NATIONAL ATOMIC MUSEUM FOUNDATION
Mission Statement
The mission of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is to serve as America’s resource for nuclear history and science. The Museum presents exhibits and quality educational programs that convey the diversity of individuals and events that shape the historical and technical context of the nuclear age. Our purpose is to provide the widest and deepest account of atomic age available at any museum for the public. Our programs and exhibits illuminate the major influences of nuclear science on our thought, lives, and history in a factual and balanced way. We strive to present this information in a way that is attractive, accessible, and meaningful; and contributes significantly to education in our field, with emphasis on youth.
About This Cause
In 2023 the Museum celebrates fifty-four years of service to the community. In 1969, the Sandia Atomic Museum opened on Kirtland Air-Force Base with a mission focusing on nuclear defense materials. By 1973, a growing national and international audience prompted a renaming to the National Atomic Museum, and the museum committed to start displaying the history of the Atomic Age, from early research of nuclear development through today’s peaceful uses of nuclear technology. In 1991, the Museum received a congressional charter to serve as the nation’s repository and steward of nuclear-related historical items. On September 11, 2001, the Museum closed due to heightened security at the Base and reopened in the late spring of 2002 in a rented facility in Old Town Albuquerque. In 2007 the Museum embarked on a capital campaign to build its current facility and in April 2009 the Museum opened as The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History at its current 12-acre location. In 2019, the Museum signed an agreement with the Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF), a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Cynthia Kelly, forging a new partnership to preserve the history of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Age. This significant agreement ensures the Atomic Heritage Foundation’s extensive collection of oral histories (Voices of the Manhattan Project), interpretive vignettes (Ranger in Your Pocket), and articles about the Manhattan Project and its legacy will remain available and digitally accessible to the public for the foreseeable future. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History encourages visitors to learn, think, imagine, and draw their own conclusions. The Museum strives to provide an objective, unbiased, and accurate accessible window into the past, present, and future of nuclear history and science. The Museum offer’s rotating and permanent exhibits that objectively cover everything from the very origins of atomic theory, the complexity of the political scenarios contributing to World War II, the Manhattan Project, the height of the Cold War, to atomic culture and modern-day advances in nuclear medicine, energy, and technology. The Museum cares for artifacts depicting military uniforms, nuclear related documents, civil defense objects, alternative energy technology objects, art, medicine, waste management, power generation, and media. The outdoor exhibit, Heritage Park, is the most popular attraction at the Museum. It displays planes, rockets, missiles, cannon, and a nuclear submarine conning tower. Many visitors venture to the Museum specifically to see our vast collection of historical aircraft. The Museum offers Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education opportunities for students preK-12 through class field trips, school outreach, day-camp programs, homeschool, and special initiatives such as Nuclear Science Week and Discover STEAM Week. Programs are designed to introduce students to STEAM topics and enable students to work collaboratively, conduct their own experiments, explore real world questions, draw connections between subjects, and develop problem-solving & critical thinking skills. These skills and abilities are essential, especially in a world of constant technological and scientific innovations. The Museum effectively plans, designs, executes, measures, and evaluates curriculum and programs for STEAM-based education, which are adjusted for specific grade-levels and aligned to the New Mexico State Education and Common Core Standards. The Museum also hosts special events including Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Day, Movie Under the Wings, Nuclear After Dark, Science on Tap, and museum member events such as special exhibit openings and special guest topic deep dives. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is owned and operated by The National Atomic Museum Foundation, a 501c3 organization. The Museum is New Mexico’s only congressionally chartered Museum. It is nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, and a Smithsonian Affiliate. Annual Report: https://issuu.com/nuclearmuseum/docs/numu_annualreport_2022-fnl-issu Website: https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalnuclearmuseum/ Twitter: @nuclearmuseum Instagram @nuclear_museum YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NationalMuseumofNuclearScienceHistory