Chernobyl (HBO Mini Series)

[Munter]

This popped up on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rle1Bywi61M

I usually like this sort of thing. "Real story", disaster etc. But watching that trailer it just seems a bit too ... bleak.

Anybody know any more about it the series?

[Munter]

Drclarke said:

Sorry but I am going to have to spoil it.

The reactor catches fire, there is a bloody Big Bang and lots of destruction.

I'm not sure there's that much physical destruction really. Just the worst thing destroyed.

I just finished episode 1. My stomach hurts and I have a background sense of dread. The OH thinks it's great though.

[Munter]

Antony Moxey said:

Assuming they didn't realise the full effects of radiation exposure, perhaps they thought it the lesser of two evils - die a hero saving the motherland or die in a labour camp with no contact with their families.

I suspect it was a slightly longer conversation in reality. Focussed on the number of their comrades who would die, children, woman, etc. If they didn’t help. Your friends will die, your lovers will die, your country will die, or you can dig a hole and hope to live a hero. What kind of hairy assed tough guy says no to that.

[Munter]

J4CKO said:

Also, as a question, is there anything naturally radioactive on the earth that is enough to give you a big enough dose to make you ill without further processing ?

I know Granite produces Radon gas which is radioactive but does anything else in its natural form ?

I remember reading about some guys lost in the wilderness, somewhere cold. They happened across a rocky area that seemed unusually warm, and offered them shelter. They slept there overnight. It wasn't a good idea. I think it was Russia or China.

[Munter]

Gary C said:

I imagine it will not be connected to the external world.

In my short time spent working on (non nuke) powerstations, the suggestion of the introduction of any "modem" type device that allowed a connection to the internet, would see people thinking about throwing you off site. Introducing one would see your company thrown off.

This sort of physical protection is why Stuxnet had to distribute itself on USB devices.

One particular system had to turn up "blank", and the code was manually typed into it and tested on site. As were any updates. This was frustratingly slow. But at least you knew where the bugs got introduced, and who to drag out of the canteen to come and fix them.

[Munter]

otolith said:

Partly I was just amazed at how much detail was public domain, though I'm sure that while the principles may be public, the devil is in the detail.

It's the whole "Rocket science is easy" thing.

It's rocket engineering that's the tricky bugger.

[Munter]

p1stonhead said:

Can someone give me an quick idiots guide to how the fuel gets into the reactor with those installing it dying? Does it not start ‘working’ until they do something or is it insanely deadly before it gets inserted?

Underwater with a crane I think is the answer. I guess you transport it and put it underwater "packaged". Then you "unpack it" and swap the used and unused around with the crane.

[Munter]

I think we have to remember the impossible just happened. Now someone is being asked to calculate the impact of the outcome of something impossible. They may no longer believe they understand the physics in play here.

I'd probably pack the numbers out a bit in that case.