White Sands Missile Range . Public Affairs Office

“ Radiation levels in the fenced, ground zero area are low. On an average the levels are only 10 times greater than the region's natural background radiation. A one-hour visit to the inner fenced area will result in a whole body exposure of one-half to one milliroentgen.
To put this in perspective, a U.S. adult receives an average exposure of 90 milliroentgens every year from natural and medical sources. For instance, the Department of Energy says we receive between 35 and 50 milliroentgens every year from the sun and from 20 to 35 milliroentgens every year from our food. ”

“ The bomb design to be used at Trinity Site actually involved two explosions. First there would be a conventional explosion involving the TNT and then, a fraction of a second later, the nuclear explosion, if a chain reaction was maintained. The scientists were sure the TNT would explode, but were initially unsure of the plutonium. If the chain reaction failed to occur, the TNT would blow the very rare and dangerous plutonium all over the countryside. ”

“ The blast destroyed the tower, but Jumbo survived intact.
Today Jumbo rests at the entrance to ground zero so all can see it. The ends are missing because, in 1946, the Army detonated eight 500-pound bombs inside it. Because Jumbo was standing on end, the bombs were stacked in the bottom and the asymmetry of the explosion blew the ends off.
To calibrate the instruments which would be measuring the atomic explosion and to practice a countdown, the Manhattan scientists ran a simulated blast on May 7. ”

“ Then maybe for the first time I began to believe some of the fantastic tales the scientists had told about this nuclear power."
At the McDonald ranch house the master bedroom had been turned into a clean room for the assembly of the bomb core. According to Robert Bacher, a member of the assembly team, they tried to use only tools and materials from a special kit. Several of these kits existed and some were already on their way to Tinian, the island in the Pacific which was the base for the bombers. ”

“ Living in a brick house adds 50 milliroentgens of exposure every year compared to living in a frame house. Finally, flying coast to coast in a jet airliner gives an exposure of between three and five milliroentgens on each trip. ”

“ Visitors entering this way will travel as an escorted group with military police to and from Trinity Site. The drive is 170 miles round trip. There are no service station facilities on the missile range. The caravan is scheduled to leave Trinity Site at 12:30 p.m. for the return to Alamogordo. The caravan may leave later if there is a large number of vehicles in the returning caravan.
In 1995, an additional open house will be conducted on July 16, the 50th anniversary of the Trinity test. Visitors may enter the missile range through the Stallion Range Center gate from 5 to 11 a.m. ”

“ The area already was controlled by the government because it was part of the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range which was established in 1942. The secluded Jornado del Muerto was perfect as it provided isolation for secrecy and safety, but was still close to Los Alamos.
Building a test site
In the fall of 1944 soldiers started arriving at Trinity Site to prepare for the test. ”