A robot’s attempt to get a sample of the melted nuclear fuel at Japan’s damaged reactor is suspended

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — An attempt to use an extendable robot to remove a fragment of melted fuel from a wrecked reactor at Japan’s tsunami-hit nuclear plant has been suspended due to a technical issue. The collection of a tiny sample of the debris inside the Unit 2 reactor would start the fuel debris removal phase, the most challenging part of the decades-long decommissioning of the plant. The work was stopped Thursday when workers noticed that five pipes used to maneuver the robot were placed in the wrong order and could not be corrected within the time limit for their radiation exposure. The plant operator said a new start date is undecided.