Chernobyl, Have some pretty neat info on it Options

[ThePerson98]

I bet a good number of you know about Chernobyl. The 1986 reactor explosion. But this is for those of you interested in it, or the ones who dont know about it.

There was one girl who decided she wanted to go to Chernobyl. And she got a government permit from her father.
Kid of speed
She's lucky, in my opinion. I would love to go to Chernobyl. I have HUGE interest in it, and plan to go when I am older. And dont say you can't. Because there is Tourism in Chernobyl
Before we know it, that place is gonna go from a zone of death to being completely reopened.

Even though the place is completely evacuated of humanity, wildlife still is there.
BBC Chernobyl wildlife
Its pretty suprising that the sarcophagus is home to birds! I expected wildlife to be there but taking THAT much radiation is incredible.

Here's the part most of you will have fun with. Google Earth has moderate quality Chernobyl pictures now.
Find the city of Kiev in Ukraine and there is a river that runs through it heading north. Follow the river. It starts to split into many small rivers but there are two major ones, one heading north and one heading northwest. Follow the one going northwest.
You quickly run into a quality change in pictures, the quality change is the picture of Chernobyl.
If you are having trouble finding it refer to this picture
Chernobyl Google earth instructions


BBC news had a 20th year anniversary of chernobyl, getting stories of people who were evacuated or things planned for it. They also have many pictures of places around chernobyl, that are in the forbidden zone. Its neat to see what people said about it.
BBC Chernobyl 20th Anniversary

I also want to see what you all think of chernobyl. And those of you who were alive during the time, what was the news like about it, if you remember.

EDIT: Title has typo! Oops, and there is a gallery with neat pictures of chernobyl
LINK to pictures

This post has been edited by ThePerson98: May 14 2006, 07:27 AM

[Ibis]

Not only did the Challenger accident occur around then, but sometime near when Chernobyl happened, the US had it's own nuclear mishap - Three Mile Island. I should remember better when it was exactly because my dad got called in to help fix the electrical systems although his company had nothing to do with designing or building Three Mile Island ... but it was an emergency assignment.

I agree with Stargelman that it definitely put a crimp in people's unabashed belief in technology at the time, and for many - for a long time to come. I felt bad at the time for the parts of Europe like Minque's who got affected by the clouds passing over and of course felt terrible for all the people who died.

I know there is a fascination with all places of human mistake or misery, it seems - Alcatraz Island is a tourist place, I think people still visit some of the concentration camp sites from WWII, the landing sites in New Mexico & Florida of supposed alien vessel crashes are touristy indeed. But I would strongly discourage visiting one that is still in any way radioactive ... you do like your healthy self the way you are now, don't you? Two eyes, one nose, ten fingers? - why go looking for trouble???

[ThePerson98]

But I would strongly discourage visiting one that is still in any way radioactive ... you do like your healthy self the way you are now, don't you? Two eyes, one nose, ten fingers? - why go looking for trouble???

Much of the radiation around the city has cleared up. Stay on the paths and dont walk in grass or wooden houses and you should be fine. Also carry a geigometer (I think thats what its called, tool that measures radiation) and avoid high radiation places. Within the time Ill be able to go it will be a lot less worse. You can actually walk near the reactor, not right up to it but near it, and come out perfectly fine.
Ive looked into it a bit more than that, I know Chernobyl is a dangerous place, but you get hurt if you act like an idiot there.

[minque]

Much of the radiation around the city has cleared up. Stay on the paths and dont walk in grass or wooden houses and you should be fine. Also carry a geigometer (I think thats what its called, tool that measures radiation) and avoid high radiation places. Within the time Ill be able to go it will be a lot less worse. You can actually walk near the reactor, not right up to it but near it, and come out perfectly fine.
Ive looked into it a bit more than that, I know Chernobyl is a dangerous place, but you get hurt if you act like an idiot there.

Yes it has....but if you´re into this business you know about nuclides and half-life! Co-60 has a half-life of 5,6 years so there´s not so much of it left but on the other hand those transuranian nuclides like Am-241 are nothing to play around with. Cs-37 is hazardous as well....and all those have higher half-lives than Co-60!.

Most geiger-apparatuses mainly measure Co-60, it´s the "fingerprint " of nuclear radiation, but in this case you´ll need one that measures Am-241 at least!

I´ve read a lot about Chernobyl, and I know thay say "avoid high radiation places" yes that´s good but are you sure they really mark all those places? And of course it´s better to stay on the asphalt instead of walking around in the grassy areas because the soil is still contaminated.

Now I wouldn´t recommend to go near the reactor...even if you could, but you don´t because of the sarcophague that is built over the whole thing....

Nevertheless.....I´d still like to see it....but from a safe distance!