On October 15th, 1953 three Royal Air Force crew members in Canberra B2 WH 738 flew, 9 minutes after detonation, through the middle of the atomic mushroom cloud left behind by the 10 kiloton atomic explosion of Operation TOTEM 1. Their radiation measuring instruments measured between 1,500 and 2,500 roentgens per hour.
This was an historic event for the United Kingdom as it was the very first time Britain had sent citizens directly into the aftermath of an atomic weapon… and it would not be the last time either.
This permanent exhibition was officially opened to the public on 1st of May 2026, with a special preview being held at the museum on the 28th April 2026 the 68th anniversary of Grapple Y – the first successful detonation of Britain’s first Hydrogen bomb some 200 hundred times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War Two.
Open Tuesday to Sunday
10:00am – 5:00pm
Last admission is 4.15pm
Museum Admission Prices:
Adults £13
Over 65s £11.50
Children 5-12 years £7
Family Ticket (2 Adults and up to 3 Children) £36
Children under 5 FREE