Project Y, Research laboratory in Los Alamos County, United States
Project Y was a military research laboratory near Los Alamos during World War II, focused on atomic weapon development. The laboratory consisted of temporary buildings, technical workshops, and experimental facilities constructed rapidly in the remote desert landscape.
The laboratory began operations in 1943 as a secret center of the Manhattan Project under scientific direction from Robert Oppenheimer. Researchers there tested the first functional atomic device in the New Mexico desert in July 1945.
The laboratory complex brought together international scientists, engineers, and researchers who formed a dedicated community in the isolated New Mexico mountains.
The site is now part of an active military research facility and is not accessible to the public. Visitors can however explore nearby museums and historical sites in Los Alamos town that document the laboratory's past.
Researchers developed the Water Boiler reactor, a compact experimental reactor used to measure nuclear properties. This reactor helped scientists gather critical data for their theoretical calculations.
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