Comments on: Chernobyl

By: JarvisLoop

JarvisLoop — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 23:36:11 +0000

Considering that the Soviets have always been our equal if not our superior in technology, the Chernobyl accident is even more astounding.

By: A1

A1 — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 04:37:23 +0000

Typo correction. “Bowl movements” should be “bowel movements”

By: Gordon Malloy

Gordon Malloy — Wed, 29 May 2019 14:41:08 +0000

Not first!

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 23:51:17 +0000

>> One report makes it equivalent to 500 Hiroshimas

Since there were zero nuclear explosions (just a big chemical explosion that spread the unexploded nuclear fuel around), it was equivalent to zero Hiroshimas. I keep seeing this “so and so many Hiroshimas” as if it were a unit of measure of radiation, like “Libraries of Congress” or “Double-spaced sheets of typed paper” are pseudo-measures of data. It’s not. It was the nuclear explosion of a fission bomb, which, again, Chernobyl had zero of.

By: ScorpionFanGirl

ScorpionFanGirl — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 17:35:24 +0000

Ok, so, I’m completely obsessed with Chernobyl. I feel really sad for all the people that died. They didn’t deserve that at all. Also, I really like the show Scorpion and this is an episode I think, or something like this. I really like your site, especially the Pipe Bomber article.

By: Al

Al — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 00:58:39 +0000

I know I’m extremely late to the game here, but I have just recently started enjoying this site. I don’t care if this comment is ever posted but I know you guys will read it.
I stumbled across this site recently and in the last few weeks have read all of the greatest hits and have started reading oldest to newest. I was excited to read this one because for all except the first year of my adult life I have been a nuclear engineer. I spent 10 years in the navy as a nuclear engineer on submarines, have received my bachelors in nuclear engineering from NCSU, worked for 4 years as an instructor/trainer for commercial plants, and am now pursuing my JD at UNC at Chapel Hill to begin a career as a paten lawyer in nuclear engineering. So… yea guess I’m really blowing myself here, but this is my shit and anything with subs or energy production kinda gets me pumped.
I love this site for 2 main reasons: 1)The articles you provide are fact based off of the references you have studied, and provide an interesting outline of a subject which usually leaves me well informed on a new topic, or intrigued and excited to jump down my own rabbit hole of research on the topic. 2)As I read more and more from you guys I have noticed how over time you have developed from great researchers and authors into outstanding researchers and authors.
I was quite disappointed by this article though. Stany’s comment is very true, and I think you know that because there was no rebuttal from you. As an instructor I thoroughly studied and lectured on nuclear accidents and lessons learned. I believe the short coming of this article is the lack of resources. When a nuclear accident occurs with any level of severity it is scrutinized, studied, and meticulously dissected by the “nuclear community” forever. We still generations later study and train on what has happened in this field since the Manhattan project. This is why nuclear power is so safe… we are fucking terrified of it, and as a result continuously learning how to stay ahead of it. I’m off topic though; the point I mean to make is that when writing on some topics(especially nuclear topics) the wealth of study and research behind it is colossal. So having wiki, a few articles, and an authors books of a second hand account (Which by the way I have read and do cite parts of, but only if I have additional sources agreeing with it do to the authors inconsistencies) cannot sufficiently cover a topic with such a vast amount of history and research. For example, I have a folder labeled “Chernobyl Lessons Learned” that is .92 terabytes itself, and that’s just the shit I’ve come across and use. Now obviously that’s extreme overkill for an article of this size, but the information is out there.
I guess to sum it up when your writing to the educated crowd that is attracted to your site, if a topic has been this thoroughly studied and researched you should exhaust yourself on studying sources and finding additional sources that solidify and check with each other.
I apologize for the dickyness of this comment, and I’ll admit as of yet I haven’t registered or donated to the site so its out of line for me voice this. I’m just thoroughly impressed with this site so far, and maybe this was a waste of time and a lesson you guys have learned and carried into your newer articles. I just wanted to offer up some constructive(probably unnecessary) criticism and suggest that maybe this article be retired for a time until it can be revisited. I do plan on registering and donating to this site; I’m holding out until I get to some newer material of yours though. I want to make sure that your writing continues to inspire me the way it does now after a decade of you doing it. If I were to recommend this site to a friend though, and they clicked random article and this is what their first impression was of the site they wouldn’t come back.

P.S. Some interesting nuke subjects on lessons learned if this is something that intrigues you:

SL-1 the army’s failed portable nuclear reactor. Not a ton was learned that wasn’t already known about operating characteristics, but it was an outstanding example of prompt critical meltdown, and much was learned about containment and radiation clean up.

US Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion (ANP) project. Graphite moderated/air cooled prototype. Significant fuel damage after initial test. Lots learned from this optimistic, but poor design.

USS Thresher. US Navy has begun in the last few years to release information regarding what is more believed to have caused the accident. Flooding which has long been named the cause has been dismissed due to the fact that flooding is a submarines worst case scenario, and the radio transmission from the captain was a very calm explanation of “issues”. It was and is believed a reactor scram occurred and the delayed time in recovery caused a loss of propulsion turning the ship into a sinking rock. Immediately following the incident Admiral Rickover and many others had a meeting that the discussion of is still classified(At least since I last checked). Over the years following though significant reactor safety changes were made. Specifically in the department of restoration of a reactor to criticality following a safeguards activation.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 20:08:24 +0000

The kidofspeed site was indeed interesting and haunting, but alas turned out to be fake. She never toured the area on a motorcycle, but instead took a tour of the reactor area organised by a tourist agency, and she carried a motorcycle helmet with her during the tour.

By: JohhnyC

JohhnyC — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 06:56:08 +0000

Azronus said: “Bah, everyone panics over Nuclear energy even now. Hell, it’s not so bad. Admittedly mistakes can result in some nasty outbursts but consider the fact that Radiation can be easily contained within building while a raging underground coal fire cant be.”

See the comment I posted seconds ago. When you are face to face with it, you realize why is so terrible and how it affects people for generations, and radioactive fallout takes its biggest toll on young children, which is even more morbid. And that’s not even counting with other social effects, like discrimination towards people affected by radiation, which is seen to an extreme in Japan… Although in Japan they are notable for discriminating against anybody and anything…

By: JohhnyC

JohhnyC — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 06:51:17 +0000

There’s actually lots of info missing from the article as well as incorrect statements, however, it does bring the subject of the Nuclear Accident at Chernobyl to attention and gives a general idea of what happened. This is something that should always be remembered and a symbol of just how wrong can things turn when pride, incompetence, stupidity, lies and repression are put in the mix together with highly technological and dangerous operations… I still remember the “Chernobyl Children”, and their painful expressions and deformities from the times I got to see them receiving treatment in a pediatric hospital in Cuba, specially for cancer and thyroid issues. My mother used to work in that hospital, one of the best Pediatric hospitals in Cuba, where groups of them would go to get treatment after the fall of the USSR, due to not being able to pay for treatment in Russia, they would go to Cuba to continue treatment for free or low costs. It was my first experience related to the accident, and ever since it has given a very real face to it and the human suffering it caused. Although the article is pretty old I think the comment was worth sharing…

By: Museful

Museful — Fri, 31 May 2013 07:32:19 +0000

“Thermonuclear” normally refers to fusion reactions. Surely that is not what you meant.