Posted on 03/18/2011 6:29:26 AM PDT by Libloather
Making a crucial delivery
Plane loaded with supplies to help in Japanese crisis
By Janene Scully/Associate Editor
Posted: Thursday, March 17, 2011 11:10 pm
For some Vandenberg Air Force Base airmen, Thursday’s mission was like any other — beyond the fact they were helping to transport a critical chemical officials hope will avert a full-fledged nuclear meltdown in Japan.
Military crews loaded four pallets of boric acid bound for Japan on a C-17 Globemaster plane at Vandenberg on Thursday, a mission that originated less than 24 hours earlier and sounds like something out of an action movie.
“I’m glad that Vandenberg could support recovery in Japan in a small way,” said Col. Richard Boltz, 30th Space Wing commander. “We’re just fortunate to have a wide-open facility here.”
Before the plane could leave as planned in the early afternoon, however, a second load of boric acid, weighing in at 16,000 pounds, arrived at the base and was added to the plane. In all, some 34,000 pounds or 17 tons were placed on the plane before it departed at 4:45 p.m.
Vandenberg officials learned at 3 p.m. Wednesday about their role, when Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant officials called to alert them that the boric acid would be trucked down to Vandenberg.
Boric acid mixed with water slows down the nuclear fission and ultimately reduces the heat, cooling the troubled nuclear reactors that have been in peril following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11.
(Excerpt) Read more at santamariatimes.com ...
That stuff sure has a lot of uses.
Go Air Force! I’m glad we can do something to provide real help to Japan.
God bless our troops.
Is this the same thing as 20 Mule Team Borax?
Huh? The reactors were already scrammed. No more uranium fission going on. How is dumping boric acid on them going to stop what ain't happening?
The reactors are hot after a scram because of decaying fission products, which must run their course; boric acid is not going to stop that decay.
The reactors are already full of boron, that's what the control rods are.
For years I’ve brushed that stuff into the corners of the carpets and sprinkled it in the window screen runners....does a great job on keeping little flying and crawling critters outide where they belong.
-——How is dumping boric acid on them going to stop what ain’t happening? ———
Dithering causes delay.
Something is being done even if it is wrong
Something is being done even if it is wrong
Yanno, if the <sarc> on that one couldn't be smelt from the far side of the moon, I woulda retorted with some remark about chickification here.
OTOH, I guess I did anyway. <g>
isn’t it for the holding pools (for the spent fuel)?
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