WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 Welcome to the show. We are really glad you're 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.320 joining us today. Yeah, absolutely. Glad to be 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:08.910 here. Because... You, the learner, are exactly 00:00:08.910 --> 00:00:12.349 who we build these deep dives for. Whether you're 00:00:12.349 --> 00:00:14.949 prepping for a trip, catching up on historical 00:00:14.949 --> 00:00:17.170 science, or you just have an ongoing curiosity 00:00:17.170 --> 00:00:19.530 about the hidden corners of history. You are 00:00:19.530 --> 00:00:21.949 in the right place. You are. Today, our mission 00:00:21.949 --> 00:00:24.629 is to extract the most critical insights about 00:00:24.629 --> 00:00:27.070 the Bradbury Science Museum. Right. It's located 00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:30.149 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. And this institution 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:32.990 sits at the center of a very strange intersection. 00:00:33.429 --> 00:00:36.630 It really does. Between... Total secrecy on one 00:00:36.630 --> 00:00:39.109 hand and public education on the other. Yeah. 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:41.609 And for anyone familiar with mid -century American 00:00:41.609 --> 00:00:44.929 history, the name Los Alamos carries an enormous 00:00:44.929 --> 00:00:47.509 amount of weight. Oh, yeah. It is a place fundamentally 00:00:47.509 --> 00:00:51.530 defined by classified research, isolated geography, 00:00:51.750 --> 00:00:54.369 and, of course, the creation of the atomic bomb 00:00:54.369 --> 00:00:57.969 during the Manhattan Project. Right. quintessential 00:00:57.969 --> 00:01:00.210 secret city. I mean, it was a place that didn't 00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:02.990 even officially exist on a map for years. And 00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:05.450 that paradox is the core of our discussion today. 00:01:05.689 --> 00:01:07.849 Definitely. Because the Bradbury Science Museum 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:10.629 serves as the chief public facility for the Los 00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:13.310 Alamos National Laboratory. A laboratory famous 00:01:13.310 --> 00:01:16.430 for keeping the world's most guarded, world -altering 00:01:16.430 --> 00:01:19.829 secrets. Exactly. Yet they manage a public tourist 00:01:19.829 --> 00:01:22.109 attraction designed to put their work on display. 00:01:22.409 --> 00:01:25.430 It's wild. Okay, let's unpack this. How does 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:31.150 a top -seeker weapons lab... It's a brilliant 00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:33.769 contradiction, honestly. Analyzing how we preserve 00:01:33.769 --> 00:01:36.489 and share highly sensitive scientific history 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:41.230 is, well, it's a really complex exercise. Today's 00:01:41.230 --> 00:01:43.549 deep dive traces a journey from classified lockdown 00:01:43.549 --> 00:01:46.760 to public transparency. Right. It is the story 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:49.120 of an institution learning how to explain itself 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.379 to the very world it helped change. Which is 00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:53.920 not easy. Not at all. They had to navigate the 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.140 incredibly delicate balance between national 00:01:56.140 --> 00:01:58.939 security and the public's right to understand 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:01.780 scientific progress. So let's rewind the clock 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:03.840 and look at the origin story. Okay. The year 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.920 is 1953, and a man named Robert Krohn, he's overseeing 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:09.240 early nuclear testing at what was then known 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:12.120 as the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Right. 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.580 The post -war era is in full swing. Yeah. And 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:17.400 Crone decides that the facility requires a museum. 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:20.520 Well, by 1953, you know, the Manhattan Project 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:23.520 is over. World War II has ended and the Cold 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:26.599 War is accelerating. Rapidly. Exactly. And Crone 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:28.759 recognizes that the laboratory is generating 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:31.539 historical relics at a rapid pace. Like what 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:34.580 kind of relics? Early bomb casings, testing equipment, 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:36.979 deactivated components. Things you can't exactly 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:39.520 just throw in a dumpster. Exactly. These were 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:42.750 objects of immense historical value. He sees 00:02:42.750 --> 00:02:45.150 the need to house and preserve these artifacts 00:02:45.150 --> 00:02:48.729 related to weapons research before they are lost 00:02:48.729 --> 00:02:51.969 to time, or scrapped, or simply forgotten in 00:02:51.969 --> 00:02:54.180 a storage closet somewhere. So he takes this 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:57.139 idea to the laboratory director at the time. 00:02:57.259 --> 00:02:59.340 Norris Bradbury. Right, Norris Bradbury, and 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:02.180 convinces him that a museum is necessary to preserve 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:05.400 the lab's history. But the location they choose, 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:07.780 however, is fascinating. Oh, it's so strange. 