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Chernobyl HBO


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10 hours ago, Mojo Hand said:

The show didn't make up the 2-4 megaton explosion thing either.   The Russians apparently believed at the time (wrongly, it seems) that is what was at stake (at 1:26):

 

Here is Nesterenko's quote:

Quote

On 28 and 29 April, 1986, the researchers of the Physics of Reactors Department of the Institute of Atomic Energy at the Academy of Sciences of Belarus made some calculations which showed that 1,300 - 1,400 kg of a mixture of uranium, graphite and water made up a critical mass for an atomic explosion, capable of producing a force of 3 -5 megatons (this is 50 - 80 times greater than the force of the explosion at Hiroshima). 

https://wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/625/after-chernobyl-health-and-financial-consequences

He is discussing a potential nuclear detonation, not a megaton scale steam explosion as was discussed on the show.  You need an incredible amount of pressure to get weapons grade uranium to go critical, so the possibility of that happening from a steam explosion seems very far fetched.  

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43 minutes ago, Fozzz said:

Here is Nesterenko's quote:

https://wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/625/after-chernobyl-health-and-financial-consequences

He is discussing a potential nuclear detonation, not a megaton scale steam explosion as was discussed on the show.  You need an incredible amount of pressure to get weapons grade uranium to go critical, so the possibility of that happening from a steam explosion seems very far fetched.  

So it's accurate that they thought there could be a 3-5 megaton explosion if the divers didn't empty the tanks, but the show incorrectly used the word "thermal" instead of "nuclear" when describing it.   Seems like nitpicking to me; the bottom line is exactly the same. 

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Just now, Mojo Hand said:

So it's accurate that they thought there could be a 3-5 megaton explosion if the divers didn't empty the tanks, but the show incorrectly used the word "thermal" instead of "nuclear" when describing it.   Seems like nitpicking to me; the bottom line is exactly the same. 

No.  Assuming the quote is even accurate, there is no context given for how and why they were performing that analysis.  They could have been tasked to figure out what the absolute worst case scenario would be irrespective of the extreme unlikelihood of a nuclear detonation.  It is very difficult and requires an immense degree of precision instigate that type of reaction.  Read up on all the problems that had to be overcome to get the explosive lenses to work on the first atomic bombs.  All a steam explosion is going to do is blow the core apart and spread more radiation.  

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2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

That would be Western European allies, but hey who cares about geography.

I’ll be sure to let Sweden, Yugoslavia, Finland, Austria, Turkey, and Greece that we weren’t some degree of friends back then, that they were NOT in the danger zone of a reactor detonation, and they are also not east of Western Europe, but rather a new direction.  When do we tell them the news?  

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3 hours ago, Fozzz said:

No.  Assuming the quote is even accurate, there is no context given for how and why they were performing that analysis.  They could have been tasked to figure out what the absolute worst case scenario would be irrespective of the extreme unlikelihood of a nuclear detonation.  It is very difficult and requires an immense degree of precision instigate that type of reaction.  Read up on all the problems that had to be overcome to get the explosive lenses to work on the first atomic bombs.  All a steam explosion is going to do is blow the core apart and spread more radiation.  

The context in the documentary is that the threat of such an explosion drove them to dig the tunnel.   That is precisely what the show represented.   Whether or not you think that is accurate, the show plainly did not make up the idea, as you suggested, but rather had a legitimate basis for representing that it was in the minds of those making the decisions at the time.

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6 hours ago, Lobo said:

You know that the reactor almost detonated a yield that would have killed millions of our Allies in Eastern Europe?  The CIA does weird shit, but typically starting with wars with other continents isn't one of them.  

Eastern Europe isn't world-wide. 

 

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Okay, I’ll bite.  Remind me when i said the detonation/explosion they mentioned in the series would kill people worldwide.  They talk about Eastern Europe fallout crisis.  I mentioned some of the countries that would have been effected were our friends, even if not part of NATO.  

Millions more almost got dead or at least massive exposure.  Many of those folks weren’t in communist countries.  Just pointing that out.  cIA does bad shit, but they typically avoid irradiating a few million of our friends.  

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55 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Okay, I’ll bite.  Remind me when i said the detonation/explosion they mentioned in the series would kill people worldwide.  They talk about Eastern Europe fallout crisis.  I mentioned some of the countries that would have been effected were our friends, even if not part of NATO.  

