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Yes, I remember hearing an anecdote that the scientists working on the Manhattan project weren't entirely sure the reaction would stop or just keep going when t

Yes, I remember hearing an anecdote that the scientists working on the Manhattan project weren't entirely sure the reaction would stop or just keep going when they tested the first atomic bomb. I have no idea if this is correct - can anyone enlighten us?

bluedanieru 14y ago
I've heard that story too, so fwiw that's +1 in the quest to turn anecdotes into data.
sp332 14y ago
My favorite apocryphal story is when someone wanted to put a metal shell over the first test to make it "safer". One of the engineers calculated that it would rain radioactive liquid steel in New York :)
shimfish 14y ago
Reminds of the insane story of how the Manhattan project nearly nuked itself when one of the scientists screwdriver slipped during testing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin#Criticality_accident http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin#Criticality_accide... Fascinating book about the development of the bomb: http://www.amazon.com/Brighter-than-Thousand-Suns-Scientists/dp/0156141507 http://www.amazon.com/Brighter-than-Thousand-Suns-Scientists...
lobster_johnson 14y ago
As I remember it from Richard Rhodes' superb, Pulitzer-winning _The Making of the Atomic Bomb_ [1] (highly recommended for anyone interested in science), it was Edward Teller who had the sudden fear that a fission bomb might result in a fusion chain reaction that would ignite the atmosphere and boil the oceans (page 418). Hans Bethe did the calculations and determined it was not possible. However, the notion was disturbing enough that a formal report was requested. I believe this was later, in 1945 or 1946, during the development of the hydrogen bomb, but I'm not sure. The report [2], co-authored by Teller, is dated 1946. It was declassified in 1973. On the night of the Trinity test, apparently with the notion of calming people down, Fermi (to the annoyance of Maj. General Leslie Groves) humorously started taking bets on whether the test would ignite the atmosphere or merely destroy the state of Mexico (page 664). [1] http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes/dp/0684813785 http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes/dp/0... [2] http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/docs1/00329010.pdf http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/docs1/00329010.pdf

bluedanieru 14y ago

I've heard that story too, so fwiw that's +1 in the quest to turn anecdotes into data.

sp332 14y ago

My favorite apocryphal story is when someone wanted to put a metal shell over the first test to make it "safer". One of the engineers calculated that it would rain radioactive liquid steel in New York :)

shimfish 14y ago

Reminds of the insane story of how the Manhattan project nearly nuked itself when one of the scientists screwdriver slipped during testing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin#Criticality_accident http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin#Criticality_accide... Fascinating book about the development of the bomb: http://www.amazon.com/Brighter-than-Thousand-Suns-Scientists/dp/0156141507 http://www.amazon.com/Brighter-than-Thousand-Suns-Scientists...

lobster_johnson 14y ago

As I remember it from Richard Rhodes' superb, Pulitzer-winning _The Making of the Atomic Bomb_ [1] (highly recommended for anyone interested in science), it was Edward Teller who had the sudden fear that a fission bomb might result in a fusion chain reaction that would ignite the atmosphere and boil the oceans (page 418). Hans Bethe did the calculations and determined it was not possible. However, the notion was disturbing enough that a formal report was requested. I believe this was later, in 1945 or 1946, during the development of the hydrogen bomb, but I'm not sure. The report [2], co-authored by Teller, is dated 1946. It was declassified in 1973. On the night of the Trinity test, apparently with the notion of calming people down, Fermi (to the annoyance of Maj. General Leslie Groves) humorously started taking bets on whether the test would ignite the atmosphere or merely destroy the state of Mexico (page 664). [1] http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes/dp/0684813785 http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes/dp/0... [2] http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/docs1/00329010.pdf http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/docs1/00329010.pdf