Japan

Mankind has a tendency to push the envelope, but we learn from our mistakes for the most part.Take our space program, after Apollo 1 burned on the pad, Should we have quit? After Challenger? Both were cases where we acted upon what we thought were acceptable risk. WE were wrong and we learned from them and as a result we went to moon, and built an international space station. We didn't condemn the space program because of failures. We learned from them and made spaceflight safer. More will die, and we will learn from it.Ad astra per aspera
Edited by fearandloathing, : No reason given.

Seems to me there might be a market for an emergency response remote operated vehicle of some type. I am sure somebody would be working something like that. I look at the capibilities of ROVs used in off-shore drilling and wonder why some of this or similar technology couldn't be used to make an emergency response vehicle for hazmat situations. I can think of quite a few possible applications. Have a modular tool packages for quickly outfitting them for different task.If nothing else then maybe the nuclear industry could get together and create a emergency response team with these types specialized vehicles thereby spreading cost out over the participating operators.

I thought the same thing in an earlier post 4 days ago, msg 128 in this discussion. It seems like there should be more ROV's available to do dangerous stuff in many industries.Here in the USA at least, we should look at having a highly trained group that can respond to emergencies like Japan is having. Hopefully it never will but if you roll dice long enough....Maybe it could be paid for a tax put on nuclear or even a broader group of dangerous industries? Just a thought. Edited by fearandloathing, : No reason given.Edited by fearandloathing, : No reason given.

Humans are also great at running remote operated vehicles. These ROV's could possibly work in high radiation/ heat environments that their human operators could not.

We can only hope. I am sure somebody out there is working the ROV angle now as I write. Sad it takes a bad thing to sometimes push us along with implementing something I am sure has been thought of by many, but they couldn't afford to test and build a prototype or more likely didnt see a market for one. Money is always a factor. There would be problem of only being able to use ROV's once if they get irradiated also....cost probably wouldn't concern people of japan right now though.

Well I guess the Japaneese govt asking I-ROBOT for assistance speaks volumes, read percy's link in the msg 149. ROV's could be used for many things non-nuclear, search and rescue, other industrial accidents, well fires....I agree the nuclear issue is being used because people fear it, irrationally usualy, keeps people watching and there are many sides to put their 2 cents in.

I agree.Looking at the role ROV's and other unmanned vehicle are playing in the military, off-shore drilling....it will only be a matter of time before we see their use more wide spread and affordable for many things including nuclear response.I am no engineer, but working in a high radiation environment will present its own uniqe problems, shielding the electronics/ sensor package for one. Handling it after exposure for maintenance or to replace tool package....many things to be considered. Disposal of it after job is done, maybe?I feel as you do though that they will play larger roles in inspection, Search and rescue, explosive ordnance/bomb removal.. as they should.

There is new imagery available on google earth of Japan after the quake/tsunami, the first ones I found are near Fukushima Nuke stations. I am sure there is more, but these of coastal area show the scope of what they face in rebuilding. The image dates I've been looking at are the 11th & 12th of this month, by turning on time line you can compare to older images.

We cannot overlook the fact that the govt of Japan has reacted to this better than the soviets did. People have been evacuated faster.I guess as years pass statistics might show a spike in certain types of cancers that could be interpreted as " above background levels". Saying for certain that they are from radiation may be little harder.So far Chernobyl released 10x the radiation that Fukushima has, and the levels of radioactive fission products is not the same. Chernobyl's core was completely exposed. If the used fuel ponds were to become completely exposed then things might take a turn for worst.I also cannot see Japan having a giant zone like around Chernobyl, I might be wrong, but I think they will clean it up if at all possible. Japan being a free country will have to handle this different than soviets did.

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"I hate to advocate the use of drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they always worked for me." - Hunter S. ThompsonAd astra per aspera

lol, I just said bout the same thing, I was writing my last msg while you were posting your msg, I agree competly. Japan is a free country and this benifits the people of Japan.

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"I hate to advocate the use of drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they always worked for me." - Hunter S. ThompsonAd astra per aspera

Is going to be run again Sunday 17th at 9pm EDT here.

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"I hate to advocate the use of drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they always worked for me." - Hunter S. ThompsonAd astra per aspera