Exploring New Mexico’s History With Testing Nuclear Bombs

Yes history buffs will know that New Mexico saw testing for the very first atomic bomb; the Trinity Site in White Sands saw the first atomic bomb explode on July 16, 1945. Today people can visit the White Sands National Park but we still remember all of these test that was done nearly 100 years ago.

But that's the one that most people are familiar with; there have been MORE nuclear tests performed in the state of New Mexico.

Project Gnome

The 2nd time New Mexico would see a nuclear bomb test was a three-kiloton bomb named Project Gnome on December 10, 1961, just 40 minutes from Carlsbad, New Mexico. Today there's a marker that gives the history the bomb was denotated on that day in Loving, New Mexico.

Project Gasbuggy

Exactly 6 years after Project Gnome, there would be another nuclear testing called Project Gasbuggy. Unlike the past 2, this one was an underground nuclear explosion test done 55 miles east of Farmington, New Mexico. This test was actually part of Operation Plowshare, in an attempt to discover potentially peaceful (useful) uses of nuclear explosions. People can go visit the marker of the explosion site in Dulce, New Mexico.

And let's not forget the Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Los Alamos National Laboratory offers with programs specializing in technology, science & engineering. Originally the lab was built as a site to build & design nuclear weapons during World War II.

This isn't the only time a New Mexico laboratory would destroy stuff for science; one of the most known crash tests involving a military jet was performed in Albuquerque & you can see the video here.

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