Millions more almost got dead or at least massive exposure.  Many of those folks weren’t in communist countries.  Just pointing that out.  cIA does bad shit, but they typically avoid irradiating a few million of our friends.  

Look, I really don't mean to be "that guy" but the comment was "world-wide devastation".

All I'm saying is that it wasn't world-wide. Not even close. 
 

Regional devastation? Sure. World-wide? Imo, no.

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6 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

You mean like a nuclear melt down ?

No, like a explosion of uncontrolled fission caused by hot uranium mixing in water.  Or something.

Regardless of any chemical reaction, all that hot radioactive material would definitely get thrown up in the air and go all over most of Europe.  Friend and foe alike would fair poorly.

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5 minutes ago, Parliament said:

No, like a explosion of uncontrolled fission caused by hot uranium mixing in water.  Or something.

Regardless of any chemical reaction, all that hot radioactive material would definitely get thrown up in the air and go all over most of Europe.  Friend and foe alike would fair poorly.

Meh, sounds like a lot of hot air if you ask me....

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Being a long time government employee i can say their portrayal of a soul crushing bureaucracy was spot on.

The scenes of him trying to explain the reality of the situation while his superiors refused to listen really hit close to home.

Luckily nothing im responsible for can directly kill anyone or I would have had a heart attack by now.

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6 hours ago, Asithappens said:

Iirc, that half-life of this radiation is about 40 years. 

There won't be much long-term damage to the environment.

listen to the man Otter, he's pre-science.

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Half lives notwithstanding, I don’t see how we can really know the long term effects of radiation. Obviously the acute radiation has immediate results, but it’s not like you can do controlled scientific method experiments on widespread radiation exposure.

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Half lives notwithstanding, I don’t see how we can really know the long term effects of radiation. Obviously the acute radiation has immediate results, but it’s not like you can do controlled scientific method experiments on widespread radiation exposure.

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actually we can.

one of the things they did after the atomic bombs were dropped is map out where the survivors were and based on how far away they were from the blast they had a pretty good idea of how much radiation they got and then did long term studies on cancer rates. What they found is below a certain amount there was no difference in life spans, for a medium range of radiation there was actually an increase in life spans, but above that there was a shortening of life spans. Many people believe some radiation is actually good, that it helps kill germs and viruses among other things. You get radiation every day from the sun, bricks in your house or rocks in the ground. People in Denver get a lot more radiation than those in Miami, but no one ever thinks about the amount of radiation they are going to get when picking a place to live.

 

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actually we can.
one of the things they did after the atomic bombs were dropped is map out where the survivors were and based on how far away they were from the blast they had a pretty good idea of how much radiation they got and then did long term studies on cancer rates. What they found is below a certain amount there was no difference in life spans, for a medium range of radiation there was actually an increase in life spans, but above that there was a shortening of life spans. Many people believe some radiation is actually good, that it helps kill germs and viruses among other things. You get radiation every day from the sun, bricks in your house or rocks in the ground. People in Denver get a lot more radiation than those in Miami, but no one ever thinks about the amount of radiation they are going to get when picking a place to live.
 


Ok fair enough but my point is that we can’t just go irradiate a city/country every time we want to test the effects. Yours is a unique example that cannot be repeated.
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Legasov and Sherbina’s eulogies should have been the opening monologue from The Big Lebowski delivered by Sam Elliot himself.

”some- times there's a man--I won't say a hee-ro, 'cause what's a hee-ro?--but sometimes  there's a man.


And I'm talkin' about Legasov and Sherbina  here--  sometimes there's a man who, wal,  he's the man for his time'n place,  he fits right in there--and that's Legasov and Sherbina, in Chernobyl.

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1 hour ago, Goredho said:

Legasov and Sherbina’s eulogies should have been the opening monologue from The Big Lebowski delivered by Sam Elliot himself.

”some- times there's a man--I won't say a hee-ro, 'cause what's a hee-ro?--but sometimes  there's a man.


And I'm talkin' about Legasov and Sherbina  here--  sometimes there's a man who, wal,  he's the man for his time'n place,  he fits right in there--and that's Legasov and Sherbina, in Chernobyl.

Russia's symbol does happen to be the bear... 

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People are paying $58 to see Yakov Smirnov in Branson, Missouri at 10 o'clock in the morning.  

That's happening.  Right now.  In this country.  On our watch.  

And Republicans don't think the Russians are meddling in our affairs?  

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