Register soon for Hanford nuclear tours

Ever wanted to see the world's first large-scale nuclear reactor? How about a tour of the Hanford nuclear reservation in Eastern Washington?

The U.S. Department of Energy will open online registration March 9 for tours of the Hanford site. On March 16, online registration opens for tours of the B Reactor. Both tours are free.

All sitewide tour slots are filled on a first-come, first served basis by going to www.hanford.gov. Online registration for all B Reactor tours will be available at http://manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov.The sitewide Hanford tour has filled up very quickly in previous years, so register early. Both tours will be offered several times each month from April through September.

Registration for the sitewide Hanford tour begins at 12:01 a.m. on March 9. For the tour, participants must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old. Visitors will be driven around the 586-square-mile Hanford site for five hours, stopping at the historic B Reactor and environmental cleanup projects.

Registration for the B Reactor tours begins at 12:01 a.m. March 16. Visitors must be 18 years old. Visitors may register online, obtain a seat on a walk-in basis, or call Russ Fabre of the Mission Support Alliance at 509-373-2774 to reserve a space once registration opens.

Through the B Reactor tours, visitors will be allowed to see the world's first full-scale plutonium production reactor for two hours.