Manhattan Project/Development of the Bomb:
In 1938, Dr. Lise Meitner hurled neutrons at uranium atoms during a test. The results would change the course of history. She found the element barium in the bits of uranium. “(She) remembered (she) had put in barium as a chemical “carrier” to precipitate a powerful new radioactive substance present in the debris, but when (she tried) to separate the substance from the barium, it (could not) be done” (Kilbourn, 1). Her discovery led her colleague, Dr. Otto Robert Frisch, to begin looking into the possibility of a “... geyser of atomic energy. In the first weeks of 1939 Dr. Frisch succeeded at his task. He split the uranium atom” (1).
Germany and the Axis powers continued to look into the military applications for research on the atom, which worried the Allies. Many scientists were worried about what the Germans could have been capable of if they harnessed nuclear power. These scientists approached President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and informed him of “... the possibilities of atomic power” (2). A joint research operation between the United States and Great Britain began and “The atom bomb began to take shape” (2). The process was very difficult because only two elements were usable for material, uranium-235 and the manmade element of plutonium. After the military potential of the project was brought to light, the project became “... top secret...” (2). The project was then placed in the hands of Major General Leslie R. Groves. “... the atomic work became the best-protected secret of the war” (2).
“More than 179,000 workers were recruited throughout the country for work in the various laboratories and plants in which the atomic investigations were carried on” (2). Three huge plants were set up for the manufacturing of the bomb. Two plants were near Knoxville, Tennessee and the other one was near Pasco, Washington. The sites for these plants were chosen for their “... isolated location, and for safety against possible unknown hazards” (2). A special laboratory was constructed near Santa Fe, New Mexico “... to deal with the hundreds of technical problems involved in putting together an effective bomb” (2). It was from here that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “... brains behind the bomb itself,” led his team to create the most powerful bomb the world had ever seen. Hundreds of plants and thousands of workers from all over the country contributed in the making of the bomb. This system was the primary reason why “... a study which would ordinarily have taken 20 years was completed in just three” (2).
On July 16, 1945, the day of reckoning came. The hard work of thousands of people was being put to the test. In the New Mexican desert, the first atomic detonation took place. “The bomb was a success” (3). This “success” was later applied to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
The development of the atomic bomb ushered in the beginning of a new era, “... the Age of Atomic Energy...” (3). Some scientists believe the impact of this project could be compared to the discovery of fire. Others believe that it could prove as important to energy as electricity. The progress and innovations are not the only side of the atomic energy’s coin, however. Obviously, it can be used for abominable chaos and carnage. Hopefully, “... the new Age of Atomic Energy will be an age of peace... For if it is an age of war, that war might mean the annihilation of the human race” (3).
In 1938, Dr. Lise Meitner hurled neutrons at uranium atoms during a test. The results would change the course of history. She found the element barium in the bits of uranium. “(She) remembered (she) had put in barium as a chemical “carrier” to precipitate a powerful new radioactive substance present in the debris, but when (she tried) to separate the substance from the barium, it (could not) be done” (Kilbourn, 1). Her discovery led her colleague, Dr. Otto Robert Frisch, to begin looking into the possibility of a “... geyser of atomic energy. In the first weeks of 1939 Dr. Frisch succeeded at his task. He split the uranium atom” (1).
Germany and the Axis powers continued to look into the military applications for research on the atom, which worried the Allies. Many scientists were worried about what the Germans could have been capable of if they harnessed nuclear power. These scientists approached President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and informed him of “... the possibilities of atomic power” (2). A joint research operation between the United States and Great Britain began and “The atom bomb began to take shape” (2). The process was very difficult because only two elements were usable for material, uranium-235 and the manmade element of plutonium. After the military potential of the project was brought to light, the project became “... top secret...” (2). The project was then placed in the hands of Major General Leslie R. Groves. “... the atomic work became the best-protected secret of the war” (2).
“More than 179,000 workers were recruited throughout the country for work in the various laboratories and plants in which the atomic investigations were carried on” (2). Three huge plants were set up for the manufacturing of the bomb. Two plants were near Knoxville, Tennessee and the other one was near Pasco, Washington. The sites for these plants were chosen for their “... isolated location, and for safety against possible unknown hazards” (2). A special laboratory was constructed near Santa Fe, New Mexico “... to deal with the hundreds of technical problems involved in putting together an effective bomb” (2). It was from here that J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “... brains behind the bomb itself,” led his team to create the most powerful bomb the world had ever seen. Hundreds of plants and thousands of workers from all over the country contributed in the making of the bomb. This system was the primary reason why “... a study which would ordinarily have taken 20 years was completed in just three” (2).
On July 16, 1945, the day of reckoning came. The hard work of thousands of people was being put to the test. In the New Mexican desert, the first atomic detonation took place. “The bomb was a success” (3). This “success” was later applied to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
The development of the atomic bomb ushered in the beginning of a new era, “... the Age of Atomic Energy...” (3). Some scientists believe the impact of this project could be compared to the discovery of fire. Others believe that it could prove as important to energy as electricity. The progress and innovations are not the only side of the atomic energy’s coin, however. Obviously, it can be used for abominable chaos and carnage. Hopefully, “... the new Age of Atomic Energy will be an age of peace... For if it is an age of war, that war might mean the annihilation of the human race” (3).