The ephemeral and the enduring: Trajectories of disappearance for the scientific objects of American Cold War nuclear weapons testing
Here, the historical material culture produced by American Cold War nuclear weapons testing includes objects of scientific inquiry that can be generally categorized as being either ephemeral or enduring. Objects deemed to be ephemeral were of a less substantial nature, being impermanent and expendable in a nuclear test, while enduring objects were by nature more durable and long-lasting. Although all of these objects were ultimately subject to disappearance, the processes by which they were transformed, degraded, or destroyed prior to their disappearing differ. Drawing principally upon archaeological theory, this paper proposes a functional dichotomy for categorizing and studying the historical trajectories of nuclear weapons testing technoscience artifacts. In examining the transformation patterns of steel towers and concrete blockhouses in particular, it explores an associated loss of scientific method that accompanies a science object's disappearance.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1358160
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-16-24467
- Journal Information:
- Teorie vedy / Theory of Science, Vol. 38, Issue 3; ISSN 1210-0250
- Publisher:
- Academy of Sciences of the Czech RepublicCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
American Material Culture: Investigating a World War II Trash Dump
American Material Culture: Investigating a World War II Trash Dump