The story of Trinity Site begins with the formation of the Manhattan Project in June of 1942. The project was given overall responsibility for designing and building an atomic device. At the time it was a race to beat the Germans who, according to intelligence reports, were building their own atomic device.
Under the Manhattan Project three large facilities were constructed. At Oak Ridge, Tenn. huge gas diffusion and electromagnetic process plants were built to separate uranium 235 from its more common form, uranium 238. Hanford, Wash., became the home for nuclear reactors which produced a new element called plutonium. Both uranium 235 and plutonium are fissionable and can be used to produce an atomic blast.
Los Alamos National Lab was established in northern New Mexico with a primary purpose of designing and building the device. At Los Alamos many of the greatest scientific minds of the day labored over the theory and actual construction of the device. The group was led by Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer who is credited with being the driving force behind building a workable device by the end of the war.
The Manhattan Project was named after the location of the initial offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that oversaw the project, which were in Manhattan, New York. The project, which developed the devices during World War II, was officially designated as the Manhattan Engineer District. This name was chosen to maintain secrecy, as it was a common practice to name Corps of Engineers districts after the city where they were located.
This article is part of a series that will delve into the history of the Trinity Site Test, which marked its 80th anniversary on July 16, 2025, and the commemoration of the growth and evolution of White Sands Missile Range, which marked its 80th anniversary on July 9, 2025. An observance for White Sands Missile Range will take place on Oct. 17 at WSMR and a commemoration for Trinity Site will take place Oct. 18 at the Trinity Site Open House.
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