Visit to a local nuclear research facility!
On Saturday April 3rd a group of us from our Francophone Association (FASS) were given a private tour of ANSTO, Australia's only nuclear research facility, which is located very near to us in our Royal National Park. The organiser-Matt, who works there had recruited a colleague, Christophe, who is from France and is spending a year there on a research programme. Ther was also a very competent and humorous lecture from another ANSTO employee.
Matt isn't in the pictures as he turned up, well, how can I put this--last? (Sorry Matt!)
Unfortunately, photographs inside the building or premises are not allowed. The reactor is encased in concrete and also has a huge girder cage construction over it --which is called the 'plane slicer' as it would slice up any plane flown into it. They actually tested this cage at an airport but the (spectacular) video footage is classified! The only thing we saw fly into it was a crow -a very large crow!
All of Japan's computer silicon is prepared here as well as many medical isotopes--especially those with short half-lives. All the production to final packaging is done here, whereas in Europe the isotopes are produced in France, chemically treated in the UK and packaged in Belgium!
