Hydrogen bombBy: DJ Ayotte

And Ryan Blanchard

Making of the Bomb

It is named for its two chief contributors, Hungarian-born physicist Edward Teller and Polish born mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, who developed it in 1951 for use by the United States.

The Codename for the Hydrogen Bomb was “MIKE”

What is the Hydrogen Bomb?• The contents of the bomb include: At the center of it, lies an Atomic Bomb. Surrounding the Atom Bomb is a layer of lithium deuteride,

a compound of lithium and deuterium, the isotope of hydrogen with a mass of 2.

Around it is a tamper free thick outer layer of fissionable material that holds the contents together in order to obtain a larger explosion.

Neutrons from the Atomic explosion cause the lithium to fission into helium and tritium which causes amass amount of energy.

In essence the Hydrogen bomb is an extremely large shockwave caused by a mixture of fission and fusion.

First Use of the Bomb

The first time the Hydrogen bomb was used was on May 12, 1951 on an island in the Pacific. The Hydrogen Bomb is 1,000 times more powerful then the Atomic Bomb. The U.S. felt it was necessary to start its production because of the Development of the Soviet Atomic Bomb

Effects of the Hydrogen Bomb

• In 1954, the U.S. tested the Hydrogen bomb in the Island of Bikini in the Pacific.

• The explosion was so violent, that it overwhelmed the measuring instruments indicating that the bomb was much more powerful than the scientists had expected.

• It destroyed one island and left a crater 175 feet deep.

• There were 23 nuclear tests carried out on the Island of Bikini between 1946 and 1958.

Why Did We Make It?• On January 31st, 1950 President Truman announced

that the decision to use the Hydrogen bomb should be pursued.

• He said, “It is part of my responsibility as commander in chief, to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor.”

• Accordingly, he directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of Atomic Weapons including, the so called Hydrogen or Super Bomb

• One of the main reasons for this decision was to combat the Soviets exploding their first Atomic Bomb.

Things to Know…

Works Cited• Works Cited "American Experience . Race for the Superbomb .

Hydrogen Bomb Decision |." PBS. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pandeAMEX56.html>. The Cold War Museum. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.coldwar.org>. "Hydrogen Bomb / Fusion Weapons." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/h-bomb.htm>. "Nuclear weapon -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon>. "What is a Hydrogen Bomb?" WiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hydrogen-bomb.html>. "World History 1950 -1951." American History and World History at Historycentral.com the largest and most complete history site on the web. Web. 03 Feb. 2010. <http://www.historycentral.com/dates/1950.html>.