![]() As a result, manmade U-235 had to be extracted from tons of available U-238. Only about 0.7 percent of natural uranium is in the form of U-235 and was available solely in micro quantities. Uranium is a rare earth element that exists largely in a natural state of U-238. While a simple design, one of the problems scientists faced was finding enough U-235. Upon contact, an internal initiator released free neutrons simultaneously, creating a critical event resulting in an explosion. Little Boy used a uranium-235 (U-235) slug that traveled down a converted artillery tube, striking a larger sphere of the same substance. Simply referred to as “the Gadget,” it was a test of the implosion design using plutonium-239. The “Trinity” bomb located atop the test tower in the New Mexico Desert. With the technology still only speculative, requiring the nation to have multiple atomic weapons available was a tall order. Using this approach, the United States needed not just one bomb but a “stockpile” of atomic weapons. With multiple strikes, the Japanese would receive a “one-two punch,” causing more angst within the Chrysanthemum Court. A second bomb would then let the enemy know that the United States had more of these weapons available and that an atomic event was not a singular capability. The first one would demonstrate the power of the bomb, serving as a warning. The multiple weapons approach was initially proposed by Navy representative Rear Admiral William Pursell, who suggested that the use of two or more weapons would be required. This organization served not only as an advisory board for Secretary of War Henry Stimson, but also helped bridge the gap between the military and the civilian scientists involved in the Manhattan Project. The need to drop multiple bombs was determined as early as 1944 by the Military Policy Committee comprised of Army, Navy, and civilian personnel. Little Boy used what was referred to as the “gun method” for creating a fissionable event, while Fat Man used the “implosion method.” While both weapons yielded roughly the same amount of explosive power, what often gets overlooked is that the difference between the two methods had huge implications regarding Pacific war planning. While most people are familiar with the names of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as the atomic weapons used over Japan, they may not know how different the respective technologies of each bomb were and why this difference mattered. While that is not necessarily inaccurate, therein lies the misperception. Many of the texts and descriptions addressing the end of the Pacific war read as if the New Mexico test was the culminating event for the Manhattan Project, proving atomic weapons were feasible. The narrative of the Trinity test near Alamogordo, New Mexico, is often misinterpreted in its importance. But before these atomic attacks occurred, the weapon designs had to be tested. Such technology was at the very cutting edge of scientific endeavor. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, combined with other events, helped convince Emperor Hirohito that the Japanese people would soon have to “endure the unendurable and suffer what is insufferable.” To some, these atomic events were seen as retributive justice for the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor a few years earlier. Delivered by Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on August 6 and 9, 1945, use of atomic weapons was a symbolic crescendo at the end of the US Army Air Forces’ strategic bombing campaign. At the time, production of such a capability could only be accomplished by the United States. The accession of atomic power in the form of fission is a testament to human ingenuity, technical acumen, and intellectual prowess. ![]() The Trinity atomic explosion in New Mexico on July 16, 1945, was one of humanity’s most significant scientific achievements. Aeby, July 16, 1945, Civilian worker at Los Alamos laboratory, working under the aegis of the Manhattan Project., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Top Photo: "Trinity" shot, the first nuclear test explosion. Jack W.
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