LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Known as the most bombed place on Earth and remains one of the government’s most secret locations. The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) is normally off-limits to the public, but for one day a month, a select few will once again be able to visit.
The NNSS was ground zero for above and below-ground atomic bomb testing from the mid-1950s through 1992.
But the NNSS remains a very active government site. It provides nuclear and radiological emergency response capabilities and training, is home to experiments in support of the National Laboratories, and works closely with national security customers and other federal agencies on important national security activities.
The public tours were in place for years up until the shutdown due to the Covid pandemic.
New tour dates will be announced online on Monday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. PT on the NNSS website.
Tours will be free but extremely limited. Similar to the tours pre-Covid shutdown, there will only be one tour per month. The tour begins by meeting at the National Atomic Testing Museum at 7:30 a.m. and returning around 5 p.m.
People taking the tour will then be transported about 65 miles NW of Las Vegas to the test site in a chartered bus.
There are other rules to follow including sending in information to receive a badge to enter the site. No one under 14 will be allowed on a tour. And the list of what you cannot bring is long:
- Cameras, camcorders, or tape recorders
- Binoculars or telescopes
- Cell phones
- Privately-owned laptop computers
- Geiger counters or dosimeters not issued by the NNSS
- Firearms, weapons, or explosives
- Controlled substances (including marijuana)
- Alcoholic beverages
But the itinerary for the tours might be worth the limitations. On the tour people will have the chance to see the following sites: