October 20, 2023, 11:31 PM
Scientists and other personnel install the world’s first atomic bomb to lift it to a 100-foot tower at the Trinity test site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The New Mexico site of the world’s first atomic bomb is expecting thousands of visitors Saturday to the popularity of the movie “Oppenheimer. “Trinity Site, a National Historic Landmark, is only open to the public twice a year. (AP Photo/File) Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/File)
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N. M. (AP) — Thousands of visitors are expected to arrive Saturday in southern New Mexico, where the world’s first atomic bomb exploded, as officials brace for a record turnout amid the marching band around Christopher Nolan’s hit movie, “Oppenheimer. “
The Trinity site, designated a National Historic Landmark, is sometimes closed to the public due to its proximity to the area of impact of missiles fired at the White Sands missile range. But twice a year, in April and October, the site opens to viewers.
This would possibly be the first time you’ll get a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
White Sands officials warned online that the wait to get through the gates can be up to two hours. No more than 5,000 visitors are expected between 8 a. m. and 2 p. m.
Visitors are also warned to be prepared, as the Trinity is located in a secluded domain with limited Wi-Fi and no cell service or restrooms.
“Oppenheimer,” the account of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s paintings and the top-secret Manhattan Project of World War II, was a blockbuster over the summer. Scientists and army officers established a secret city at Los Alamos in the 1940s and tested their paintings at the Trinity Site, about 322 miles away.
Part of the film’s good fortune is due to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, in which moviegoers made a double premiere of the movie “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer. “
Although the story surrounding the atomic bomb has become fodder for pop culture, it’s part of a painful truth for viewers who lived downwind at the Trinity site. The Downwinders of the Tularosa Basin plan to protest outside the gates to remind visitors of an aspect of hitale they don’t feel identified with through the film.
The organization claims that the U. S. government never warned citizens about the tests. Soils and waters infected with radioactive ash. Rates of infant mortality, cancer, and other diseases have increased. According to its proponents, there are now more young generations facing fitness issues.
The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium has been working for years with the Union of Concerned Scientists and others to draw attention to the impact of the Manhattan Project. A new documentary by filmmaker Lois Lipman, “First We Bombed New Mexico,” had its world premiere Friday at the Santa Fe International Film Festival.
The fame of “Oppenheimer” gained in Los Alamos, more than 200 miles north of the Tularosa Basin. About 200 residents, many of them employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory, were extras in the film, and the city hosted an Oppenheimer Festival in July.