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From: ncherry@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (neil j.cherry)
Subject: Re: Were there Chernobyl robots? Info. nee
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References: <md6lc8INNib2@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> <CFruII.L0q.2@cs.cmu.edu> <1993Nov1.174403.28311@muug.mb.ca>
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Date: Mon, 1 Nov 1993 20:57:41 GMT
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In article <1993Nov1.174403.28311@muug.mb.ca> rgallen@muug.mb.ca (Rennie Allen) writes:
>In <CFruII.L0q.2@cs.cmu.edu> fitz@frc.ri.cmu.edu (Kerien Fitzpatrick) writes:
>
>>caused that to be dropped (we had two CMOS 6502 processors in the robot..).
>
>Ooooo... scary.  Couldn't let the Soviets get a hold of that advanced 6502
>technology could we :-)
>
	[Stuff deleted]
>
>Gee, I had always thought that the US was always pressing (at that time) the
>Soviets on human rights issues.  Funny, that when it came time for the US
>to send over a couple of 6502's which could've saved some lives (or at least
>lengthend them), that it just wasn't feasible (in case the ruskies cloned the
>6502 - which they could buy in thousands btw, and made a guidance system or
>something).
>

Its worse than sad, because the Russians don't have any money to maintain the
cleanup. I will soon be the worlds problem once the container degrade to the
point where it falls into the the container and blows out all the 'Hot' dust.
The robot initial used (french robots I think) worked up to a point. Then the
Rad level became to extreme and it broke down. They then resorted to human
intervention. Sad thing is that these people know that the radiation levels
will kill them in a VERY short time. Some of the member of the Russian cleanup
crew started to die as they were filming the documentary (the KGB was out of
a job at this point). Supposedly the levels nearest the core would make any
robot fail. But they did have humans go as close as possible.

(I saw the PBS broadcast of the documentary also and I'm pulling this out of
my memory. So I'm not going to guarantee the accuracy (or spelling ;-} ))

NJC