00:03:08.099 --> 00:03:10.460 They set it up in an old ice house on the bank 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:13.259 of Ashley Pond right across from Fuller Lodge. 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:15.659 And one detail that stands out about this ice 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.180 house is that it was already fitted with a heavy 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:21.219 vault door. A perfect, ready -made, secure location. 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.159 Exactly. What's fascinating here is why that 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.419 vault door was a functional necessity rather 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.060 than just a dramatic architectural choice. Because 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:33.500 it wasn't for tourists. No, not at all. When 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:35.800 we hear the word museum, we think of school field 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:39.699 trips and tourists with cameras. We had to discard 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:42.759 that notion entirely for this era. Right. This 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:44.800 was not a museum for the public. It was created 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:48.060 strictly to preserve classified exhibits. A classified 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:50.500 museum? It just sounds so contradictory. Building 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:53.439 a space designed for exhibition, but locking 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.319 it away behind a bank vault. It did serve a very 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:58.699 specific functional purpose, though. Yeah. The 00:03:58.699 --> 00:04:01.740 Ice House. with its heavy metal door, satisfied 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:04.439 the rigorous security standards required to house 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:06.620 sensitive artifacts. That makes sense. Krone 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:09.039 wanted to preserve them, but the technology and 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:11.080 the history were still highly classified. So 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.180 who was allowed in? When it officially opened 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:16.819 in 1954, it was exclusively for official visitors. 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.480 It was an educational center strictly for cleared 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.180 personnel to come and learn about the laboratory's 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:25.160 ongoing and past weapon programs. I want you, 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:27.540 the listener, to just imagine that for a second. 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.420 It's a striking image. You walk up to an old 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:33.439 ice house, someone spins the dial on a massive 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.240 metal vault door, and you step into the classified 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.060 history of the atomic age. It's like something 00:04:39.060 --> 00:04:42.879 out of a spy movie. It really is. The sheer exclusivity 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:45.220 of a museum where the price of admission is a 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:48.360 top secret government security. That is hard 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:50.699 to replicate anywhere else. And it speaks to 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.300 the intense isolation of Los Alamos at the time. 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:55.920 They were preserving their own history for themselves, 00:04:56.100 --> 00:04:58.899 entirely closed off from the outside world. Just 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:01.199 a community of scientists operating in a bubble. 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:03.980 Exactly. But maintaining that level of isolation 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:06.779 becomes difficult as the laboratory's work continues 00:05:06.779 --> 00:05:09.199 to intersect with global events. And as the surrounding 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:11.500 community begins to grow and normalize. Right. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.319 Which brings us to 1963. A full decade later. 