Subscription Center
Aerial views of the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant from March 12 to March 17 show signs of the chaotic sequence of events ranging from explosions to fires
March 18, 2011 | 8
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 12, 2011, 10:38 A.M. local time. All the reactor units appear intact.
[Link to this slide]
On March 12, an explosion blew the roof off reactor No. 1. This picture, taken on March 13, shows the damage.
[Link to this slide]
Reactor No. 3 exploded March 14 at 9:01 A.M. local time. Smoke rises from the damaged building in this photo taken at 9:04 A.M.
[Link to this slide]
A March 16 satellite photo shows the aftermath of an explosion at reactor No. 2 [ second from right ] on March 15 and a fire in the spent-fuel storage pond at reactor No....[More]
This photo shows the power plant on March 17. An update published by International Atomic Energy Agency that day said reactor Nos. 1, 2 and 3 appeared stable, but officials were unsure of the water's level or temperature in reactor No....[More]
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
How to Tear Down a Nuclear Power Plant [Slide Show]
Nuclear Experts Explain Worst-Case Scenario at Fukushima Power Plant
World Changing Ideas: 20 Ways to Build a Cleaner, Healthier, Smarter World
Fukushima Nuclear Plant Released Far More Radiation Than Government Said
Partial Meltdowns Led to Hydrogen Explosions at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant
California Nuclear Power Plant Has Shaky Relationship with Seismic Surroundings
Japan Says Stricken Nuclear Power Plant in Cold Shutdown
International Panel Calls for Tougher "Stress Tests" of Nuclear Power Safety Systems
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
8 Comments
Add CommentIf I interpret this imagery right, they actually lowered the pad the reactors are mounted on which left a hill behind them to act as a wave reflector and possibly double the size of any tsunami that might hit. This may have been done for seismic reasons, but in hindsight it looks like bad engineering.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYour terminology is terrible. Twice you wrote "the reactor explodes."No reactor at Fukushima has exploded.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere have been hydrogen explosions at 2-3 units, but these explosions took place outside the reactors on the upper floors of the reactor building. I am not trying to minimize the damage done by those explosions which is obvious from the photos, but a reactor explosion is a completely different event that has not occurred.
"Hindsight"? If you're building a nuclear power plant it's called "planning" and being prepared when you live in a highly active earthquake and tsunamis zone!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's also called "fail-safe" and redundant design like in an airplane to ensure that this doesn't happen in the first place especially when it holds the fate of your country and world in the balance as we see now. Earthquakes and Tsunamis are a fact of life in Japan something they are normally well prepared for except apparently when it comes to the single most critical piece of infrastructure their whole economy rests on. This was certainly a preventable man made disaster for which there is no excuse!
Who in their right mind would build so many nuclear reactors on the most active part of the "ring of fire" where not 2 but 3 plates collide known for its tremendous earthquakes and then put their only back-up generators down at sea-level in the basements to be washed away by a tsunami!
Look closely at the aerial views of this site - there is a huge amount of unused land with trees all in the background on the safe inland side of the plant where it is "high and dry" and clearly unaffected by the event and yet they choose to place their operating facilities and backup generators down on the sea-level side of the plant which was all destroyed - that is just plain stupid!!!
http://s1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee381/ozdawn/?action=view¤t=fukushimasatview.jpg
THIS IS THE KIND OF PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS YOU GET FROM WHAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE THE MOST TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED PEOPLE ON EARTH? They probably have better backup plans in Mexico! Why didn't they have a backup of the backups like they wish they had when this happened? Why wasn't this "new" cable connecting the plant to the electric grid already in place and ready to be switched on when they needed it on Day 1 and not a week later after the meltdowns already occurred. If you run a nuclear power plant, you certainly should know that the reactors go critical within 24-48 hours of a station blackout as these did! Why only 4-8 hours of battery backup instead of 24-48 hours? It would cost 3-6x more - small price that should be considered mandatory operating costs considering the cost now on the economy and environment with many major manufacturers shut down, ports closed, central bank out 100's $Billion to prop up market, etc! You truly get what you pay for...
‘Cheaper and Easier’ to Build
http://www.taylormarsh.com/2011/03/16/general-electric-mark-1-reactor-cheaper-and-easier-to-build/
Pluto - God of Hell!
"THIS IS THE KIND OF PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS YOU GET FROM WHAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE THE MOST TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED PEOPLE ON EARTH?" - Ozdawn
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSadly... Yes.
