The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History - Inside

Above, yours truly with a model of "Fat Man", the Nagasaki atomic bomb for a size perspective.

After getting a haircut at Supercuts in Albuquerque, I headed off to The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

Above, The Beast with a Redstone rocket in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The museum covers all aspects of nuclear weaponry as well as peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

One of the first things I noticed when pulling up to the museum was a Redstone rocket standing at the parking lot entrance and, in the museum's yard, aircraft and a replica Trinity test tower. The two most interesting (to me) of the aircraft on display were a B-52 bomber and a B-29 Superfortress bomber.

Above, the front of the museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In this blog post, I am concentrating on displays inside the museum. The outdoor displays will be covered in another blog post.

The first gallery was on the pioneers of the atom. This was followed by World War II, critical assembly, Manhattan Project, temporary exhibit (the exhibit during my visit was on the B-52), Trinity & its legacy, "Fat Man" and "Little Boy", Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Cold War, Heritage Park, nuclear medicine, radiation, Nano, atomic culture, Little Albert's Lab (children's area), Whats Up With You, nuclear waste transportation, energy encounter, and uranium cycle.

The museum was established in 1969 and its current home was opened in 2009. It is a Smithsonian affiliate and is the only national museum in the state of New Mexico.

More photos:

Above, Heritage Park from the visitor parking lot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, part of the critical assembly gallery. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, B-52 fuselage art, part of the temporary exhibit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, "Little Boy" (Hiroshima) and " Fat Man" (Nagasaki). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a V.I.P. stretch military limousine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the flag that flew at Trinity during the atomic test. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the first atomic bomb, "The Gadget", of the Trinity test in New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a recovered Nagasaki license plate and a photo of a child's tricycle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a familiar sign during the days of the Cold War. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a collection of Cold War era missiles. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, atomic/nuclear-oriented movie posters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, model train car toys of the nuclear age. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, an electrostatic x-ray influence machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For displays outside, go here.