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:16.660 Right. Robert Porton, who served as the director 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:19.180 of community relations at the laboratory, starts 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:22.319 advocating for a major change. A huge change. 00:05:22.750 --> 00:05:25.230 He wants to add unclassified exhibits to the 00:05:25.230 --> 00:05:27.769 museum and open the doors to the outside world. 00:05:28.029 --> 00:05:30.750 This is a monumental shift in institutional thinking. 00:05:31.009 --> 00:05:33.350 I bet. I mean, the director of community relations 00:05:33.350 --> 00:05:36.089 recognizing that the laboratory needs a public 00:05:36.089 --> 00:05:38.930 face is a big step. And the timing is important, 00:05:39.089 --> 00:05:41.750 too, right? Oh, absolutely. We have to consider 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:45.310 the era. The early 1960s were fraught with nuclear 00:05:45.310 --> 00:05:48.329 anxiety. The Cuban Missile Crisis happened in 00:05:48.329 --> 00:05:52.350 1962. So tensions were high. Extremely. The public 00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:54.470 was highly aware of the stakes of the Cold War. 00:05:55.089 --> 00:05:57.970 Director Norris Bradbury approves the transfer 00:05:57.970 --> 00:06:00.750 of unclassified exhibits to an area that is finally 00:06:00.750 --> 00:06:03.170 accessible to the general public. Probably realizing 00:06:03.170 --> 00:06:04.930 that they couldn't just stay hidden forever. 00:06:05.370 --> 00:06:07.610 Likely recognizing that offering some transparency 00:06:07.610 --> 00:06:10.439 might help demystify the lab's work, yeah? So 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.740 those first public visitors stepped into a space 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:15.379 that offered a very curated look behind the curtain. 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:17.300 What did they actually get to see? Well, they 00:06:17.300 --> 00:06:19.680 displayed World War II era documents and photographs 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:21.920 that trace the development of the town of Los 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.860 Alamos and the laboratory itself. They brought 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:27.240 out scientific memorabilia and working models 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:30.220 of unclassified research projects. That must 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:32.269 have been thrilling for people. When you keep 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:34.850 a facility locked away and shrouded in rumors 00:06:34.850 --> 00:06:38.269 for a decade, you build an incredible aura of 00:06:38.269 --> 00:06:41.250 mystery. Oh, for sure. The appetite to see inside 00:06:41.250 --> 00:06:43.389 Los Alamos, to understand what these scientists 00:06:43.389 --> 00:06:46.269 were actually doing up on that mesa, was immense. 00:06:46.610 --> 00:06:48.810 And the numbers reflect that perfectly. Yeah. 00:06:48.850 --> 00:06:51.930 In its very first year of being open to the public, 00:06:52.129 --> 00:06:56.629 the museum saw 14 ,000 visitors. Wow. In 1963? 00:06:56.790 --> 00:07:00.370 Yes. Keep in mind, this is the 1960s and Los 00:07:00.370 --> 00:07:02.629 Alamos is not located on a major interstate. 00:07:02.750 --> 00:07:04.490 No, you really have to want to go there. You 00:07:04.490 --> 00:07:06.870 have to intentionally drive up a winding mountain 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.870 road to get there. Yet those 14 ,000 visitors 00:07:09.870 --> 00:07:12.889 traveled from all 50 states and 40 different 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:15.769 countries. That is staggering. It really highlights 00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:18.629 a deep global hunger to understand the origins 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:21.629 of the atomic age. It does. By moving from the 00:07:21.629 --> 00:07:24.350 ice house vault to public displays, the laboratory 00:07:24.350 --> 00:07:26.610 was actively changing its relationship with the 00:07:26.610 --> 00:07:28.949 public. They were acknowledging that knowledge, 00:07:29.310 --> 00:07:32.149 even the complex, controversial knowledge about 00:07:32.149 --> 00:07:34.810 nuclear physics, needs to be contextualized. 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:36.850 They couldn't remain a shadow on a hill forever. 00:07:37.149 --> 00:07:39.170 No, they had an obligation to educate. And because 00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:41.889 of this massive influx of visitors, the museum 00:07:41.889 --> 00:07:44.230 quickly outgrew the ice house. I'm surprised. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:48.540 By 1965, they moved to larger quarters. The range 00:07:48.540 --> 00:07:51.040 and number of exhibits grew rapidly, with various 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:53.279 scientific groups and divisions within the lab 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:55.779 contributing their own hands -on models. It became 00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.980 a real community effort internally. It did. And 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:02.240 then in 1970, they made a major symbolic move. 