What is the Bradbury Science Museum?

Founded in 1963, the Bradbury Science Museum is one of the main facilities associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Tourists come to the New Mexico attraction to enjoy the war and science exhibits. Over the years, the museum has been the site of numerous artifacts, documents hailing from World War II and the infamous Manhattan Project.

In the lobby of the Bradbury Science Museum, you will find information regarding the site, which has played an important role in research over the years. The Laboratory first started serving as a place to study and design the first atomic bomb in 1942. The site continues to cultivate scientific minds and is known as one of the largest multidisciplinary research institutions in the world. It is in the lobby that you will start to learn about the importance of the Laboratory and the role it plays in the economy and well being of the residents of northern New Mexico.

A trip to the Defense Gallery highlights nuclear weapons and touches upon events and weaponry related to World War II. The history of supercomputing at Los Alamos is discussed within this gallery, as well as the “Plutonium Legacy,” “Underground Testing,” and the topic of stockpiling.
Full size models of the Little Boy and Fat Man (which are the first nuclear bombs associated with the United States) are on exhibit at Defense Gallery of the museum.

In the Research Gallery of the museum, visitors are introduced to exhibits that focus on the environment, health and energy. Here is where you’ll learn more about radiation, the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, space science research, global climate change, the monitoring of the environment, the Human Genome Project, and storing carbon from fossil fuels.

The History Gallery presents all you need to know about the Atomic Age with an informative timeline, as well as the history of the Manhattan Project. Other exhibits at this part of the museum highlight significant moments in science.

The museum offers a Techlab ”“ a multipurpose room that provides hands-on activities for visitors of all ages, such as games that exercise the brain. Special displays are presented for short bursts of time. Sometimes, the room is transformed into a classroom for visiting school children on a field trip. The room is also at times a reception room for events that take place after hours.

Visiting the Museum

If you are interested in paying a visit to the Bradbury Science Museum, head for 1350 Central Avenue in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The hours of operation for the museum are: Tuesday-Saturday (10 am”“5 pm) and Sunday & Monday (1”“5 pm).

The museum is open every day with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. It is free to enjoy the exhibits of the museum.