Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant - 3D Model

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Reactor 4 explosion. At 01:23 on April 26, 1986, operators began a test to see if the turbines could power cooling pumps during a blackout. To force the test, they disabled automatic shutdown systems and withdrew almost all control rods, leaving the RBMK reactor in a highly unstable, low-power state. When they realized the power was surging uncontrollably, they pressed the **AZ-5** button to SCRAM the reactor. However, due to a critical design flaw, the graphite-tipped rods caused a massive power spike upon insertion, displacing water and causing a steam explosion that blew off the 2,000-ton lid. A second explosion followed, releasing a plume of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. Rest in peace the roughly 4,000 to 93,000 people who died because of this systemic and preventable catastrophe.