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:05.100 They officially named the facility after Norris 00:08:05.100 --> 00:08:07.560 E. Bradbury. The laboratory's second director. 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.759 Right, who served from 1945 all the way to 1970. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:14.160 Naming it the Norris E. Bradbury Science Museum. 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:17.259 was a fitting tribute to the man who guided the 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.779 laboratory through the complex post -war years. 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:22.160 He had a massive job. He was the one who managed 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.420 the transition from a wartime emergency project 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:28.360 into a permanent national laboratory. And crucially, 00:08:28.459 --> 00:08:30.779 he was the director who approved that initial 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:33.200 decision to open the laboratory's history to 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.029 the public. Okay, here's where it gets really 00:08:35.029 --> 00:08:38.330 interesting. Okay. We move into the 1980s, and 00:08:38.330 --> 00:08:41.129 the museum undergoes a massive professional transition. 00:08:41.470 --> 00:08:45.429 The 1981 blow -up. Exactly. In 1981, major renovations 00:08:45.429 --> 00:08:48.330 took place. The museum shifted from a somewhat 00:08:48.330 --> 00:08:51.169 informal, donated collection of exhibits to a 00:08:51.169 --> 00:08:54.409 highly professional, curated atmosphere. This 00:08:54.409 --> 00:08:56.669 is a critical step for any institution of scientific 00:08:56.669 --> 00:08:59.649 preservation. You transition from a room full 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:02.289 of interesting objects to a structured educational 00:09:02.289 --> 00:09:04.500 experience. And they embraced the technology 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.820 of the era to do this. Right. They introduced 00:09:06.820 --> 00:09:09.440 videotapes, video discs, and interactive computer 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.139 programs. Very cutting edge for 1981. Oh, yeah. 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:15.000 But alongside the new tech, they brought in some 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:18.220 incredibly heavy -hitting modern artifacts. Like 00:09:18.220 --> 00:09:21.200 what? We are talking about a Mark 12A Warhead, 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:25.259 models of the Vela and Navistar satellites, and 00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:28.399 an air -launched cruise missile. Wow. That timing 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:31.039 in 1981 is curious, though. Putting a modern 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.059 nuclear warhead and a cruise missile on display 00:09:33.059 --> 00:09:35.440 during the height of the Reagan -era arms race 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.360 seems like a very deliberate choice. It was a 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.539 very deliberate choice. The museum was effectively 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:45.340 attempting to demystify the modern arsenal. Demystify 00:09:45.340 --> 00:09:49.080 a warhead? Yes, by placing a Mark 12A warhead, 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.799 which, by the way, was the primary warhead for 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.240 the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.779 missile. by placing that in a public well -lit 00:09:57.779 --> 00:10:01.220 museum you take away some of its abstract terror 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:03.620 That makes sense. You present it as an object 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:06.080 of engineering and physics. And what about the 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:08.480 satellites? The Vela and Navistar models were 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.940 prominently featured. How do satellites fit into 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:14.120 a weapons laboratories museum? That is a crucial 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:16.960 piece of Cold War history. Okay. The Vela satellites 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.580 were entirely designed to support the 1963 Partial 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:23.120 Test Ban Treaty. Which prohibited nuclear testing 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:24.840 in the atmosphere. Right. In the atmosphere, 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:28.019 underwater, and in space. But a treaty is useless 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:30.440 if you can't verify it. True. The challenge was, 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.019 how do we know if the Soviet Union detonates 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:35.059 a weapon behind the moon or deep in the atmosphere? 