Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero

Our atomic heritage resides in sites all over the country--from the Trinity test area to natural-gas wells in Colorado--and many of them are open to the public. Plan your vacation with Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero, a blast through memory lane narrated by the perfectly suited William Shatner. Never-before-seen footage of test explosions and top-secret and work labs explores the history of America's nuclear programs, and interviews with current and former atomic scientists and engineers give depth to sights such as "the most bombed place on Earth" in Nevada. Learn about nonmilitary uses of nuclear weapons, the rationales behind the different programs, and where you can find these strange places. The musical score is a special bonus, performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra in a goodwill gesture of post-cold-war cooperation. --Rob Lightner From the DVD's Back Cover : Four decades ago, feeling a rumble beneath your feet and seeing the lights flicker may not have been a passing train or mild earthquake, but something more powerful...an atomic detonation a few hundred miles from your home. This is the secret the government kept for years: atomic weapons testing were being conducted across the country, and few people know about it. Atomic bombs were literally being dropped in our backyards - witness actual newsreel footage of an unarmed nuke that was accidentally dropped on a South Carolina town. Many of the tests were art of the Atomic Energy Commission's attempt to explore the use of these weapons for "peaceful purposes," such as building new canals and harbors and increasing output from natural gas wells. However, the Commission was also testing the detection-and concealment-of seismic signals from nuclear explosions. Peter Kuran, the award-winning creator of "Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie," brings you to ten former testing sites from Alaska to Mississippi, including the Nevada Test Site, "the most bombed place on earth", where more than 900 bombs were detonated. The United States wasn't the only nation performing such tests - Atomic Journeys will also take you on an atomic slide show tour of test sites used by France, England, and the Soviet Union. Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero's presentation of spectacular, never-before-seen footage will shock and astound you. A powerful original score from the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound raise your viewing experience to a new level, helping to bring home the stark realities of the atomic era.