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The Trinity Project: Testing The Effects of a Nuclear Weapon

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The Trinity Project was a project conducted to test the effects of a nuclear weapon. The Trinity nuclear device was detonated on a 100-foot tower on the Alamogordo Bombing Range in south-central New Mexico at 0530 hours on 16 July 1945. (Rohrer, 1995-2003). This project was organized by the Manhattan Engineer District (MED). This organization worked diligently planning and coordinating all of the logistics for the groundbreaking event. From 1945-1946 over 1000 personnel either worked or visited the test site. The United States was trying to gain nuclear proliferation throughout the world so this project was necessary for our enemies to see the devastation of a nuclear blast. One of the driving forces behind the trinity …show more content…

General Groves, with his customary bluster and intensity, wished to make Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, the initial target for the atomic bomb to inflict the maximum psychological shock on the Japanese populace, but Stimson with Truman’s eventual backing, overrode him. (C.S.C., 2011). The first test was made of the implosion type of fission atomic bomb. The scientist and the Generals did not drop the first bomb from a plane, but from a 100 foot steel tower. To assure the defeat of Japan Truman and Byrnes worried about the test that took place in the desert of New Mexico on July 16 in the city of Alamogordo. The code name for the Manhattan project was called “Trinity” people never knew why the project was named Trinity, but it was speculated that Oppenheimer picked it in reference of the divine Hindu trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). (http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Trinity.html, 2003)
General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer took the lead with a series of officials and scientist for the initial test. Scientists seemed to be elated at the project, because they expended so much energy on this project that even Oppenheimer, he climbed the tower to give the bomb its final inspection. Once the inspection was complete all of the personnel moved to a protected observation

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