Figure 1: B Reactor Museum on the Hanford Site

The Manhattan Project

Electronic Field Trip

Presented by The Lupo Family Charitable Fund
Additional support provided by The Dale E. and Janice Davis Johnston Family Foundation

Join The National WWII Museum for a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb. Student reporters examine the revolutionary science of nuclear energy in the Museum’s exhibits and the race to produce an atomic weapon in complete secrecy. Explore the world’s first industrial nuclear reactor at the massive and remote Hanford Site in Washington State. Travel to the undercover laboratory and test site in New Mexico to learn about the team of talented physicists who tirelessly created the detonating device and witnessed its destructive power firsthand. Our reporters uncover the stories of mobilization, collaboration, and innovation to understand how the results brought about the end of World War II and forever changed the world.

Hosted by Dee-1 with expert commentary from nuclear research professor Sharon Squassoni.

Thumbnail

The Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip Classroom Guide

Access lesson plans, essays, and other curriculum resources related to the Manhattan Project.

Download
  • Student reporter Jasmine with Dr. Kristen Burton in the Museum’s Road to Tokyo gallery.

    Student reporter Jasmine with Dr. Kristen Burton in the Museum’s Road to Tokyo gallery

  • STEM specialist Rob Wallace reviews the early history of nuclear science with student reporter Julia.

    STEM specialist Rob Wallace reviews the early history of nuclear science with student reporter Julia.

  • Men working near the face of B Reactor in 1944. Courtesy of The National Archives.

    Men working near the face of B Reactor in 1944. Courtesy of The National Archives.

  • Student Reporter Sara with Historian Robert Franklin in front of the control panel of the B Reactor

    Student Reporter Sara with Historian Robert Franklin in front of the control panel of the B Reactor

  • Pressure gauges of B Reactor's control panel

    Pressure gauges of B Reactor's control panel

  • The facade of the old Hanford High School.

    The facade of the old Hanford High School.

  • Film crew at the replica guard gate in Los Alamos, New Mexico

    Film crew at the replica guard gate in Los Alamos, New Mexico

  • 1943 Los Alamos Project Main Gate. Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

    1943 Los Alamos Project Main Gate. Courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

  • Elliot Schultz, Historian of Science from the Bradbury Science Museum, with student reporter Isaac in front of Fuller Lodge

    Elliot Schultz, Historian of Science from the Bradbury Science Museum, with student reporter Isaac in front of Fuller Lodge

  • Nuclear physicist Hans Bethe's house in Los Alamos

    Nuclear physicist Hans Bethe's house in Los Alamos

  • The beautiful natural landscape around Los Alamos.

    The beautiful natural landscape around Los Alamos.

Special thanks to our filming partners:

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Bradbury Science Museum
Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Department of Energy/ Hanford B Reactor