The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
"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%..."