Nuclear Weapons Testing in Nevada

January 27th marked a dubious date in Nevada history. It was on that day in 1951 when the first atmospheric test of a nuclear weapon took place at the Nevada Test Site. The test was code named ABLE and exploded in an area of the test site called Frenchman Flat. Until a 1992 nuclear testing moratorium, a variety of both atmospheric and underground weapons tests rocked the site. Since then, the Nevada Test Site has been hosting a variety of other programs, such as conventional weapons testing, emergency response training, environmental studies, and waste management. The last item involves the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, but that's another story entirely.

The Nevada Test Site and nuclear weapons testing in Nevada are presented at the excellent Atomic Testing Museum on the Desert Research Institute campus, 755 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89119. Nevada Test Site tours are available and depart once a month from the Museum. If you want to go, sign up as soon as possible as they fill quickly. At this writing, the next available tour isn't until May, 2010.

Photo courtesy Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Federal Facilities.

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