National Museum of Nuclear Science & History – Virtual Tour

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is a national repository of nuclear science information. The mission of the National Museum is to serve as America’s resource for nuclear history and science.

The museum’s exhibits cover the diversity of individuals and events that shaped the historical and technical context of the nuclear age.

The Museum was initially established in 1969 on the grounds of Kirtland Air Force Base. In 1985, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) became responsible for the Museum.

In 1991 the Museum received its charter as a national museum, and its mission expanded to include aspects of nuclear science and history beyond the manufacturing of nuclear weapons.

After the terror attacks in September 2001, increased security restricted public access to the Museum’s on-base site, which forced its relocation to a public place.

The new museum opened in 2009, in its current location under the new name of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

The new facility incorporates exhibit areas, classrooms, a theater, library, conference room, and a gallery for temporary exhibits.

The site includes nine-acres (3.6 ha) of outdoor space for exhibits of military aircraft, missiles, vehicles, and the sail of a nuclear submarine.

The master of the USS James K. Polk nuclear submarine – National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

Highlights of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

The sail of the USS James K. Polk nuclear submarine
Artifacts from Los Alamos used at the Manhattan Project
Replicas of Little Boy and Fat Man bombs that were dropped on Japan during WWII
Modern atomic bombs and warheads
WE.177 bomb – a British nuclear weapon
A Norden bombsight
Two of the bomb casings from the Palomares hydrogen bombs incident (image above)
TA-7C Corsair II Navy
B-29 Superfortress USAF
F-105D Thunderchief
A PGM-11 Redstone rocket

280MM Atomic Cannon – National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

1966 Palomares B-52 crash

The Palomares incident occurred in 1966 when a B-52G bomber collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refueling over the Mediterranean Sea.

The KC-135 was destroyed when its fuel load ignited, killing all four crew members. The B-52G broke apart, killing three of the seven crew members aboard.

Of the four Mk28-type hydrogen bombs the B-52G carried, three were found on land near the small fishing village of Palomares in Spain.

The non-nuclear explosives in two of the weapons detonated upon impact with the ground, resulting in plutonium contamination of a 0.77-square-mile (2 km2) area.

The fourth, which fell into the Mediterranean Sea, was recovered intact after a 2 1⁄2-month search.

Mk-17 Thermonuclear Bomb – National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Museum: National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Formerly: National Atomic Museum
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Country: United States
Established: 1969
Type: Specialist Museums, Military and War Museums and Memorials, Science and Technology Museums
Category: National Museum of the United States,
Location: 601 Eubank SE (at Southern Blvd), Albuquerque, New Mexico

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History Map

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History – 360 views

National Atomic Testing Museum – 360 views

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History – 360 views

Virtual Tour of the National Museums of the United States

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Virtual Tour of American Museums

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

“Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.”
– Omar N. Bradley

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Photo Credit: byteboy / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0); Balon Greyjoy / CC0; byteboy / CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0); byteboy / CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0); Marshall Astor from San Pedro, United States / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)