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Researched by Nate P. |
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Dedication
I would like to dedicate my project to my Dad for all his work he has
done for Hanford. I would also like to thank my teacher, Mrs.
Heitman for helping me along the way and giving me advice.
Why I Chose This Topic
I chose this topic because it was something I have not researched
before, it is a cool topic, it is interesting, my Dad works there, and
I like learning about stuff that blows up!
Introduction
Kkkkkaaaabbbboooooooommm!!! That was the sound that destroyed Nagasaki
and Hiroshima, the sound that came from the bomb that killed over
70,000 people. The Atomic Bomb was made at Hanford, Washington
under strict orders from the president. The building of the bomb
was also a very low technological operation compared to today’s
technology. Many people actually died in the process of making
the Bomb due to radiation. Today’s technology would have made
creation of the Atomic Bomb much easier.
Hanford’s History
Hanford started as a high-tech military operation that was beyond top
secret, in charge of the creation of plutonium (PU239) and uranium
(U235). U.S.A. was in a race with the Soviet Union to create the
atomic bomb. On Christmas of 1942, during World War II, Enrico
Fermi and his team of scientists celebrated their success in the
completion of the world’s first nuclear chain reactor. The
plutonium made from this and of other future reactors was to be used in
the Atomic Bomb. This bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and
Hiroshima. The Hanford site’s construction started on February 8,
1943. At Hanford nine total reactors were built including the
legendary N and B reactors. Two evaporators were also built to
reduce the volume of high volume wastes. There were also Missile
silos built for security purposes. These silos were built under
ground with opening doors to shoot missiles at any target.
Hanford also built armories with high power assault rifles and Uzis.
Hanford’s Purpose
Hanford’s purpose was to create plutonium to be used in the Atomic bomb
and to find new methods of research and development. The
plutonium (PU239) and Uranium (U235) were the explosives used in the
bombing of Japan. Plutonium is made with nuclear chain reactors.
Plutonium is a deadly byproduct of Uranium; the nuclear bomb mainly
consists of it. Plutonium works by splitting the atom, which
releases an enormous amount of heat and radiation and when one atom
splits all of the other atoms split. But the trick is to get all
of the atoms to split at the same time. Then the heat would be so
intense, it would melt you alive.
Hanford Now
In 1989, the creation of plutonium and uranium stopped. The goal
was then to clean up parts of the Hanford site that were
contaminated. This then created one of the largest clean up
operations the world had ever seen. The plutonium production
resulted in 33,000,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste, also
100,000,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil and debris. About
1.8 trillion liters of contaminated water was also discharged into
soil.
Some of this contamination has soaked down into ground water which now
lies under the site. Over 200 square kilometers of ground water
is contaminated. Hanford’s goal now is to manage waste and
restore the environment. Hanford signed an agreement with the
United States the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department Of
Ecology in 1989, agreeing that if a change is brought up, it must be
okayed by both agencies. 0
The Atomic Bomb
The creation of the atomic bomb marked the beginning of the nuclear
period. The nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima,
Japan. The plutonium created at Hanford was used in that
bomb. Enrico Fermi and his team created this plutonium in
1942. The bomb that fell on Japan killed roughly 70,000 people
and injured 40,000 more.
Many people were burned in the explosion. The nuclear bomb also
went through extensive testing. The Trinity Test was held on July
16, 1945 in Trinity, New Mexico. This was the official test
of the Atomic Bomb.
Conclusion
Nuclear science has come along way since the first nuclear reaction
created by Enrico Fermi. Hanford’s purpose was to create
plutonium and Uranium to be used in the first Atomic Bomb. The
Atomic Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan that killed 70,000 people.
Hanford today is now in the position of having to clean up all of the
nuclear waste that has been produced in past years. All of that nuclear
waste has to be cleaned up due to radioactivity.
How I Evaluate My Entire Project
(1) How thorough and complete was my project?
I think mine was very thorough and complete because I researched it a lot and took my time.
(2) What would I do differently if starting over again?
I don’t think I would do anything different!
(3) What major strengths does my project have?
The major strength my project has is the interview. It was very long and thorough.
(4) What weaknesses or problems does my project have?
I’m not entirely sure. In my mind, I don’t think there are weaknesses.
(5) What did I learn to do better during this project?
I learned to indent better.
(6) In what ways did I enjoy my study and work?
I enjoyed my work a lot because I like researching stuff that explodes.
Who Helped Me with My Project
I would like to thank Mrs. Heitman for supervising and helping me in my studies.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Goodpaster for helping and supervising me.
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