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The Story of NIFFY

Mammoth bone excavatio and scull drawingWhen the NIF was being planned and built, archeology, the study of dinosaur bones, was the last thing on everyone’s minds.  However, the scientists at NIF were in for a big surprise.

While removing 210,000 cubic yards of earth (enough to fill 2 1/2 Olympic-size swimming pools) in 1997 for utility trenches at the site, the oldest known Livermore Valley resident was discovered: a prehistoric elephant, or mammoth was unearthed right where NIF was to be built.

A team of experts was summoned.  Archeologist Dr. Roger Kelly from the Department of the Interior and Scott Samuelson of the Department of Energy worked together with scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory unearthing this discovery.

Components of the First Ruby Laser

Excavation of the bones began in mid-December 1997. Fortunately, they were buried in soft moist sand, which made the digging easier, but also required a soft, light touch by the archeologists so as not to damage the delicate bones.

Small red flags were used to mark the bones as they were discovered to avoid stepping on them or causing any other damage. A special solution was applied to seal cracks and harden the bones when the sand was removed.

Small red flags marked the bones A fossil wrap made up of tissue paper and water was applied prior to a “capping” mixture of plaster, water and burlap, which created a protective “vessel” for the bones. When the top cap was dry, the bones were carefully rolled over to cap the bottom side, completely protecting the bones all the way around so they could be safely moved.

Construction had continued on NIF during the excavation so its schedule could be maintained.  A 150-foot crane at the site proved to be useful to the archeologists who used it to lift the capped and labeled bones onto trucks for removal to the University of California at Berkeley where scientists conducted research and formally cataloged the find.  Through carbon-14 dating it was determined the bones were 16,000 years old.
Photons Are Emitted As Laser LightFor two weeks after the initial discovery, exploratory excavation continued at the site, which paid off when another bone cluster was found. Almost a complete humerus bone, which runs from the shoulder to the elbow, was uncovered this time. While a second archeological site was excavated to look for more bones near this find, the first site was used to house electrical conduit for NIF.


Return visits to the excavation site would not be possible after NIF was built, so scientists carefully collected soil samples, drew maps, took photos and thoroughly documented the diggings.

A contest among local school children was held to determine a nickname for the mammoth.  Nifalupakus, submitted by Samantha Boyd, a second grader at the Croce School in Livermore, was the winner. Now called “Niffy,” for short, the mammoth bones became a part of the permanent collection at the UC Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley, CA. Samantha graduated from Livermore High School in 2008 and is currently attending a college in Montana on a soccer scholarship, where she is majoring in History and Political Science for a degree Secondary Education.

Samantha Boyd wins NIFFY naming contest

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), which was completed in March 2009, is the world’s largest experimental laser facility and contains 192 laser beams. It was the largest construction project ever undertaken at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. The building, the size of three football fields, is seven stories high, and the target chamber, which is 33 feet in diameter (the size of a 2-car garage), weighs 264,000 pounds.  See how the laser facility works.

Fusion explosion on the sun

When the lasers in NIF converge on a tiny target, the heat and pressure created is comparable to that found in the sun and stars.  The process that takes place during the resulting implosion is called fusion.

The purpose of the NIF is threefold:  to study nuclear fusion to help maintain the safety of our nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, to explore inertial confinement fusion as a possible energy source in the future, and to learn more about the evolution of stars and our universe.

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