The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis Page: 2 of 13
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The Manhattan Project, Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs
Summary
Some policymakers have concluded that the energy challenges facing the United States are so
critical that a concentrated investment in energy research and development (R&D) should be
undertaken. The Manhattan project, which produced the atomic bomb, and the Apollo program,
which landed American men on the moon, have been cited as examples of the success such R&D
investments can yield. Investment in federal energy technology R&D programs of the 1970s, in
response to two energy crises, have generally been viewed as less successful than the earlier two
efforts. This report compares and contrasts the three initiatives.
In 2008 dollars, the cumulative cost of the Manhattan project over 5 fiscal years was
approximately $22 billion; of the Apollo program over 14 fiscal years, approximately $98 billion;
of post-oil shock energy R&D efforts over 35 fiscal years, $118 billion. A measure of the nation's
commitments to the programs is their relative shares of the federal outlays during the years of
peak funding: for the Manhattan program, the peak year funding was 1% of federal outlays; for
the Apollo program, 2.2%; and for energy technology R&D programs, 0.5%. Another measure of
the commitment is their relative shares of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) during the
peak years of funding: for the Manhattan project and the Apollo program, the peak year funding
reached 0.4% of GDP, and for the energy technology R&D programs, 0.1%.
Besides funding, several criteria might be used to compare these three initiatives including
perception of the program or threat, goal clarity, and the customer of the technology being
developed. By these criteria, while the Manhattan project and the Apollo program may provide
some useful analogies for thinking about an energy technology R&D initiative, there are
fundamental differences between the forces that drove these historical R&D success stories and
the forces driving energy technology R&D today. Critical differences include (1) the ability to
transform the program or threat into a concrete goal, and (2) the use to which the technology
would be put. On the issue of goal setting, for the Manhattan project, the response to the threat of
enemy development of a nuclear bomb was the goal to construct a bomb; for the Apollo program,
the threat of Soviet space dominance was translated into a specific goal of landing on the moon.
For energy, the response to the problems of insecure oil sources and high prices has resulted in
multiple, sometimes conflicting, goals. Regarding use, both the Manhattan project and the Apollo
program goals pointed to technologies primarily for governmental use with little concern about
their environmental impact; for energy, in contrast, the hoped-for outcome depends on
commercial viability and mitigation of environmental impacts from energy use.
Although the Manhattan project and the Apollo program may provide some useful analogies for
funding, these differences may limit their utility regarding energy policy. Rather, energy
technology R&D has been driven by at least three not always commensurate goals-resource and
technological diversity, commercial viability, and environmental protection-which were not
goals of the historical programs.Congressional Research Service
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Stine, Deborah D. The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis, report, June 30, 2009; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc812482/m1/2/: accessed May 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.