Trinity Test Site, Manhattan Project

Trinity Test Site, Manhattan Project

Trinity Test Site. The Manhattan Project was a research and development program by the US with the UK and Canada that produced the first atomic bomb during WWII. From 1942-46, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Because of the complexity of an implosion-style weapon, it was decided that an initial test would be required. Groves approved the test, subject to the active material being recovered. Consideration was therefore given to a controlled fizzle, but Oppenheimer opted instead for a full-scale nuclear test, codenamed Trinity. Bainbridge selected the bombing range near Alamogordo Army Airfield as the site for the test. A base camp was built to house staff. A one-hundred foot shot tower was designed and constructed at ground zero. Concrete bunkers to house cameras and other diagnostic equipment popped up in a rough circle around ground zero. A commitment had been made to test the gadget "as soon after July 15th as possible," and before or during the upcoming Potsdam Conference. TNT Trinity Test occured on July 16th.

Album / Science Source / Los Alamos National Laboratory

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4200 x 3368 px | 40.5 MB

35.6 x 28.5 cm | 14.0 x 11.2 in (300 dpi)