The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is open to the public, allowing up to 75 guests at one time. For more information about the museum's re-opening to the public, please click here.
The exhibits at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History provide an objective, accessible window into the past, present, and future of nuclear science. They cover everything from the very origins of atomic theory, the complexity of the political scenarios contributing to World War II, the height of the Cold War, to modern-day advances in nuclear medicine – and even begin to speculate about the future of this fascinating and exciting field. The Museum gives its visitors a memorable and vivid understanding of nuclear science and history.
Whether the exhibition is permanent or temporary, there is always something to see and learn at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History!
Can't visit in person? Explore our PastPerfect online archives
The "Dark Cube: Heisenberg's Race for the Bomb" exhibition focuses on a dense, two-inch charcoal-black cube made of pure uranium metal that Nazi scientists suspended with 663 other similar cubes during World War II in an effort to create the world’s first atomic bomb. This is one the museum's events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the ending of WWII, a Nuclear Heritage Series.
“FDR: His Vision, Our Freedoms Still Alive” is a special exhibition that tells the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, America’s 32nd president, who led the United States through two of the gravest crises in its history – the Great Depression and World War II.
Complete with planes, rockets, missiles, cannons and nuclear sub sail, this exhibit will attract plane buffs and historians alike.
A special exhibition where visitors will step back in time to a pivotal point in history, and experience pure science through pure art. Explore and study the recreations of the super secrets from the Manhattan Project's atomic bomb in this mesmerizing exhibit.
Visitors will step back in time to meet the individuals who influenced the nuclear world.
It is said that the dawn of the Atomic Age began with the testing of the world’s first atomic bomb. This exhibit will show visitors just how much influence over the modern world this test created.
The future belongs to the children of today. Little Albert’s Lab will help children of all ages grasp the concepts of physics, the basis of all sciences.
Every visitor will be entertained while viewing the cultural items surrounding the dawning of the Atomic Age!
In this exhibit, visitors will learn how close we came to another war before the end of the Cold War.
While the atomic bomb brought the war to a close, the after-effects of the bomb were felt for years in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The exhibit features interactive exhibits helping the visitor discover the place nuclear power has in our energy hungry world.
Examine the options of green energy alternatives like solar and wind power along with the place nuclear power has in the world today.
This exhibit features how radioactive waste is managed in a safe way.
See the history of nuclear medicine and how it contributed to the advancement of medical technology.
"What's Up With U(ranium)" is now on permanent display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, engaging visitors of all ages while answering questions such as where does uranium come from, how does it move through the environment, how does it affect us and is it radioactive.
This exhibition, compiled from the collections of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, aims to exemplify the ever-changing public attitudes towards atomic thought over the course of the 20th Century and first decade of the 21st Century through the reflective lens of advertising and packaging.
This virtual exhibit, created by Daniel Ross, explores the differences between nuclear fission and fusion reactions. These types of reactions used to generate nuclear power may provide solutions to the mounting climate crisis in the future, but they also have a historical context. This exhibit explains these processes and connects them to some of the historical artifacts in the museum's collection.