Chernobyl’s Operation Needle: A Bold Plan That Went Wrong | Chornobyl Uncharted Ep 09

In the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, helicopters played a critical role in addressing the unfolding crisis. Among the many operations, one stands out as particularly ambitious and little-known: Operation Needle. This episode explores the story of an 18-meter steel probe designed to measure radiation, temperatures, and neutron flux inside Reactor 4. From its rapid development by Vladimir Shklover’s team to the challenges of its deployment by Mykola Melnyk and his crew, we follow the journey of this extraordinary device. While the operation was a complex and heroic effort, it was only years later that its ultimate failure came to light, leading to unexpected insights about the reactor’s condition. 00:00 – A scientist’s phone call 01:28 – Vladimir Shklover’s first ideas 02:11 – The Needle’s design 03:34 – The operation begins 04:49 – The story behind the iconic scene with the broken window 05:39 – The mystery of the Needle’s strange readings 06:39 – The fates of the engineer and the pilot Dive into a rabbit hole of Chernobyl: https://patreon.com/thechernobylfamily Buy Fuzik (the Cat) a treat: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chernobylfamily Our posters: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113145981