Museum to unveil replica of first detonated nuclear bomb

The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is primed to unveil its newest piece of history — a replica of the world’s first nuclear bomb to be detonated. (Photo by aaron_anderer/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is primed to unveil its newest piece of history — a replica of the world’s first nuclear bomb to be detonated.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that on Friday, the museum will introduce a nearly to-scale replica of the Trinity Tower, which held the bomb, called the Gadget.

Jim Walther, executive director of the museum, says the tower comes from an old 50s-era fire observation tower taken down from a forest in Alabama. It’s about 98 feet (30 metres) tall and made of 15,000 pounds (6,800 kilograms) of steel.

The Gadget replica will hang from a pulley as if in the midst of being pulled up into the tower prior to detonation.

The real Gadget detonated July 16, 1945.