Episode 1
During Episode 1, who ran the control room the night of the event?
Anatoly Dyatlov
What is done with the firefighters' uniforms at the hospital and why?
They are removed and brought to the basement b/c they are dangerously contaminated.
What are the conditions under which Ludymilla can see her husband Vasily?
She cannot touch him. 30 minutes only and she cannot be pregnant.
What has to be done with the graphite on the roof and why?
It must be pushd back into the reactor core so a containment building can be constructed.
What did the accident begin with, according to Shcherbina?
A safety test
What do the firefighers initially think is burning at the powerplant?
The roof of the powerplant
What does graphite do in an RBMK reactor?
It slows, or moderates, the neutrons so that they are more likely to strike another uranium atom.
Why does Legasov think the 30km evacuation zone is too small?
Where is the "most dangerous place on Earth" during Ep. 4
The "Masha" section of the roof
What happened the first three times the test was performed?
It failed
What does the old man with the cane (Zharkov) decide to do about the response to the town?
Roads are to be closed and the phone lines are to be cut
How does taking Iodine protect a person's thyroid gland from cancer?
Taking stable iodine will stop the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine.
What does the spike in Zirconium 95 in the air samples tell Legasov about the core?
That the cladding on the fuel rods has melted and the metldown has begun
How long do the men have to work on the roof?
90 seconds
What is the "poison" that was building inside the core due to its low power state?
Xenon
What is Valery Legasov an expert in?
RBMK nuclear reactors
What does Legasov suggest for covering the reactor?
Sand and boron flown in by helicopter and dumped into the core.
Describe the effects of radiation exposure on the firefighters that Legasov details.
Cells torn apart, skin turns red then black, latency period for a day or 2, then bone marrow dies, organs decompose, arteries and veins deteriorate, dead in 3 days to 3 weeks.
How did the control rods actually increase reactivity in the reactor>
The boron contorl rods had graphite tips which increase reactivity in the core
What are the 2 things that happen inside a nuclear reactor, according to Legasov?
Reactivity goes up or it goes down
What does the graphite on the ground outside building 4 indicate?
That the core has exploded
How does the world know about the accident?
Radiation detected in Sweden and American spy satellites see the smoke from the fire.
Why cant fans be used to ventilate the tunnels?
It will put radioactive dust into the air.
What happesn to Vasily's and Lyudmilla newborn daughter? WHY?
she lives for 4 hours because she absorbed the radiation, sparing her mother
How many control rods to Akimov and Toptunov withdraw completely in an effort to restart the stalled reactor?
205