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.080 We have no idea. Exactly. So Los Alamos developed 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:39.980 the Vela satellites, which were equipped with 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:43.379 X -ray, gamma ray, and neutron detectors, specifically 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:45.919 to monitor global compliance. So the laboratory 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.279 wasn't just building the weapons. They were engineering 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:51.179 the technology required to police the treaties 00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:53.600 that restricted those weapons. Precisely. And 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.580 Navistar is equally important. How so? Navistar 00:10:56.580 --> 00:10:58.799 was the precursor to the Global Physician System, 00:10:59.139 --> 00:11:02.899 or GPS. Wait, really? Los Alamos worked on GPS? 00:11:03.340 --> 00:11:05.769 They did. Los Alamos developed the atomic clocks 00:11:05.769 --> 00:11:08.049 and radiation detectors for those early satellites. 00:11:08.289 --> 00:11:10.309 That's incredible. Showcasing these artifacts 00:11:10.309 --> 00:11:13.809 in 1981 was a way for the laboratory to communicate 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:16.889 that their work extended far beyond just building 00:11:16.889 --> 00:11:19.269 bombs. They were doing so much more. They were 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:22.090 deeply involved in global verification, space 00:11:22.090 --> 00:11:24.990 exploration, and foundational technologies that 00:11:24.990 --> 00:11:27.429 eventually trickled down to civilian use. And 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.590 the public response to this professionalized 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:33.830 museum was massive. Oh, sure. Annual attendance 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:36.970 had skyrocketed to 80 ,000 people a year. 80 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:39.809 ,000. That is a massive leap from those initial 00:11:39.809 --> 00:11:43.070 14 ,000 in the 60s. And because of this popularity, 00:11:43.370 --> 00:11:46.490 they ran into a very mundane real -world issue. 00:11:46.669 --> 00:11:49.590 Let me guess. Restrooms. Close. They completely 00:11:49.590 --> 00:11:52.370 ran out of parking space. Oh, the parking crisis. 00:11:53.210 --> 00:11:56.169 It is a practical problem that forces another 00:11:56.169 --> 00:11:59.190 evolution. It really is. The sheer volume of 00:11:59.190 --> 00:12:02.070 visitors necessitated a much larger footprint. 00:12:02.839 --> 00:12:05.559 Laboratory officials had to explore options for 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:07.960 relocating the site to accommodate the growing 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:10.360 public interest. And the solution was a brand 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:14.220 new facility. In April of 1993, the museum moved 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:16.639 into its present location. Okay. The building 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:18.720 was designed by William Agnew and associates, 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.000 but the most striking detail is where they decided 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.320 to put it. Where is that? Right in the heart 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:27.360 of downtown Los Alamos. It is the ultimate architectural 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.159 manifestation of their journey toward transparency. 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:32.679 Curiously. They took the history and the science 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:35.019 out of the restricted laboratory grounds and 00:12:35.019 --> 00:12:37.710 literally placed it on Main Street. It's a huge 00:12:37.710 --> 00:12:39.649 shift. It physically integrates the scientific 00:12:39.649 --> 00:12:42.149 legacy with the daily life of the community. 00:12:42.370 --> 00:12:44.769 Which brings us to the modern experience. If 00:12:44.769 --> 00:12:46.789 you walk into the Bradbury Science Museum today, 00:12:46.970 --> 00:12:50.389 located at 1350 Central Avenue, the first thing 00:12:50.389 --> 00:12:52.549 you notice is that admission is completely free. 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:55.389 A stark contrast to the days of requiring a top 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.750 -secret security clearance. Totally. Once inside, 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:01.649 there are approximately 40 interactive exhibits. 00:13:02.049 --> 00:13:04.169 That's a lot of ground to cover. It is. They 00:13:04.169 --> 00:13:06.690 still prominently feature the history of the 00:13:06.690 --> 00:13:09.509 World War II Manhattan Project, complete with 00:13:09.509 --> 00:13:12.370 full -size models of the Little Boy and Fat Man 00:13:12.370 --> 00:13:15.830 atomic bombs. Right. But they also dedicate significant 00:13:15.830 --> 00:13:18.429 space to modern nuclear security, specifically 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:22.169 a concept called stockpile stewardship. Stockpile 00:13:22.169 --> 00:13:24.950 stewardship is a fascinating scientific challenge. 00:13:25.129 --> 00:13:27.769 Can you break that down for us? Sure. In 1992, 00:13:28.169 --> 00:13:30.990 the United States entered a moratorium on full 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:33.889 scale nuclear testing. So the question becomes, 00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:36.210 how do you guarantee that a nuclear weapon, which 00:13:36.210 --> 00:13:38.769 has been sitting in a silo for 30 years, is still 00:13:38.769 --> 00:13:42.120 safe? secure and reliable without actually detonating 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.200 it. Yeah. How do they solve that without testing? 