Exploring the Flooded Bunker Under Chernobyl's Reactor 5 on Ice Skates

Sub-Zero Exploration of Chernobyl's Reactor 5

• 🥶 The team ventures into the flooded basement levels beneath Chernobyl's fifth power unit during a harsh winter.
• ☢️ High radiation levels are encountered, particularly in "hot spots," necessitating a quick exit from certain areas.
• 🐺 Wolf tracks are observed, highlighting the presence of wildlife within the exclusion zone.

Navigating the Reactor's Interior

• 🚶‍♂️ The explorers navigate through machine rooms and across the exterior to reach different sections of the reactor complex.
• 🧊 The extreme cold causes buckets and equipment to freeze solid, with ice and snow noted to potentially trap radioactive particles.
• ⛏️ Crowbars are used to break through ice and access lower levels, revealing the challenges of the frozen environment.

Discoveries and Dangers

• 💡 Suspected cooling system components are examined, with caution advised due to unknown contents and high radiation readings (up to 150).
• ⚠️ Evidence of metal theft is rampant, with looted drives and wires indicating ongoing illegal activity and the removal of valuable components.
• 💥 A massive iron beam is observed hanging precariously, suggesting structural damage and potential collapse.
• 🔥 Melted fuel and radioactive soot are found, with radiation levels spiking significantly, posing extreme health risks.

The Underwater Drone Mission

• 🚁 An underwater drone is deployed to explore flooded tunnels and lower levels inaccessible by foot.
• 🧊 The drone's motors initially freeze due to water exposure, requiring a novel solution involving warm water to thaw them.
• 🐠 The drone captures footage of the underwater environment, including a fish and a mysterious structure, before getting stuck.
• 🛠️ A challenging retrieval operation ensues, with the drone eventually recovered after becoming entangled.

The Active Zone and Beyond

• 📈 The team ascends to higher levels, noting extremely high radiation readings (5,000 times the norm) in areas like the active zone.
• 🏗️ They reach the roof of the nuclear reactor, offering a panoramic view of the snowy exclusion zone and the surrounding structures.
• 🚧 Efforts to explore deeper tunnels and the reactor's core are hampered by flooding, ice, and the risk of equipment entanglement.