Site History
SSFL > HISTORY
DISASTERS
The Santa Susana Field Lab was a series of one bad choice after another that lead to the significant contamination of the site and the migration of the site’s pollution down the hill into surrounding communities.
Documents
The Santa Susana Field Lab began as a rocket engine testing site during the Cold War and later hosted ten nuclear reactors. Over the decades, the site has been full of innovation and controversy.
Photos
Take a visual journey through the history of the Santa Susana Field Lab—from its beginnings as a busy center of science and technology after World War II to the quiet, nearly barren site it has become today.
SITE Timeline
The Santa Susana Field Lab began as a rocket engine testing site during the Cold War and later hosted ten nuclear reactors. Over the decades, the site has been full of innovation and controversy.
WORKERS
Thousands of men and women worked at the Santa Susana Field Lab (formerly known as Rocketdyne) between 1949 - 2006. Employees of Rocketdyne, NASA, the Department of Energy, and former agencies such as North American Aviation and Atomics International Agency, created and supported research in nuclear energy, rocket engine tests, heavy metal testing and chemical laser work.