Peek into a 320-foot blast crater in the Nevada desert or descend a Titan II missile silo in Arizona for a look at two of many "atomic tourism" sites around the world that offer history and sometimes lessons from the deadly aftermath of the nuclear age。
The crisis in Japan has boosted interest in nuclear-related museums and plants, once-secret Manhattan Project complexes and areas laid waste by disaster。
"Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a great interest in things nuclear in general, and specifically about the Japanese situation," said Allan Palmer, executive director of the Atomic Testing Museum and Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation in Las Vegas。
Attendance was up 12 percent on a recent weekend at the museum。
At the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, N.M., attendance jumped about 20 percent on a recent weekend as work continued at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors after the earthquake and tsunami wiped out power to northern Japan。
"Folks definitely want information about nuclear reactors and nuclear radiation," said Jeanette Miller, a spokeswoman for Albuquerque museum。
One of the museum's docents, retired physicist Duane Hughes, said inquiring visitors aren't jittery but seem confused about reports of the dangers in Japan. The museum hosted a specialist to brief docents on what's going on。
"We try to give people a balanced, factual, truthful response," Hughes said. "I didn't see anyone who is showing any emotional situations like, 'Oh my God, the sky is falling.'"
Miller and other museum officials said spring break, along with special events like the NCAA basketball tournament in Tucson, Ariz., are contributing to increased foot traffic。
Other locations that played important roles in the development of nuclear technology stay busy for tours much of the year。
内华达沙漠320英尺宽的弹坑和亚利桑那州的泰坦二型导弹地下发射井都是世界上的“核旅游业”景点。去那里看看可以了解历史,或从核时代遗留的致命后患中吸取教训。
日本的核危机使人们对核相关的博物馆和工业产生了兴趣,对一度机密的曼哈顿计划核设施和核灾难留下的荒地也兴趣大增。
拉斯维加斯原子弹试爆博物馆和内华达测试基地历史基金会的执行总监阿兰•帕莫说:“有传闻表明人们对与核相关、特别是与日本现状相关的事物兴趣大增。”
最近一个周末参观该博物馆的游客人数增加了12%。
在地震和海啸过后,日本北部已经停水断电,福岛第一核电站的抢修工作还在继续。与此同时,位于新墨西哥州阿尔布开克市的国家核科学与历史博物馆的参观人数在最近一个周末一下子增加了20%。
阿尔布开克博物馆的女发言人珍妮特•米勒说:“显然人们是想获取有关核反应堆和核辐射的信息。”
博物馆的讲解员之一、退休物理学家杜安•休斯说,前来问询的游客并不焦虑,但似乎对于有关日本危险的报道感到迷惑。博物馆请来了一位专家对于目前发生的情况向讲解员进行简要介绍。
休斯说:“我们尽量让人们对事故作出适度、真实、坦诚的反应。我没有看到任何人表现出‘天哪,天要塌了’的情绪状态。”
米勒和其他博物馆馆员说,现在正值春假,又碰上在亚利桑那州土桑市举行的美国大学生篮球联赛和其他特别活动,这些因素也导致了客流量的增加。
其他在核技术发展中扮演重要角色的场所在一年中大多数时候都有很多人到访
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