Robot retrieves radioactive fuel sample from Fukushima nuclear reactor site
by Kevin Rawlinson and agency from on (#6RY5X)
Plant's owners hope analysis of tiny sample will help to establish how to safely decommission facility
A piece of the radioactive fuel left from the meltdown of Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been retrieved from the site using a remote-controlled robot.
Investigators used the robot's fishing-rod-like arm to clip and collect a tiny piece of radioactive material from one of the plant's three damaged reactors - the first time such a feat has been achieved. Should it prove suitable for testing, scientists hope the sample will yield information that will help determine how to decommission the plant.
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