20 Years Later......

[devilmaster]

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything, save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. - Albert Einstein

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Chernobyl_Disaster.jpg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

[chop456]

The BBC just had an interesting piece on how wildlife is booming in the area without humans there. Oddly enough, no 3-headed deer or flying rabbits, either. I'll post a link later.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4923342.stm

[nrc]

The BBC just had an interesting piece on how wildlife is booming in the area without humans there. Oddly enough, no 3-headed deer or flying rabbits, either. I'll post a link later.

Just Russian chicks on motorcycles.

I suspect animals in the area have the same kind of health affects as the people. But they still have plenty of time to procreate before any increased incidence of cancers does them in.

[SteveH]

Great piece in this month's National Geographic also.

[racer2c]

I read recently on some major news outlet website that many scientists believe that the hype over the meltdown is hugely exaggerated. It's a way for the repressed area to receive sympathy money.

[nrc]

I read recently on some major news outlet website that many scientists believe that the hype over the meltdown is hugely exaggerated. It's a way for the repressed area to receive sympathy money.

I don't think anyone deliberately exaggerated the seriousness of the event. If anything the Soviet athorities of the time tried to downplay the incident until there was simply no denying its magnitude.

Chernobyl was pretty close to a worst case scenario and people always expected the results of such an event would be dire. They could really only guess at exactly how much radioactive material was put into the atmosphere.

Fortunately the worst case results have not come to pass but that doesn't mean it wasn't a disaster of epic proportions. 1000s of deaths, tens of thousands driven from their homes, and a thousand square miles of uninhabitable towns, villages, and countryside.

Here's an interesting photo gallery showing some of the damage inside the reactor building including scenes where molten radioactive fuel matrial has flowed through the plant and then solidified.

http://www.spaceman.ca/gallery/albums/chernobyl/f421.gif

http://www.spaceman.ca/gallery/chernobyl/Helicopt03_05_86_1

[SteveH]

Damn, just spent 30 minutes going through that album.

Chilling.

[racer2c]

I don't think anyone deliberately exaggerated the seriousness of the event. If anything the Soviet athorities of the time tried to downplay the incident until there was simply no denying its magnitude.

Chernobyl was pretty close to a worst case scenario and people always expected the results of such an event would be dire. They could really only guess at exactly how much radioactive material was put into the atmosphere.

Fortunately the worst case results have not come to pass but that doesn't mean it wasn't a disaster of epic proportions. 1000s of deaths, tens of thousands driven from their homes, and a thousand square miles of uninhabitable towns, villages, and countryside.

Here's an interesting photo gallery showing some of the damage inside the reactor building including scenes where molten radioactive fuel matrial has flowed through the plant and then solidified.


http://www.spaceman.ca/gallery/chernobyl/Helicopt03_05_86_1

Whether Chernoble motorcycle chick was "real" or not, her pictures of the desaster speak loud and clear. There was one I remember of a 'dead' harbor that was like something out of a science fiction movie. Bad stuff. :(

[Robstar]

Whether Chernoble motorcycle chick was "real" or not, her pictures of the desaster speak loud and clear. There was one I remember of a 'dead' harbor that was like something out of a science fiction movie. Bad stuff. :(

Couldn't agree more... I'd heard that there was a chance that her site was BS... but even so... I found it quite amazing, & read the lot...
I was 9 years old when it happened, the whole primary (I think you call it elementery) school stopped - it was as if our teachers knew that it was the start of a new era... :brrr:

:eek: