AFRL recognizes Manhattan Project Published Oct. 10, 2012 By Danny Monahan 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. -- The Air Force Research Laboratory hosted an event Oct. 2 and 3 to recognize the Manhattan Project. Established in 1942, the Manhattan Project was a secret undertaking by the U.S. government to construct the first atomic bomb. "We hosted the event to educate people about the history of the Manhattan Project, its strategic and political setting, and its scientific and technological impacts from an Air Force perspective that can be applied to today's challenges," said Lt. Col. Thomas Niday, AFRL. The first day consisted of presentations about the Manhattan Project, the Trinity Site and Air Force scientific research. The Trinity Site is where the first nuclear device was tested July 16, 1945. "As a physicist in AFRL, it was fascinating to see how in just a few years these men and women were able to turn recently discovered science into the most powerful weapon ever developed," said Capt. Ben Hurst, AFRL. On the second day of the event, approximately 140 people visited the Trinity Site, now part of White Sands Missile Range. "We traveled to the Trinity Site and visited the MacDonald Ranch House, where the device's plutonium core was assembled, and ground zero, where we learned more about the details of the project," said Hurst. "It was slightly unnerving to stand at ground zero and think about how the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT had once been detonated there. It made me feel that it's a privilege to live in a state that has played, and continues to play, such a significant role in scientific research and technology development for our country."