Flying over Radiation

[jumbodrawn]

Hi guys!

 

I was recently thinking that it would be cool to fly over Chernobyl with an rc airplane. Assuming we fly over the restricted areas for around 45 ish minutes and be fairly close to the ground, and the airplane is made of foam board, would any radiation stick to the airplane? The airplane is hollow on the inside, but the outside can be cleaned with water. Would I have to worry about radiation poisoning?

[Sensei]

Radioactive isotopes can indeed get into airplane. If they will be present in atmosphere.

 

Whether it will cause issues in the future or not is pure matter of luck.

Any kind of radiation, even from background, is dangerous.

It's pure random process.

If you won't have luck, particle emitted by radioactive isotope will pass through your cell DNA, and damage it in such way, cancer will grow up in the future.

However there are such amount of radiations that would destroy/damage too many cell at the same time, and acute radiation syndrome will be inevitable.

More info

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_radiation_syndrome

 

Some isotopes, such as Caesium-137 (result of fission of Uranium-235), are easily dissolved in water, which means they can easily get into living organism body, and remain there for long time.

 

 

 

would any radiation stick to the airplane?

 

Not exactly.

Gamma radiation can't "stick" to anything.

Radiation can change non-radioactive material to radioactive material.

f.e. neutron capture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_capture

Edited November 6, 2015 by Sensei

[jumbodrawn]

Since I'm not actually in the airplane since it is remote controlled, I will actually be away from the radiation. I was just wondering if when the airplane lands after being near radiation would it be 'contaminated' and not be safe to be around.

[Ophiolite]

Wildlife is flourishing within the exclusion zone, though some species are experiencing higher than normal mutation rates.

 

Attempting the experiment without access to a fully functioning geiger counter would be dumb.

 

Acquisition of Cesium-137 particles would appear to be the greatest radiation risk. (Moderately informed, but wholly non-expert opinion.)

 

It is called a restricted area, or exclusion zone for a reason. When you get out, do let us know what the interior of a Ukrainian jail is like.

[Sensei]

I was just wondering if when the airplane lands after being near radiation would it be 'contaminated' and not be safe to be around.

 

There is such possibility.

You should have Geiger counter with you to check it.

If it'll go too high, you will have to leave it.

[MandySwift]

Afterwards, the plane should be carefully handled for the radioactive isotopes it get from the air.

[swansont]

Since I'm not actually in the airplane since it is remote controlled, I will actually be away from the radiation. I was just wondering if when the airplane lands after being near radiation would it be 'contaminated' and not be safe to be around.

 

You should probably learn that radiation and contamination are not the same thing. It might lead to confusion down the road. Radiation is the energetic particles given off from a nuclear interaction. Contamination is radioactive material. Activation is a process by which radiation causes a particle to become radioactive.

 

So exposure to radiation is not going to cause contamination, though contamination can occur. But that's probably unlikely in any meaningful amount for a flying object; I would think any of the fallout from the accident would be long gone from the air, and taken up into plants or the soil. Activation is also probably not a significant issue.

[John Cuthber]

Anything radioactive from Chernobyl that was volatile enough to get into the air easily has had decades to do so and so it will have been blown away

Similarly, if it was light enough to get up to the plane, it will also be light enough to get blown off the plane as it leaves the contaminated area and land.

Unless the plane got caught in a dust storm on its way through the contaminated area, I'd be happy to eat my lunch off the wings of the plane afterwards.

 

The big problem will be that the local authorities are probably not going to be happy about you doing this flight (which is a pity, since it's quite an interesting idea).

[Sensei]

Walk around Chernobyl video