Entering the Atomic Age: The Manhattan Project
Building the first atomic bomb in primitive conditions under great stress, a collection of physicists and engineers solved problem after problem in ingenious ways. On this trip/seminar you will hear from Manhattan Project scientists and see the Trinity Site in a private visit. Get a first hand view of this defining moment in history.
Day 1
Individual arrivals at the Albuquerque International Airport. Meet at the booth at the bottom of the escalator in baggage claim area.
Group motor coach departure from Albuquerque Airport for Los Alamos, New Mexico. The group will travel to Los Alamos over the Jemez mountains, following the approach that Oppenheimer took when he and General Groves were looking for a suitable location for the Manhattan Project. The Jemez mountains are the roots of a huge volcano which blew up 1.2 million years ago. Geologist Kirt Kempter will join the group to describe the geology throughout the area.
Check into the Holiday Inn Express, 2455 Trinity Drive in Los Alamos.
Gather for a lecture with a scientist – The Origins of the Manhattan Project. Discuss the activities at Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Hanford, Detroit, Cleveland and Decatur.
Meet in the hotel lobby and departure for Catherine's Restaurant in White Rock.
Enjoy a welcome reception and dinner. Meet a scientist who, as a young man, worked at Los Alamos, directing the casting of the explosive lenses for the first implosion bombs during the war.
Overnight at the Holiday Inn Express.
Day 2
Continental breakfast available at the hotel.
Lecture – Physics from the mid 19th century, the Periodic Table, quantum mechanics, wave mechanics, matrix mechanics and nuclear physics to the mid 1930's. This will bring the novice up to the moment when the work which led to the development of the atomic bomb began.
Coffee break.
Walk to Bradbury Science Museum for a self-guided tour of the history of the Manhattan Project and a video. Walk to Fuller Lodge, the center of the project, for catered lunch.
Join scientists for a lecture – Political Pressures in the Decisions Making and Operation of Los Alamos.
Lecture The Implications of the Gadget on Civilization.
Bandelier National Monument for walking tour. Picnic dinner in the canyon. Board the bus to return to Los Alamos.
Gather for a screening of the NBC White Paper at the hotel.
Day 3
Continental breakfast served at the hotel.
Lecture – Fat Man and Little Boy
Lecture – Kitty Oppenheimer: A Profile
Bus departs for Santa Fe. Enjoy lunch at Gabriel's Southwest Restaurant en route.
In Santa Fe, tour of the sites related to the Manhattan Project, the Castillo Street Bridge (spy secrets passed here) and the "cover" office, 109 E. Palace and Box 1663.
Standing By and Making Do – Visit to El Castillo retirement home where there will be a panel discussion with the wives and some of the children of former scientists at Los Alamos. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon on your own in Santa Fe to explore the galleries and shops.
Gather in the Coronado Room at La Fonda for dinner. Return to Los Alamos.
Day 4
Continental Breakfast served at the hotel. Luggage outside rooms for pick-up.
Meet in the conference room at the hotel for a briefing with a Los Alamos Lab scientist.
Tour of Bathtub Row and the Los Alamos Historical Society Museum.
Lunch on your own.
Meet at the Science Museum for a briefing by Director of the museum, on the history of the Laboratory.
Depart for Albuquerque and tour the National Atomic Museum.
Check-in at the La Posada de Albuquerque (currently under construction, open in 2008).
Gather in the lobby and depart by motor coach for the Artichoke Café for dinner.
Day 5
Continental breakfast served at the hotel.
Depart hotel for day-long field trip to the Trinity Site. Arrive at Stallion Gate for a guided tour of the area. Enjoy lunch at the Owl Bar in San Antonio.
Return to Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Video on bus: Day After Trinity. Visit room 713 in the hotel, where Robert J. Oppenheimer stayed whenever he was in Albuquerque. There will be a chance to have an Oppenheimer Martini.
Enjoy your festive farewell dinner at Scalo's, Albuquerque.
Day 6
Continental Breakfast served at the hotel. Individual departures, check out time is 11 am.
Itineraries are samples and may change according to availability of the speaker and locations. All itineraries may be customized and modified to suit circumstances.