Posted: 04/03/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT
LAS CRUCES - The first of two annual open houses of Trinity Site, where the world's first atomic bomb was detonated, will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
But Monte Marlin, White Sands Missile Range spokeswoman, said people who want to attend the open house should be prepared for inclement weather.
"I've looked at the early forecast and it's supposed to be 63 degrees (Fahrenheit), windy and a 40 percent chance of rain," Marlin said. "I'd recommend that people check the weather before coming."
Yearly tours of the U.S. historical landmark are conducted in April and October. Trinity Site is at the northern end of White Sands Missile Range, about 150 miles north of Las Cruces.
The open house is free. At the site, visitors can take a quarter-mile walk to ground zero, where a small obelisk marks the exact spot where the bomb was exploded at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945. Historical photos are mounted on the fence surrounding Trinity Site.
At the site, visitors also can ride a free missile range shuttle bus to the Schmidt/McDonald ranch house. The ranch house is about two miles from ground zero, and was where scientists assembled the plutonium core of the bomb.
The easiest way to get to Trinity Site is through WSMR's Stallion Range Center gate. The entrance is five miles south of U.S. Highway 380, off of Interstate 25 at the San Antonio, N.M. exit.
From Las Cruces, take I-25 north and get off at the San Antonio exit. The exit is about 12 miles south of Socorro.
The Stallion gate is open for every Trinity Site open house. At the gate, visitors will receive literature about Trinity Site, and will be allowed to drive without military escort the final 17 miles to Trinity Site. The road is paved and will be marked.
Another way to attend is with a caravan that will form at the Tularosa High School football field parking lot at 8 a.m. Saturday. It is a 75-mile one-way trip to Trinity Site from Tularosa, and there are no gasoline stations along the route or at the site.
The caravan will be escorted by military police once it gets onto WSMR property. It is scheduled to return to Tularosa between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Saturday.
All adults should be prepared to show a photo identification card to military police. All vehicles are subject to search, and motorists should be ready to provide proof of vehicle insurance and vehicle registration documents.
Weapons of any kind are prohibited on WSMR land.
No formal ceremonies or speakers will be conducted at the site. Food and souvenirs will be sold.
If you go
•What: Trinity Site open house
•When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
•Where: Access to Trinity Site is through the Stallion Range Center, at White Sands Missile Range, about 150 miles north of Las Cruces. Stallion gate is five miles south of U.S. Highway 380, off of the Interstate 25 exit at San Antonio, N.M.
•Cost: Free. However, food, drinks and souvenirs will be sold at the event. 
•Information: WSMR Public Affairs Office, (575) 678-1134
You can also visit the Alamogordo Space Museum
Trinity Site Tour
Free showing of "Trinity: The Atomic Bomb Movie" at the Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Dome Theater at the NM Museum of Space History. Show begins at 7pm.
For more information contact Chamber of Commerce at (575) 437-6120
Comments(0)