2LT International News

NEW MEXICO: This week, officials said that due to the publicity generated by blockbuster film, “Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan, a record number of tourists are visiting the Trinity Site in southern New Mexico, where the U.S. detonated the world’s first atomic bomb.

The Trinity Site, a designated National Historic Landmark, is usually closed to the public because of its proximity to the impact zone for missiles fired at White Sands Missile Range, but in April and October, it is open to visitors.

In a social media post, White Sands officials said vehicles were lined up for more than two miles at the site before the tours started on October 21, warning that the wait to enter the gates could be as long as two hours.

At most 5,000 visitors are expected to make it within the window between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., they added.

Visitors are also being told to come prepared as the Trinity Site is in a remote area with limited Wi-Fi and no cell phone reception or toilets.

Scientists and military officials established a secret city in Los Alamos during the 1940s and tested their work at the Trinity Site some 200 miles away.