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At least 199 records · Page 11

A look back 75 years at Little Boy, the crew, the plane and the Lab’s first mission

Hours before the sun would rise over Tinian island on the morning of August 6, 1945, a B- 29 airplane was positioned above a specially built bomb-loading pit, as crews readied it with cargo unlike anything the world had ever known. Preparations on the tiny Pacific island—nearly 6,600 miles from Los Alamos and about 1,500 miles from its intended target in Japan—had begun months before on April 3. And months before that, pilot Paul Tibbets Jr. and his crew had practiced dropping dummy concrete bombs on targets in Utah. Even years before that, development of this cargo destined for Japan began in secrecy under the direction of a physicist and an Army general in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. It was all leading to one day that would help end years of bloodshed and change the world forever.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Operational and Mission Highlights A Monthly Summary of Top Achievements September 2020

In August 2020, transuranic (TRU) waste inventory onsite at TA-55 fell below 1,500 containers. Multiple groups within the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production (ALDWP) have worked collaboratively to achieve this reduction in waste and residue inventory, all within the constraints of COVID-19 safety requirements.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

The British Mission at Los Alamos [Slides]

Fission was first produced in Nazi Germany in 1938. Einstein warned FDR in a letter dated August 2, 1939, but Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. In spring 1940, the Frisch-Peierls Memo was completed. The Battle of Britain began in July 1940. The attached detailed report concerns the possibility of constructing a ‘super-bomb’ which utilises the energy stored in atomic nuclei as a source of energy. The energy liberated in the explosion of such a super-bomb is about the same as that produced by the explosion of 1,000 tons of dynamite.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Operational and Mission Highlights A Monthly Summary of Top Achievements

In September 2020, the Laboratory’s Chemical Microscopy Facility tripled in size, expanding to 1,000 square feet. Located at TA-46, Building158, this facility houses a unique Laboratory resource. Operated by the Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (C-PCS) group, this facility was established to renew the Laboratory’s rich history in radiobiology. The facility combines biological research capabilities with isotope production, as well as radioanalytical and chemical infrastructure. This facility provides space for Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) research, with alpha-emitting and other radionuclides of interest associated with biological systems. Equipped with a Class ll/A2 biological safety cabinet, a radiological fume hood and a host of other analytical equipment, this facility serves an effective resource to evaluate the efficacy of targeted alpha therapeutics, as well as the deleterious effects of radiological materials on living organisms. The facility receives funding through LDRD- 20180005DR, “Establishing a Radiotherapeutic Capability to Counter Biothreats,” and the BES Heavy Element Chemistry Program at the Laboratory.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Plutonium workers get a new level of education in the actinide mission

The Associate Laboratory Directorate for Weapons Production (ALDWP) and the National Security Education Center (NSEC) have teamed to develop a new Nuclear Enterprise Science and Technology (NEST) Academic Certificate program offered through the University of New Mexico – Los Alamos (UNM-LA). The pilot program, which virtually kicked off on January 19 even amidst snow closures, received accreditation by the State Higher Education Department (HED) in FY20 and is designed for LANL’s existing fissile material handler technician and technologist employee workforce. It will provide essential science, operations, and business education on all aspects of working in modern nuclear materials handling and processing facilities. The first course for the certificate program is called “Nuclear Facility Fundamentals.” A call for nominations went out to the directorate and a cohort of 15 individuals has been established to start the program.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Operational and Mission Highlights: A Monthly Summary of Top Achievements September 2021

Laboratory personnel working on a years-long Confinement Vessel Disposition (CVD) Project at the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) facility recently shipped its first vessel after closing the emptying and dispositioning portion of the project in 2020. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Laboratory conducted experiments that produced data used in computer modeling. Scientists used these models to evaluate the performance of nuclear weapons.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lab’s original mission inspires entire genre of comic books, characters

The Lab’s advent of the atomic bomb that helped end World War II in 1945 fueled the imagination of comic book writers. The public’s focus on emerging nuclear science made the idea of people-turned-super through radiation wildly popular in many aspects of pop culture.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

‘Our mission matters’: Detonator Production honors the stars and stripes

At TA-22, home to the Detonator Production (DP) division, elk are a common sight among the trees and grasses. Now, so is Old Glory. More than 18 months ago, COVID-19 forced much of our workforce to change how we do business. Although the transition allowed daily operations to continue, comradery was difficult to maintain while employees worked from home or under modified on-site conditions.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Operational and Mission Highlights: A Monthly Summary of Top Achievements October 2021

Working with the Design Agency (Q-6), Production Agency Quality (PAQ) Division, and the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office, Detonator Production recently sold Lot 3354 to NNSA. Detonator Production personnel shipped the lot to Pantex — the Laboratory will continue to support the W76 into the future. The sale and shipment of Lot 3354 was accomplished before the closeout of FY21, achieving a key milestone that required active participation from several stakeholders within the Lab, as well as organizations external to the Laboratory. Both organizations found remedies to address challenges associated with this lot that had persisted since 2019.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