Scientists faced technical challenges in creating the bomb from "summary" of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes
The technical challenges that scientists encountered in the creation of the atomic bomb were numerous and daunting. One of the main hurdles they faced was the need to enrich uranium-235, a rare isotope that is only present in small quantities in natural uranium. This enrichment process required sophisticated machinery and precise methods to separate the desired isotope from the more abundant uranium-238. Another major technical challenge was the design and construction of the bomb itself. Scientists had to overcome issues related to the critical mass of uranium-235 or plutonium-239 required for a sustained nuclear reaction. They also had to figure out how to trigger the explosion at the right moment and with the necessary f...
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