The Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is located in Los Alamos, New Mexico and commemorates the Manhattan Project of World War II. According to the official National Parks website, the park tells the story about the people, events, science, and engineering that led to the creation of the atomic bomb which helped end World War II. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was officially established in 2011 thanks to the efforts of the Secretary of the Interior and the Department of Energy. The Manhattan National Historical Park has three sites across the United States, one in Hanford, Washington, one in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and this particular site located in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Images
This image shows an aerial view of the Gun Site Facilities of the Manhattan Project site in the Manhattan National Historical Park located in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
This image shows the entry gate to the historic Manhattan Project facilities in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Manhattan National Historic Park is located in Los Alamos, New Mexico and commemorates the Manhattan Project of World War II. The Manhattan Project was a joint effort by the British and America to create the first nuclear weapons in order to defeat Germany and its allies. The Manhattan Project was a research and development program that was active in the United States between 1939 and 1946. The Manhattan Project site in Los Alamos was turned into a National Park through the efforts of the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Energy. It was officially established as a National Park in 2011
The Manhattan National Historic Park is currently owned and managed by the Department of Energy and the National Park Service. The Park includes three specific areas: Gun Site Facilities, V-Site Facilities, and the Pajarito Site. The Gun Site Facilities include three bunkers, labeled TA-8-1, TA-8-2, and TA-8-3, and a portable guard shack. These facilities are where the "Little Boy" bomb was designed, which was the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan during WWII. The V-Site Facilities include assembly buildings which were used by the Manhattan Project staff to build and test a plutonium bomb referred to as the Trinity device. The Pajarito Site was where plutonium research was done for the Trinity device
The Manhattan National Historic Park commemorates the efforts of scientists and engineers and all of those who worked on the Manhattan Project, which was critical in the United States and its allies winning World War II.
The Manhattan National Historic Park is currently owned and managed by the Department of Energy and the National Park Service. The Park includes three specific areas: Gun Site Facilities, V-Site Facilities, and the Pajarito Site. The Gun Site Facilities include three bunkers, labeled TA-8-1, TA-8-2, and TA-8-3, and a portable guard shack. These facilities are where the "Little Boy" bomb was designed, which was the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan during WWII. The V-Site Facilities include assembly buildings which were used by the Manhattan Project staff to build and test a plutonium bomb referred to as the Trinity device. The Pajarito Site was where plutonium research was done for the Trinity device
The Manhattan National Historic Park commemorates the efforts of scientists and engineers and all of those who worked on the Manhattan Project, which was critical in the United States and its allies winning World War II.
Sources
"Manhattan Project National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)." National Parks Service. Accessed April 14, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/mapr/index.htm.
"The Manhattan Project National Historical Park." Visit Los Alamos. Accessed April 14, 2019. http://www.visitlosalamos.org/the-manhattan-project-national-historical-park/.
"The Making of a National Park." Energy.gov. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://www.energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/history/manhattan-project/manhattan-project-0-0.
"The Manhattan Project National Historical Park." Visit Los Alamos. Accessed April 14, 2019. http://www.visitlosalamos.org/the-manhattan-project-national-historical-park/.
"The Making of a National Park." Energy.gov. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://www.energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/history/manhattan-project/manhattan-project-0-0.