INTRODUCTION:
Some inventions are designed to make life more convenient, some make life faster, however, the invention and discovery of the science that made the atomic bomb one of the “single most remarkable and significant developments in history” was significant for a number of reasons: it established America as a global powerhouse, it ended WWII, and resulted from an unprecedented collaboration of companies “willing to sacrifice profits for the common good” (Meintel 2001). The atomic bomb was the culmination of years of scientific research in the fields of chemistry and physics. Through an unusual combination of independent projects that welded together during the development of The Manhattan Project, emerged the science of atomic war machines. Central to all of this work were Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and even Madame Marie Curie.
DISCOVERY:
The development of the atomic bomb was the result of a variety of other significant scientific achievements that culminated in the most powerful weapon in the world of the 1940’s. The efforts of scientists from both the fields of physics and chemistry make staggering contributions to science from which Einstein, Oppenheimer, and others built the atomic bomb. If Antoine Henri Becquerel (1952-1908) had not discovered the radioactive qualities of Uranium, such as radiant energy in the alpha, beta, and gamma forms, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie could not have isolated the radioactive element Radium. These discoveries and their findings were crucial to laying the foundation for the development of the atomic bomb (Meintel 2001).
One of the main necessities for the construction of an atomic bomb was to harness and separate Uranium and then to determine a way to combine Uranium with a bombing mechanism. This became the chief task of The Manhattan Project. Generally, Uranium is separated by either gaseous diffusion, thermal diffusion, or they use of an electromagnetic field or “effect” (Meintel 2001). As the project moved forward, scientists began to explore Plutonium as a source to power the bomb because it was more “fissionable”, and according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), this means it is a “ fissile material …that can be fissioned by fast neutrons, such as Uranium-238; it is a nuclear reaction and keeps it going.” Uranium and Plutonium became the cornerstone elements of The Manhattan Project.
By enriching Uranium with Fluorine creating a Hexafluoride gas (UF6). This process resulted from taking the “yellow cake” product of the mined Uranium, converting it to UF6, and then into nuclear fuel. This was no easy process since these elements are volatile and can cause a chain reaction. Oppenheimer, while working at General Electric (GE) was invaluable to this process. As all of these things came together, so did corporate America. Chrysler, GE, Kellex, Union Carbide, Houdaille-Hershey, Dupont, and Allis-Chalmers all worked together to end the war. Even Stone and Webster, general contractors for the Army, and the University of California at Berkeley got involved with the process as scientific geniuses such as Enrico Fermi diligently worked to produce the first successful Plutonium chain reaction. It was “field tested” in the state of Washington clearing out a 600 mile radius of all life before detonating. The Trinity site hosted three observation bunkers ten thousand feet out from the explosion. According to the Atomic Archive which was developed and is now maintained by the science undergraduates at the University of Chicago, the automatic firing device was triggered by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Los Alamos operations (National Science Digital Library 2010).
INVESTIGATOR:
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967), a summa cum laude Harvard graduate in chemistry and physics, obtained his Ph.D. at the age of twenty-two from the University of Göttingen where he had studied under Max Born renowned for his work on quantum theory. Born and Oppenheimer collaborated on the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which described their findings on separating nuclear motion from electronic motion in the mathematical treatment of molecules (National Science Digital Library 2010). After WWII, Oppenheimer went to work for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) he offered a dissenting opinion about the hydrogen bomb. Perhaps because of his opposition, Oppenheimer was declared a Communist sympathizer and had his security clearance revoked. This injustice would be rectified later as President Lyndon B. Johnson would award Oppenheimer the prestigious Enrico Fermi Award. Oppenheimer continued his career by serving as Director of Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study where he entertained graduate and post graduate students in discussions of quantum and relativistic physics. He died in 1967 of throat cancer.
GLOBAL IMPACT & JOURNAL REVIEW:
Title: The Atomic Bomb and the Citizens of Nagasaki
Summary: This article chronicles the history of the Hibakusha (persons exposed to the radiation for the atomic bomb). The survivors of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki experience hope to warn the world of the consequences of such decimation. Although Hiroshima is a commonly recognized venue and event, the nuclear holocaust that ensued changed the world forever. The pathway to peace lies in the disarmament efforts as well as the mobilization of world opinion the total annihilation of nuclear weapons could be reached.
Works Cited:
McMillan, Priscilla. "J. Robert Oppenheimer Biography atomicarchive.com." atomicarchive.com:Exploring the History, Science, and Consequences of the Atomic Bomb. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
Norris, Robert S.. "The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb History of the Atomic Age atomicarchive.com." atomicarchive.com: Exploring the History, Science, and Consequences of the Atomic Bomb. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
Kamata, Sedao , and Stephen Salaff. "The Atomic Bomb and the Citizens of Nagasaki." The Bulletin Of Concerned Asian Scholars 14.2 (1982): 37-38. Print.
Meintel, Megan . "The Atomic Bomb." Untitled Document. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
Picture Links:
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http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f149/74311d1248366199-hiroshima-atomic-bomb-survivor-charonboat_dot_com_hiroshima_victim.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f149/hiroshima-atomic-bomb-survivor-24297/&usg=__uoNwdsCYrAkPlEyO_Wdjhcddye4=&h=890&w=1056&sz=584&hl=en&start=32&sig2=ihKpKz5A1xdkhI1crxjg9w&zoom=1&tbnid=1Myl1PlS9jx_dM:&tbnh=162&tbnw=194&ei=JqS3TOi7HpGUjAeX7pCMCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAtomic%2Bbomb%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1676%26bih%3D844%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C852&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1194&vpy=512&dur=2942&hovh=206&hovw=245&tx=79&ty=237&oei=yqG3TMHVLZL4swPvztz2CA&esq=4&page=2&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:28,s:32&biw=1676&bih=844
2. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://halfiranian.com/wp-content/uploads/atomic_bomb_explosion.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.halfiranian.com/&usg=__0ViXgGyKThayLZUC6vps-kfC3D4=&h=332&w=415&sz=138&hl=en&start=0&sig2=F2Fvyt32m9Lu4TfohyWoyw&zoom=1&tbnid=FCvpUlAQ5kJKKM:&tbnh=155&tbnw=184&ei=iaS3TMuJM9C6jAfh3rGDBg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAtomic%2Bbomb%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1676%26bih%3D844%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=134&vpy=118&dur=699&hovh=201&hovw=251&tx=169&ty=104&oei=yqG3TMHVLZL4swPvztz2CA&esq=4&page=1&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
3. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTdy1Yp1h5A
Good job Bello
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