LifeNets Hoosier/Chernobyl Mission to Chernihev, Ukraine

January 13 - 20, 2003

On the way out to Chernobyl, a massive apartment block in Kiev

The first of three checkpoints to enter Chernobyl. No one is allowed within 25 miles of the doomed plant without hard-to-get permission

Chernobyl city-limits

Monument built to the many firefighters who perished in the liquidation efforts after the April 26, 1986 accident

A sign on the memorial reads, "those who rescued the world"

Panoramic view of the Chernobyl complex of reactors 1, 2, 3, 4 that still functioned until shut down permanently on Friday, December 13, 2000.

Inside the visitors center a model of the reactor block 4 that exploded

A display showing a plan to entirely cover the still leaking sarcaphogus by year 2007.  A type of blue "domed stadium" device will cover it shown on the right side of the display

We had the story of Chernobyl explained in detail

The two guides attentively explain everything to Katie Durham

Victor Kubik and Dr. Vasil Pasichnyk in front of the "The Sarcophagus" which is the covering over reactor number 4. It still leaks terribly -- 1500 square meters of exposure

Mother and daughter on the tour

Model showing the damage from the explosion

Entering abandoned Pripyat one mile away that was home to 40,000 people, many of them workers at the Chernobyl plant -- slogan reads in Russian: The Party of Lenin is the strength of the nation in us and leads the celebration of Communism

One of the premier apartment residences in Pripyat

Tom Peine below by abandoned phone booths

Pripyat city center

Katie in abandoned apartment

Jonathan measuring radiation

Eerie Ferris Wheel

Jonathan with Geiger counter

 

Hit Counter

Official signed and stamped government permission document for our delegation to visit Chernobyl itself

The document called "The Program" states who is visiting the plant and what exactly will be done and seen while there.

Driving through Chernobyl. Steam pipes carry heat through the city

Our able guide Yuriy who was most cordial and helpful to us

Victor Kubik at the memorial

Very impressive depiction of the firefighters

Our first glimpse of the notorious site

When Chernobyl exploded reactor blocks 5 and 6 were under construction. The abandoned construction of 16 years ago.

An unfinished cooling tower for the reactors 5 and 6

Reactor block 4

Geiger reading in front of the reactor....152 millirads per hour...much too high!!

On the other side of the same building the reading was one-third that taken on the roof

Jonathan shot lots of film for the documentary he will do

An awesome sight. There are very few visitors with most being scientists and journalists

Standing in the middle of Victor Voytenko's apartment in Pripyat. He was Chernoybyl's chief at the time of the Accident

A list of apartment residents. Number 77 is Victor Voytenko

Playing the piano in an abandoned apartment

Desolate amusement park

Abandoned bumper cars

Malcolm McClure measures elevated radiation levels in the snow

We loved Boris

Tom decides it's a good time to clean our splattered windows with radiated snow....