Reid announces research project at test site

WASHINGTON - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., says a device dubbed Atlas will be the first nuclear physics research instrument at the Nevada Test Site.

The pulsed-power generator is now under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It will be moved to the test site in late 2001. The total cost of the machine and its installation will be about $30 million. Reid said the research program will require about $35 million a year.

"Atlas adds to the spokes in the wheel that builds a true science base for assuring the safety of the stockpile," he said referring to U.S. nuclear weapons. "The Atlas facility will assure the site's integral role in national defense for decades."

Reid said the project will also stimulate cooperation between national laboratory scientists and the University of Nevada system.

"This relationship will serve not only the country but the universities and the citizens of Nevada as well," said Reid.