The Demon Core (The Horror)

X ^ | 06/29/2025 | Yama

[darth]

I have no idea.

I have not worked in Downey in over 30 years

Unless they removed all old concrete down to several feet I doubt they would find it

A Geiger counter would detect it

I heard the city converted the old plant in order to get sales tax revenue from selling cars

[darth]

I had dinner with a guy from Los Alamos in 1984 who was standing beside the nuclear-thermal engine when it blew up in the tast tunnel. He got covered in radioactive debris.

The other guys immediately decontaminated him using a fire hose.

He got some burns but survived just fine.

Wish I could remember his name! My cancer treatment deleted part of my hard drive 17 years ago. Docs were amazed that I survived.

But a lot of my memories were permanently erased.

[Redcitizen]

Hey I’m glad you are doing well after you cancer treatment even if part of your hard drive is deleted. 👍

[miniTAX]

“In 1949 we had a small reactor which was funded by military. Suddenly, they cut the funding. Management told us to get rid of it. “

---

If the “smmall reactor” is not fueled or has never reached criticality, I will take it for scrap metal.
Even if it has fissile U235, which I doubt given the price of the stuff, I can easily handle it with gloves and a cheapo dosimeter. U235 has a half life of about a billion years, you’ll take less dose living over a stockpile than having one dental x-ray or making a plane trip.

[AZJeep]

Yes.
I will live there too.
If I had a reason to do that, I would move to Chernobyl now too. That place, except for few spots, has been livable within a year from the accident! People, who live there (there are some, who moved back), seem to be healthier than the ones who stay evacuated.

There is general hysteria over the radiation, especially human created one. Unlike what the media lets you believe, we are surrounded by natural radiation, and in small doses it is likely good for you!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

How come WE never got to play with good stuff like this in High School? Only thing WE did was play with mercury rolling around in our hands and even tasting it!

[NorthMountain]

What was he thinking, using a flathead screwdriver to keep the core halves separated?

He was thinking "I got away with it last time ... it can't happen to me."

One who believes he has never (or never will) succumb to such thinking exhibits great hubris.