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:46.240 That sounds impossible. Through an unprecedented 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:49.220 reliance on supercomputing and non -nuclear physical 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:51.799 testing. Supercomputers. Yes. The laboratory 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.159 uses the fastest supercomputers in the world 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.779 to run incredibly complex three -dimensional 00:13:56.779 --> 00:13:59.639 simulations of nuclear aging and detonation physics. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:02.480 Wow. They use advanced radiography to look inside 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:06.240 the materials. The museum exhibits on stockpile 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.659 stewardship are there to explain to the public 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:11.320 how applied mathematics and computer science 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.799 have replaced the underground testing of the 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.450 Cold War era. That explains why the museum features 00:14:16.450 --> 00:14:18.889 extensive displays on the history and application 00:14:18.889 --> 00:14:21.529 of supercomputers. Exactly. But as you continue 00:14:21.529 --> 00:14:23.710 through the museum, the scope of the science 00:14:23.710 --> 00:14:26.629 expands radically beyond national defense. It 00:14:26.629 --> 00:14:29.190 really branches out. You see exhibits on the 00:14:29.190 --> 00:14:31.850 Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, which is used 00:14:31.850 --> 00:14:35.129 for everything from material science to medical 00:14:35.129 --> 00:14:37.590 isotope production. The diversity of the modern 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:40.250 collection is vast. You will find displays on 00:14:40.250 --> 00:14:43.029 nanotechnology exploring how manipulating matter 00:14:43.029 --> 00:14:45.690 at the atomic level can revolutionize materials 00:14:45.690 --> 00:14:48.049 and medicine. They also have exhibits on algae 00:14:48.049 --> 00:14:50.669 biofuels. Right, highlighting the laboratory's 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:53.149 research into sustainable alternative energy 00:14:53.149 --> 00:14:55.370 sources. But I think the exhibit that stands 00:14:55.370 --> 00:14:57.450 out the most, considering the museum's origins, 00:14:57.529 --> 00:15:00.070 is the section detailing Los Alamos' contributions 00:15:00.070 --> 00:15:02.830 to the Mars Science Laboratory. The Curiosity 00:15:02.830 --> 00:15:05.889 rover. Specifically the Curiosity Rover, yes. 00:15:06.250 --> 00:15:08.889 Because the underlying physics and engineering 00:15:08.889 --> 00:15:12.090 required to build a laser system capable of surviving 00:15:12.090 --> 00:15:16.129 a rocket launch. The vacuum of space. A Martian 00:15:16.129 --> 00:15:19.350 landing and then operating flawlessly in extreme 00:15:19.350 --> 00:15:22.409 cold. Oh, I see. That level of material science 00:15:22.409 --> 00:15:25.309 and sensor technology is directly derived from 00:15:25.309 --> 00:15:27.610 decades of weapons research. That makes total 00:15:27.610 --> 00:15:30.350 sense. The laboratory has unparalleled expertise 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:34.049 in optics, sensors, and surviving extreme environments. 00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:37.399 ChemCam is the peaceful application of that deep 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:39.820 institutional knowledge. If we connect this to 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:42.159 the bigger picture, the exhibits on the floor 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:44.960 today perfectly mirror the evolution of the laboratory 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.639 itself. They absolutely do. Los Alamos started 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:50.500 exclusively as a facility for designing and building 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:53.299 nuclear weapons. That was its singular genesis 00:15:53.299 --> 00:15:55.659 under the pressure of World War II. But over 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:58.320 the decades, the lab expanded its purview into 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:00.860 solving broader national security and global 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:03.990 scientific challenges. Precisely. They are researching 00:16:03.990 --> 00:16:06.590 the microscopic, manipulating nanotechnology, 00:16:06.789 --> 00:16:10.289 and they are researching the interplanetary operating 00:16:10.289 --> 00:16:12.970 lasers on Mars. It's a huge spectrum. And the 00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:15.629 Bradbury Science Museum captures that entire 00:16:15.629 --> 00:16:19.070 spectrum under one roof. It illustrates to the 00:16:19.070 --> 00:16:21.190 public that the foundational scientific principles 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:23.610 developed during the darkest days of global conflict 00:16:23.610 --> 00:16:26.330 have been redirected to explore the universe, 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:29.309 develop sustainable energy, and push the boundaries 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:31.909 of human knowledge. So what does this all mean? 