Rocketdyne to Resume Public Tours of Lab

The Rocketdyne division of Rockwell International Corp. will resume monthly public tours of its Santa Susana Field Laboratory Jan. 19, including rocket testing and energy research operations, company officials said.

Thereafter, the free 2 1/2-hour bus tours will be offered each month if there is enough public interest, officials said.

Rocketdyne first offered the tours last winter and spring in an effort to defuse a controversy over contamination from rocket testing and nuclear research, once conducted on a large scale at the test site in the Simi Hills west of Chatsworth. Company officials said more than 500 people went on the tours last year.

The tour includes briefings on operations at the site and visits to rocket engine test stands and the Energy Technology Engineering Center, operated by Rocketdyne for the U.S. Department of Energy.