1944 Dec 28
The modified B Reactor pile is restarted.
The modified B Reactor pile is restarted.
Processing of irradiated uranium slugs to separate plutonium begins at Hanford, WA.
First Fat Man bomb assembly is completed as production gets underway. Explosive lenses and nuclear material are not yet available, the bomb assemblies are used for airdrop and ground handling practice.
The D pile goes critical at Hanford, WA with sufficient reactivity to overcome fission product poisoning effects. Large scale plutonium production begins.
First successful explosive lens tests conducted at Los Alamos, NM, establishing the feasibility of making an implosion bomb.
Polish Physicist Joseph Rotblat resigns from the Manhattan Project upon learning that an American atomic bomb will not be used against Nazi Germany.
Work begins on an implosion initiator for the solid core bomb, it is not clear at this point if one can be made.
Y-12 Plant output climbs to 90 grams of highly enriched uranium a day.
The first B-29 raid on Japan begins. 100 planes are launched, only 16 bombs hit the target factory.
Y-12 Plant output has reached 40 grams of highly enriched uranium a day.