Today was an early dismissal, PSSA 8th grade writing day, and for me, tour day at Three Mile Island. For me, it was a dream come true, a chance to see from the inside how a nuclear reactor works, and to see such a historic place like Three Mile Island was amazing. Mr. K-rebs, Mr. Neumann, and Mr. Neumann's student teacher got to tour both reactor 1, the reactor currently in operation, and reactor 2, where the accident from 1979 happened.
First, the people at TMI are awesome. Sarah Moody's mother is the human resources director and she hooked us up with this awesome tour. The security was the first thing I noticed, with guards carrying semi-automatic weapons, secure areas with razor wire and gun towers. Once inside, we got to see the turbine (pronounced turban) room, the generator, the steam pipes (which operate at 1000 psi), and most amazing of all, the control room. We actually got to go into the control room for a couple of minutes. This is an incredibly secure area--the concerns for terrorism are very high--and there is no way in except through the tour we got.
Perhaps most amazing of all was the tour we got of reactor 2. On March 28, 1979 at 4:00 am a faulty valve stuck open and through a series of events the reactor core was allowed to overheat. Though no one was hurt, the nuclear industry was changed forever. It was an event that shook the entire world, and from what our guides told us, shook the industry for the good. Now, so much training goes on that a similar incident is near to impossible. We stood in the control room where it all happened; I saw the valve itself. It was eerie, very unlike museums I have been in where I see something, where I feel very removed from it.
As we left, I felt so thankful that I got this great opportunity. The weather was getting bad so we left before we had a chance to eat lunch, but it did not diminish my feelings that this was the best field trip I have ever been on. My hope is to bring in a guest speaker from TMI who can share insights about the industry and perhaps encourage some of my students to consider a career in nuclear science. With concerns for global warming, this is an industry that is going to be very important to us to curb our reliance on fossil fuels.
We took a picture in the control room that I will post as soon as I get it.
Very very sweet justice.
