The Story of Chernobyl

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I agree. Did they just kill dogs or farm animals too?
As hard as it was, it was probably the best oitcome for the dogs. That is the way I looked
at anyway.
Will there be a season 2 or is next week’s episode the last one?
 
I think so also, (best outcome for the dogs). I am pretty sure next week is the last.
It was not gone into very much but, the KGB was said to have covered up a previous nuclear event. Will they expand on that, I wonder.
 
It is my impression that the Soviets were both good and bad at technology. Some of the difference was explained by limited resources. I recall, for instance, reading about a Soviet air force interceptor that was designed to intercept B-52s at high speed and high altitude. It was all steel, not titanium, and had surfaces that were incredibly crude, but very clever surfaces where there was the most potential for drag. Because of the steel, it was heavy and required an engine so powerful that it pushed the boundaries of what an engine could do without breaking up. It would last just long enough to get to typical B-52 altitude and then tended to break down. Like a lot of Soviet tech, it was designed to be as cheap as possible but to do the job…just barely. The Soviets were very clever at such things.

The Soviets tended to expend their greatest expertise on the military. Their civilian infrastructure was, by and large, inefficient, wasteful, and hazardous.
 
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I wonder how many died from the
incident at Chernobyl and how far the radiation spread in the air.
 
Have heard reports but who could verify after such repression. Some people suffered for years. Tragic.

I don’t like nuclear power because people cannot be trusted to avoid it being out of control. Now we live with the threat of bigger, more, and “sneaky” - can’t really blame the science of it - its the people that are the real threat. Perhaps there will be found a way to negate the nuclear fusion. Perhaps, maybe…
 
Certainly true over the course of their history. But in the 80s, they were employing huge resources into nuclear power generation. It was seen by them as the key cure to much of their economic problems. The town of Pripyat was built just for people building and operating the reactors at the Chernobyl plant. The residents likely had the overall highest standard of living compared against any other place in the USSR. 4 reactors operational, 2 more reactors were under construction. The disaster was not caused by lack of resources, it was caused by the inherent inability of a communist state to manage such a project.

To give you an idea of the scope of the plant, there was enough nuclear fuel on site, that if it all would have blown up in the blast, it literally would have killed the entire planet.
 
grotto said:
Like their cars!
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Most Russian cars are extremely reliable and long-lasting. Ladas are durable and could with stand the coldest Russian winters. Due to the scarcity of auto repair shops in the Soviet Union, the Ladas were designed to be easily maintained by its owners unlike other countries.
Ridgerunner said:
It’s no wonder Brezhnev preferred American limousines.
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Despite the appearance of Soviet VIP limousines being so similar to that of their American counterparts, their armored protection made them closer to tanks. Zavod Imeni Likhacheva limousines, like the ZiL-4105 was designed as the most protected car in the world. Its armor was so strong that neither powerful explosions, nor intensive shooting could significantly damage the vehicle in any way.

President Richard Nixon brought Brezhnev a number of American cars, including a Cadillac limousine, a Lincoln Continental and a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Brezhnev owned 82 cars.

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Marussia B-2
 
MiG 25 foxbat topped out at 2100 mph. Designed to intercept the sr71. Algeria still uses it.
 
Perhaps you’re right. I really don’t remember much about the details. I only remember that it was close to a “throwaway” because the engine could easily burn up if it was pressed to the maximum. Its pilot’s job was to get to high altitudes fast, shoot down the intruder and figure it all out from there.
 
Ok, the last paragraph will be enough to keep
me up all night thinking of all the nuclear
plants around the world and just one mistake
could doom us all. This and ebola are my
two greatest fears.
 
Chernobyl is a horrific, but fascinating story. The exclusion zone isn’t habitable by humans for more than a few days, and won’t be habitable period for the next 20,000 years. However, Chernobyl’s exclusion zone has become a sort of wildlife preserve, nature seems to be taking over the city and in just 30 years its changed a lot.
Animals near Chernobyl, however, have suffered from mutations from the radiation. It has been feared that mutated wolves would leave the exclusion zone and breed with healthier wolves outside of it, and I heard of enormous catfish that grow to what I think about 15 ft in length, this however was not caused by the radiation, but they live in Chernobyl’s cooling pond.
 
grotto said:
I don’t like nuclear power because people cannot be trusted to avoid it being out of control.
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Well here in the US, many, many changes were made after Three Mile Island. Nuclear operators are highly trained and licensed by the government to control the plant, they go through continuous training, can work only a certain amount of hours to avoid fatigue, have routine physicals, etc. Also, reactor designs in use in the US have multiple, redundant, automatic systems to protect the reactor in the case of off-normal incidents. All of these systems are tested regularly to ensure they will work properly if called upon, and both internal and external inspectors observe and review these tests.
 
Hi Seven, Ebola has been passed up - these days we have to worry about measles, typhoid, typhus, and Plague! Remember St, Padre Pio says, Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry!
 
YourNameHere said:
Communists were good at propaganda.
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To say the least. When the Chernobyl happened nothing was announced in the Communist block, probably to keep the glory going for several days. Crucial days. People went on eating country fruits and walk around as usual and collected cancer, babies born with malformations because the people were not informed. My parents told me how it was. They found out from Voice of America not the local news. How was this possible?
Communism has everything to do with the aftermath of Chernobyl.
I don’t think I will watch the show because I suspect it’s just another schemed way of washing away the face of the authorities back then because socialism is cool again for those with no memory of it.
 
Mary888 said:
I don’t think I will watch the show because I suspect it’s just another schemed way of washing away the face of the authorities back then because socialism is cool again for those with no memory of it.
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well they didn’t white wash it at all. The mindset of the communists is clearly blamed. I thought it was one of the best miniseries I have ever seen. They certainly made the science understandable.
 
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