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:34.639 We have traced the journey of the Bradbury Science 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.559 Museum from a classified ice house with a heavy 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:40.100 vault door meant only for the eyes of cleared 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:44.759 insiders to a bright, free downtown hub of unclassified 00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:47.179 science. It's quite a journey. It tells a story 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:49.139 about the vital value of preserving history. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.759 It shows that even the most secretive and controversial 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:54.519 chapters of human endeavor must eventually be 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.159 brought out into the light, organized and explained 00:16:57.159 --> 00:16:59.259 to the public. It is a profound responsibility 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:02.000 to contextualize history of this magnitude. It 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.440 is. A museum of this nature cannot simply be 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:07.059 a celebration of scientific triumph. It must 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:09.180 also acknowledge the gravity of what was created 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:11.400 there. Absolutely. There is one specific artifact 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.869 currently housed in the museum. that perfectly 00:17:13.869 --> 00:17:16.769 encapsulates the heavy, sobering reality of that 00:17:16.769 --> 00:17:19.099 responsibility. What is the artifact? Among the 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:21.319 modern interactive touchscreens that displays 00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:23.640 on Mars rovers and the algae biofuel exhibits, 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:26.480 the museum displays one of the actual leaflets 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.299 dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Wow. It is a piece 00:17:30.299 --> 00:17:31.960 of paper that warned the Japanese government 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:34.700 of further atomic attacks unless they surrendered. 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:38.000 It is difficult to comprehend seeing that physical 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.740 object in person. This raises an important question 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:43.279 for you, the learner, to mull over long after 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:46.920 we sign off. Imagine the profound emotional experience. 00:17:47.109 --> 00:17:50.630 of standing in a free educational science museum 00:17:50.630 --> 00:17:54.089 surrounded by the incredible triumphs of modern 00:17:54.089 --> 00:17:56.950 technology and space exploration. Right. And 00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:58.750 then looking down at a physical piece of paper 00:17:58.750 --> 00:18:01.450 that served as a final warning before one of 00:18:01.450 --> 00:18:03.390 the most devastating events in human history. 00:18:03.529 --> 00:18:05.990 That is heavy. It is a stark reminder that science 00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:08.109 does not exist in a vacuum. The knowledge we 00:18:08.109 --> 00:18:10.529 uncover has real, world -altering consequences. 00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:14.230 A truly great museum forces us to confront both 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:16.130 the brilliant achievements of human ingenuity 00:18:16.130 --> 00:18:18.890 and the terrible burdens of that knowledge. The 00:18:18.890 --> 00:18:21.089 contrast between the excitement of scientific 00:18:21.089 --> 00:18:23.670 discovery and the heavy reality of its application 00:18:23.670 --> 00:18:26.630 is a powerful thought to leave on. We want to 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:28.470 thank you for joining us on this deep dive today. 00:18:28.670 --> 00:18:30.910 Yes, thank you. We've gone from the vault doors 00:18:30.910 --> 00:18:34.130 of an isolated ice house to lasers firing on 00:18:34.130 --> 00:18:36.869 the surface of Mars. We hope you walk away with... 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:38.779 with a richer understanding of this incredible 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:41.759 institution and the complex history it preserves. 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:44.599 Keep learning. Keep your curiosity alive, keep 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.339 asking questions, and always keep seeking out 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:49.359 the stories hidden behind those vault doors. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:51.140 We will see you next time.