Tibbets (pilot of the
Enola Gay, the
B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan), and coverage of the emotion the
surrender of Japan produced in the United States.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki – This exhibit pays tribute to the people affected by the detonation of the atomic weapons that the Manhattan Project developed. This exhibit features images of these cities before, during, and after the bombings and representations of the commitment to peace that these communities continue to uphold today.
Cold War – An examination of the strategic conflict between the United States and the USSR in the second half of the 20th century, through US nuclear testing in the
Marshall Islands and at the
Nevada Test Site, Soviet nuclear development, the October 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis, and leading to the eventual
collapse of the Soviet Union. This also includes the Palomares exhibition, an extensive accounting of the January 17,
1966 Palomares B-52 crash – a mid-air collision between two USAF aircraft (a
B-52 bomber and a
KC-135 tanker) over
Palomares, Almería, resulting in
radioactive contamination following the accidental dropping of four hydrogen bombs.
Heritage Park – This 9-acre outdoor exhibit is complete with planes, rockets, missiles, cannons, and a nuclear submarine sail.
Nuclear Medicine – A display of early and modern medical equipment using nuclear physics principles. '''Little Albert's Lab''' – An area presided over by an
animatronic version of Albert Einstein, provides hands-on, family-friendly science activities for children.
Nano – An interactive exhibition where visitors can imagine and discover a world they cannot see and learn about big ideas from the small nanoscience world. (This display is now part of Little Albert's Lab.)
Energy Encounter – A series of displays focusing on the civilian use of nuclear power, including: • history of
nuclear reactors and discussion of their engineering principles • examination of nuclear power accidents, safety engineering, and waste treatment/storage • models of the American
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and French
Superphénix Fast breeder reactor • a model of the
NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered merchant ship • nuclear energy as one part of a spectrum of alternative energy-producing methods
Radiation 101 – A display of everyday items and activities that expose people to ionizing radiation as well as a free-standing case containing the companion exhibit to the online exhibition: Atomic Advertising
Atomic Pop Culture – Visitors may be entertained while viewing how American popular culture reflected the dawning of the Atomic Age. This includes vintage movie memorabilia, comic books, accessories, and more.
Nuclear Waste Transportation – The TruPact II container is on display in this exhibita type of transportation container used by the
US Department of Energy (DOE) to transport
transuranic waste. '''What's Up With U(ranium)''' – An exhibit that seeks to engage visitors in answering questions like "where does uranium come from," "how does it move through the environment," "how does it affect us," and "is it radioactive?"
Uranium; Enriching Your Future – A partially interactive exhibit that explains how nuclear power contributes to the energy industry. '''Dark Cube: Heisenberg's Race for the Bomb''' – A special exhibition where visitors can learn about Nazi Germany's futile effort to outpace the Manhattan Project's atomic weapons research featuring a "dense, two-inch charcoal-black cube made of pure uranium metal that Nazi scientists suspended with 663 other similar cubes."
Nuclear by Mail – This exhibit displays the development of nuclear science and technology in the 20th century through these developments' appearance on stationery.
Temporary Exhibit Hall – An area devoted to different temporary exhibits. Both self-guided and docent-led tours are available.
Noteworthy artifacts •
Little Boy and
Fat Man casings • the only full size replica of the "
Gadget" and Trinity Test Tower • assorted modern nuclear bombs and warheads • a
WE.177 bomb (
British nuclear weapon deployed from the 1960s until 1998) • a
Norden bombsight • two of the actual
B28 bomb casings from the
Palomares hydrogen bombs incident • a collection of items reflecting daily life at
Los Alamos during the
Manhattan Project as well as a case representing
Oak Ridge • an assortment of
kitsch and products exemplifying the impact of the Atomic Age on US culture. • an early
fluoroscope X-ray device • a PRISM 2000 XP Gamma Camera (example of more modern nuclear imaging technology) • a display of nuclear and homeopathic medical quackery artifacts • an extensive model collection of military aircraft and other vehicles • a
Lego model of
Chicago Pile-1 • a cube of
uranium used by the
Nazis in their effort to build an atomic weapon (on indefinite loan from Dr. Tim Koeth) • a 260 mm
M65 Atomic Cannon, often referred to as "Atomic Annie" Controversy arose when the Museum relocated to the Old Town museum district and erected its
Redstone rocket at the corner of 20th Street and Mountain Road NW. Some people saw the erecting of the rocket in an area of the city frequented by lovers of the arts and families with children as emblematic of pervasive
military-industrial complex influence in Albuquerque and New Mexico. Others saw the rocket as relevant to an accurate portrayal of New Mexico's involvement in the nuclear age. With the opening of the new museum, the Redstone rocket was relocated to the Eubank site.
Aircraft on display Due to its colocation with Kirtland AFB, the museum has acquired several historically significant aircraft. == Governance ==