Jump to content

Chernobyl HBO

TwiceHorn

By TwiceHorn
in Movies and TV

 Share

Recommended Posts

Fozzz

Fozzz 152

Posted
Posted
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.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 624
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

TwiceHorn
TwiceHorn

Sort of a layman' explanation of the test.  Nuclear reactors boil water with their heat, which makes steam.  The steam is piped to turbines or turbogenerators to make electricity. The electricity

Loco
Loco
Eskimohorn
Eskimohorn

Looks like they filmed this in College Station.

Posted Images

Mojo Hand

Mojo Hand 4580

Posted
Posted
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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fozzz

Fozzz 152

Posted
Posted
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.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted
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?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mojo Hand

Mojo Hand 4580

Posted
Posted
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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Asithappens

Asithappens 974

Posted
Posted
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. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

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.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Asithappens

Asithappens 974

Posted
Posted
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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Parliament

Parliament 14153

Posted
Posted
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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

Posted
Posted
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....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzrock

Buzzrock 14881

Posted
Posted

I’m sure this is the impact that the show creators wanted to make:

https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/instagram-models-are-flocking-to-chernobyl-for-nuclear-hot-pics-after-hbos-miniseries?utm_source=instagram.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic_social_instagram_story_instagram_barstool_20190525&utm_content=story&utm_term=instagram_barstool

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MissingInAction

MissingInAction 24868

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted
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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzrock

Buzzrock 14881

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzrock

Buzzrock 14881

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
blacklab

blacklab 11882

Posted
Posted

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.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzrock

Buzzrock 14881

Posted
Posted
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.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Goredho

Goredho 17368

Posted
Posted

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.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mojo Hand

Mojo Hand 4580

Posted
Posted
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... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

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?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...