Aquí se revela la absoluta irresponsabilidad del mundo científico en temas tan relevantes y peligrosos como la Energía Nuclear. Los poderes de la tierra han tenido a Irán manos arribas por motivaciones políticas usando a su investigación nuclear y nadie a supervizado cómo los empresarios japoneses, los científicos japoneses, han manejado y están operando sus "empresas" nucleares; a ninguno de los poderes de este mundo les ha importado esta tremenda irresponsabilidad científico-técnico-empresarial. Hoy Irán está crucificado por su proyecto nuclear, por la posiblidad de que ellos obtengan plutonio para armas nucleares y Japón tiene toneladas de plutonio al borde del mar con una consabida fragilidad de toda esa zona y a nadie le ha importado que esas centrales nucleares son un enorme riesgo, no solo para Israel como en el caso de Irán, sino para todo ese lado del planeta. Aquí solo ha importado el mercantilismo más atroz ligado a un uso de las ciencias asqueroso y absolutamente irresponsable.
Es una locura tener plutonio al borde del mar; es una locura tener centrales nucleares al borde del mar. En un lugar interior de la tierra, al menos se tiene la oportunidad de "enterrar" al reactor, pero lo mostrado por estas imágenes es la prueba irrefutable de que las ciencias no puede estar en manos de los
actuales "científicos" y mucho menos de sus mercaderes. ¿A quién se le ocurrió construir centrales nucleares al borde del océano sin pensar en el vertido a éste del contenido nuclear? Este horror tienen que pagarlo los poderes de la tierra por su irresponsablidad absoluta.
¿Adónde estaba metida la Agencia Internacional de Energía Atómica que permitió una construcción y operación tan estúpida, idiota e irresponsable de centrales nucleares? Definitivamente, las Ciencias no pueden estar en manos de estos "científicos", pagados por mercaderes monstruosos al servicio de poderes supranacionales que determinan quién es terrorista y quién no. No estoy diciendo que el proyecto nuclear iraní sea bueno o sea para buenos propósitos, pero estos empresarios son peores que los fundamentalistas iraníes pues tienen el absoluto permiso de los poderes de la tierra para llevar terror y desolación a todo el planeta sin que nadie los supervise, ni decida sobre sus estúpidas e idiotas instalaciones nucleares.
Y no son los japoneses, son los mercaderes los responsables y, sus "científicos".
"Does THIS IS THE KIND OF PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS YOU GET FROM WHAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE THE MOST TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED PEOPLE ON EARTH?" - Ozdawn
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSadly... Yes.
Here it is revealed the absolute irresponsibility of the scientific world as dangerous as Nuclear energy and relevant issues. The powers of the Earth have had to Iran hands arribas by politically using its nuclear research and no one advertised how Japanese businessmen, Japanese scientists, have operated and are operating their nuclear "undertakings"; None of the powers of this world imported you this tremendous irresponsibility científico-técnico - business. Today Iran is crucified by its nuclear project, by the possibility that they obtain plutonium for nuclear weapons and Japan has tons of plutonium to the edge of the sea with a time-tested fragility of this area and no one he has imported that these nuclear power stations are a huge risknot only for Israel as in the case of Iran, but for all that side of the planet. Here has only imported the most appalling mercantilism linked to disgusting and absolutely irresponsible use of science.
It is crazy to have plutonium at the edge of the sea; It is crazy to have nuclear power plants on the edge of the sea. Somewhere inside the Earth, at least has the opportunity to "bury" the reactor, but as shown by these pictures is the irrefutable proof that science may not be in the hands of the
current "scientific" and much less of their merchants. Who it occurred build nuclear power plants on the edge of the ocean without thinking of the landfill to the nuclear content? This horror have to pay him the powers of the Earth by its absolute irresponsablidad.
Where was the international agency of atomic energy that allowed a construction and operation as stupid, idiot and irresponsible of nuclear power stations, really? Certainly science cannot be in the hands of these "scientists", paid by monstrous merchants at the service of supranational powers that determine who is a terrorist and who not. I'm not saying that the Iranian nuclear project is a good thing or for good intentions, but these entrepreneurs are worse than the Iranian fundamentalists because they have the absolute permission from the powers of the Earth to bring terror and desolation to the whole world without anyone monitoror decide on their stupid and idiots nuclear facilities.
And they are not the Japanese, are merchants decision-makers and their "scientists".
Translated from the Spanish to the English for "bing" and advertised by me, Robinson Marte.
The Chinese have already declared that the Japanese Government has not been clear in the magnitude of this horror. That horror could damage throughout this hemisphere forever. Perhaps the best solution would be to burn the Hellfire with Hellfire.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow at Fukushima Unclear Plant in Japan found out high volume of radiated waste water outside of the building and don't have place to put it away. Unless they can clean it up they cannot continue working to place AC power system run. It's pretty critical moment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy on earth do they keep the spent fuel rods in pool of water on the roof? Sounds really dumb to me.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCan anyone tell me why it is not legal to drop spent fuel rods (outfitted with tail fins so they go straight down) overboard into the Marianas Trench? Surely, 6 miles of sea water would effectively moderate and shield the rest of the earth from their radiation.
Then if they are sticking in the bottom like so many lawn darts they will be swallowed up by plate tectonics as the subduction zone does its thing.
I suppose some silly liberals fear we will kill a few germs that may be lurking in such extreme, cold, dark, high pressure depths!