Atomic Heritage Foundation
The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Age. It was founded in 2002 by Cynthia Kelly.
The Atomic Heritage Foundation works with the Department of Energy and the former Manhattan Project communities to preserve historic resources and other aspects of the history. It seeks to ensure the protection of the original Manhattan Project sites and bring them and the contributions of the tens of thousands of people who worked at them out of obscurity. By doing so, it hopes to raise public awareness about the role of nuclear energy in American history and contemporary society.
Projects
Museum exhibits
The Atomic Heritage Foundation is currently in the process of creating several museum exhibits. They are:
- Race for Atomic Power Exhibit at Idaho Falls, ID — This exhibit looks at the first nuclear reactor capable of producing usable amounts of electricity was Experimental Breeder Reactor I, which lit up four light bulbs on December 20, 1951. This historical milestone is one of many captured in the Race for Atomic Power exhibit that opened on May 24, 2005 at the EBR-I. Upon entering the EBR-I, visitors can relax in a 1950s living room and watch TV. Clips from the 1950s as well as Nuclear Pioneers, a brief history of the EBR-I produced by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Throughout the exhibit are kiosks with video recordings of the veterans explaining aspects of the reactor’s operations. In the control room, Kirby Whitham explains when the misunderstanding of the command, “Take it down,” resulted in a partial meltdown of the reactor core. Blackboards present the fundamentals of nuclear fission and a cut-away diagram shows the inner workings of the reactor. The exhibit was created under the supervision of the AHF and is now run by the Museum of Idaho.
- B Reactor Exhibits at Hanford — This exhibit (under development) will focus on the Hanford Site and its role in the Manhattan Project. It will feature exhibits on the B Reactor — the world's first plutonium production reactor — and its importance, a documentary film (Hanford's Secret Wartime Mission), and education materials on the history of the Hanford site. The exhibit is being developed in partnership with the B Reactor Museum Association, the Hanford Reach National Monument Heritage and Visitor Center, and the Columbia River Exposition on History, Science and Technology. Its principal source of funding is a $350,000 grant to the ANF for its development from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust. It is expected to be completed by 2008.
Site preservation
- The Los Alamos, V-Site was the site of assembly for the Trinity device, the first atomic weapon ever detonated. In October 2006, the AHF co-hosted several days of events to commemorate the successful restoration of the High Bay building.
- Oak Ridge, K-25 — The AHF is working with the Oak Ridge Heritage Preservation Association to evaluate a variety of strategies to preserve the K-25 site at Oak Ridge to be undertaken using a $500,000 earmark granted by Congress for the 2006 fiscal year.
Multimedia production
Books
The Atomic Heritage Foundation has created several books dealing with the Manhattan Project. They are:
- Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project — Edited by Cynthia Kelly, this book provides a spectrum of interpretations of J. Robert Oppenheimer's life ans scientific achievements. Contributors include the Hon. Senator Jeff Bingaman, authors and historians Richard Rhodes, Martin Sherwin, Kai Bird and Robert S. Norris, and Oppenheimer relative Andy Oppenheimer. Published by World Scientific.
- Remembering the Manhattan Project — Edited by Cynthia Kelly, part I of this book, comprising papers from the Atomic Heritage Foundation's Symposium on the Manhattan Project in Washington, DC on April 27, 2002, recounts the history of this remarkable effort and reflects upon its legacy. Contributors include Richard Rhodes, Robert S. Norris, Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird, Gregg Herken, James R. Schlesinger, and others. Part II proposes a strategy for preserving the historical properties and artifacts of the Manhattan Project for the public and future generations. Published by World Scientific.
- Race for Atomic Power — A companion book to the museum exhibit of the same name.
- Birth of the Bomb — An anthology of important documents, correspondence and photographs pertaining to the Manhattan Project. It stresses primary sources as well as including articles dealing with the project's process and significance. To be published by Black Dog and Leventhal.
Films
- Hanford's Secret Wartime Mission — This documentary film chronicles the story of the Manhattan Project at Hanford where the world's first plutonium production facilities were built along the Columbia River in eastern Washington state. The undertaking paired the University of Chicago's team of extraordinary physicists led by Enrico Fermi with the DuPont Company's industrial expertise led by Crawford Greenewalt. The film highlights the determination, commitment, and scientific ingenuity of the men and women who took on the seemingly impossible task of producing plutonium in time to contribute to the war effort.
- A Handful of Soldiers — features three Manhattan Project veterans who describe their experiences at Los Alamos working on the plutonium-based bomb. The twelve-minute film shows the remains of the "V Site" where the first atomic bomb was assembled.
- Nuclear Pioneers — The 28-minute documentary film on the Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) tells the story of the first nuclear reactor built by the Atomic Energy Commission. With first-hand accounts from scientists and engineers, the film explores the challenges of creating the world's first reactor to produce usable quantities of electricity and "breed" more fuel than it consumed. Completed in 1951, the EBR-I paved the way for future generations of "peaceful" reactors and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966 by President Johnson.
- Interviews with Manhattan Project Veterans, Vol. I-III — These films features interviews with seven Manhattan Project veterans. Complete with pictures from the Department of Energy's archives and short biographies of the veterans, the film gives you a great idea of what it was like to work on the top-secret project that changed world history and created a revolution in science and technology.
- The Race for Atomic Power — This documentary film traces the history of the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho Falls, with interviews of former and current employees of NRTS and Idaho National Laboratory. These vignettes demonstrate the ingenuity and innovation that occurred at NRTS during its first 25 years.
External links
News stories:
Nuclear history: