On July 16, 1945, in New Mexico, our world changed. That was the day and place where the US Army conducted the first nuclear test ever, which is nicknamed “Trinity”. This test opened the door to achieving mass destruction, much more efficiently. People could now destroy a city with one bomb or take out a country with a few. This test revolutionized the way we think about weapons. It changed the way we think about defending our countries. This test changed everything.
Trinity occurred because of the developments from the 1930s. During that decade, there were many discoveries about the way atoms work and in nuclear fission. There was also fear of a German nuclear weapon project in the 1930s, which gave the US an enormous reason to build there own nuclear weapons. Those are the two primary reasons why the Manhattan Project was formed by the US Army. There were many key people who contributed to the Manhattan Project, but one of the most important people was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was also named the Father of the Atomic Bomb. Oppenheimer directed weapons development of the Manhattan Project and later gave the first nuclear test the nickname “Trinity”. The goal of Oppenheimer and the rest of the people who participated in the Manhattan Project was to create a nuclear explosion. In order to do that, they needed a great amount of isolated plutonium. The problem was the only plutonium that had been isolated until mid 1944, was not nearly enough for a weapon. This problem was solved when the people on the Manhattan Project discovered that a nuclear reactor can produce the amount of isolated plutonium they need for a weapon. After this discovery, Oppenheimer requested to perform a nuclear test. In March 1944, Oppenheimer received approval for the nuclear test. Before this test could actually happen, a lot of preparations had to be made. They had to decide who was in charge of what, where to perform the test, and make sure nothing goes wrong during the test. The person in charge of planning was Kenneth Bainbridge, a professor of physics at Harvard University. Stanley Kershaw was put in charge of safety, Captain Samuel P. Davalos was in charge of construction, and First Lieutenant Harold C. Bush became commander of the base camp at Trinity. The next thing they had to decide was where to carry out the test. Many sites such as Tularosa Valley, Jornada del Muerto Valley, and Padre Island, Texas were considered, but they finally decided on Alamogordo Bombing Range. The only structure in the vicinity was the McDonald Ranch House, which was used as a lab for testing bomb components. Before the test using radioactive materials could be performed, the people a part of the Manhattan Project did a “dress rehearsal” using TNT to make sure they were ready for the nuclear test. After the “dress rehearsal” they realized they needed a lot more supplies to perform a successful nuclear test. After getting all the supplies, the people of the Manhattan Project were ready to set a date for the test. The nuclear test “Trinity” was scheduled for July 16, 1944, at 4 am. The test was delayed due to rain till 5:29 am. When the bomb exploded, it shocked everybody. Scientists estimated the amount of energy released would be 10 kilotons of TNT, but the implosion device reached 20 kilotons of TNT. The bomb created a crater in the earth 5 feet deep and 30 feet wide. The mushroom cloud reached 7.5 miles in height. The shock was felt over 100 miles away. The test was a huge success. Soon after performing the test, World War 2 ended with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki using the same design for the bomb as the one from Trinity. This test opened the door for nuclear weapons. This test made mass destruction so much easier. This test opened the door for nuclear terrorism.
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |