National Security Science magazine | Summer 2020 | Los Alamos National Laboratory

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Summer 2020

The history issue: Our Laboratory continues to push the envelope of what’s possible, making history every day.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Letters
The history Issue
Building on its storied past, our Laboratory continues to push the envelope of what’s possible, making history every single day.Read Nowabout the article: The history Issue
A letter from Washington
The Los Alamos Ranch School is acquired for “military purposes.”Read Nowabout the article: A letter from Washington
Abstracts
Presidential Visits
Many public figures have toured the Lab, including several senior government officials.Read Nowabout the article: Presidential Visits
What's in a Name?
Los Alamos National Laboratory has had three names in 77 years.Read Nowabout the article: What's in a Name?
The Man Who Was Nearly Oppenheimer
Nobel Laureate Carl David Anderson was the first person tapped to lead Project Y.Read Nowabout the article: The Man Who Was Nearly Oppenheimer
By the Numbers: Nobel Prizes
Twenty scientists with ties to Los Alamos have won Nobel Prizes.Read Nowabout the article: By the Numbers: Nobel Prizes
Switchable Explosives
What if an explosive could be switched on and off like a light?Read Nowabout the article: Switchable Explosives
The Space-Clutter Dilemma
A revolutionary update to the solid rocket engine will help solve a fast-growing satellite problem.Read Nowabout the article: The Space-Clutter Dilemma
Raiders of the Lost Archive
Relocating the Rocky Flats archive to Los Alamos ensures we will learn from history, not repeat it.Read Nowabout the article: Raiders of the Lost Archive
Features
The Trinity test
On July 16, 1945, Los Alamos scientists detonated the Gadget—the world’s first atomic bomb.Read Nowabout the article: The Trinity test
The Mission that Changed the World
By thoroughly testing its components, scientists were confident that Little Boy—the nuclear weapon dropped by the Enola Gay—would detonate, thus establishing the United States as a credible nuclear power.Read Nowabout the article: The Mission that Changed the World
Generations of Tradition
Brigadier General (retired) Paul Tibbets IV reflects on his family’s legacy of military service.Read Nowabout the article: Generations of Tradition
Why Wasn't Little Boy Tested?
The bomb’s components were tested, and Lab scientists were certain of its success.Read Nowabout the article: Why Wasn't Little Boy Tested?
Cold War Watchmen
In the 1960s, Los Alamos scientists changed the landscape of national security with Project Vela—satellite instruments that could detect nuclear explosions in space.Read Nowabout the article: Cold War Watchmen
The Mystery Flash that Changed Astrophysics
Project Vela made one of the biggest space discoveries of the 20th century—cosmic gamma-ray bursts.Read Nowabout the article: The Mystery Flash that Changed Astrophysics
Behind the bamboo curtain
Only two U.S. nuclear weapons experts have officially seen the Chinese nuclear test site at Lop Nur. They were from Los Alamos.Read Nowabout the article: Behind the bamboo curtain
Analysis
Doomed to Cooperate
Former Laboratory Director Siegfried Hecker recalls the relationship between the United States and Russia at the end of the Cold War.Read Nowabout the article: Doomed to Cooperate
Being Essential
Forged in Fire
Engineer and bladesmith Boyd Ritter intertwines art and science to create custom knives.Read Nowabout the article: Forged in Fire
Looking back
Looking back
66 years ago: March 1, 1954 Read Nowabout the article: Looking back
Then & now
Then & now
Originally part of the Los Alamos Ranch School, the ice house was used during the Manhattan Project.Read Nowabout the article: Then & now