OPPapers.com

Atomic Bomb

The research for the first Atomic bomb was done in the United States, by a group of the best scientists; this research was given the name “The Manhattan Project”. On Monday July 16th, 1945, a countdown for the detonation of the first atomic bomb took place near Los Alamos, New Mexico. This atomic bomb testing would forever change the meaning of war. As the atomic bomb was detonated it sent shock-waves all over the world. There was endless research done on the bomb in the United States. The research was called “The Manhattan Engineer District Project” but it was more commonly known as The Manhattan Project. The beginning of The Manhattan Project started in June of 1942. Its main focus was to design and construct the atomic bomb. In Oak Ridge, Tennessee a massive gas diffusion and electromagnetic process plant was built, its purpose was to isolate uranium 235 from uranium 238. Plutonium was produced in Hanford, Washington from nuclear reactors. When uranium 235 and plutonium fission together they produce atomic energy. (Szasz 60) The last facility was near Los Alamos, New Mexico its main focus was to take all the information and materials produced at the other two sites and build the atomic bomb. Here the brightest scientific minds worked with the theory and the construction of the bomb. The main leader was Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. There were two theories for the design of the atomic bomb. The design choices were simple, either to use uranium or plutonium. The uranium bomb used a very simple design and the scientists were certain it would need no testing. However, the plutonium bomb was a little more difficult. This design would work by compessing the plutonium into a critical mass which undergoes a chain reaction. To compress the plutonium ball it would be encompassed with lens-shaped charges of conventional explosives, they would all explode at the same time and the force would move directly inward, smashing the plutonium from all sides. (Hughes 48) After...