Trapped in a Lead Capsule Above Reactor 4 | Chernobyl’s Bathyscaphs | Chornobyl Uncharted Ep 15

In this episode of Chornobyl Uncharted, we uncover one of the most obscure and yet most human stories of the Chernobyl disaster: the Bathyscaphs and their operators. Designed to protect their occupants from extreme radiation, these lead-lined capsules allowed engineers to carry out dangerous tasks such as inspecting Reactor 4, repairing the Sarcophagus, installing metal structures, and performing other vital operations within the power plant site.Despite their protective design, flying in these capsules was a harrowing experience. Engineers risked their lives in claustrophobic, high-radiation environments, completing operations that were essential to put the nuclear beast, which had gone out of control, into a cage.Behind every flight was a human, and although many names are now forgotten, this is our attempt to bring some back. This episode also provides additional details on certain operations involving Object Shelter’s structural beam installations, as well as the early attempts to use Blotters on the turbine hall roof.

00:00 – Intro
00:43 – How to get where no one will survive?
01:38 – How the Bathyscaphs were created
03:04 – Cosmonauts
03:54 – Why so little is known about these capsules?
05:01 – The very first flight
06:07 – “Stuck above the reactor like a lightbulb in the kitchen.”
07:41 – Second generation of Bathyscaphs
08:45 – They opened a door to 300 roentgens
10:05 – A post-apocalyptic elevator
11:57 – The fate of Bathyscaphs
13:43 – Legacy

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