Bill Fecych (seated) and Don Johnson work in the reactor control room during its operating days in 1959. After an ad hoc committee study in 1977, NASA Headquarters decided that the reactor would never be put ba More
The Plum Brook Reactor Facility construction began when crews excavated a hole in the ground for the pressure tank. The tank extended approximately thirty-two feet underground. The steel containment vessel, whi More
A diver emerges after working on the Plum Brook water pumps in Lake Erie. Divers had to flush the intake line and clear it of mud, silt, and debris regularly...Image # : C-1961-58167
Technicians work inside the thimble...Image # : C-1961-55810 Public domain photograph of NASA experimental aircraft development, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Diagram of an experiment after it was inserted into HT-1. The fuel element is surrounded by coolant, water, several containment layers, and an outer jacket. A plug fills the test hole behind the experiment. HT- More
The technician on the walkway is operating the hydraulic cams, which insert and remove the experiment facility (seen in the bottom of the quadrant) into the core via Horizontal Through Hole 1 (HT-1). Experiment More
Hap Johnson (left) and Brock Barkley (right) examine test specimens from an experimental run in the Plum Brook Reactor...Image # : C-2004-741
NASA Administrator James Webb (left) and Lewis Director Abe Silverstein (center, with glasses) peer into the reactor tank while visiting Plum Brook...Image # : C-1961-58735
Laboratory technician Allen Larkins (upper right) and engineer David Willinger(lower left) working in the metallurgical laboratory of the Plum Brook Reactor. .For more information browse the Plum Brook Facility More
First-level floor plan for the reactor building (no. 1111) at the Plum Brook Reactor Facility..Image # : 28Reactor_FloorPlan
Congressman Charles Mosher, a longtime Plum Brook supporter in Congress, and Ross Braig (center) are given a tour of the facility by Assistant Director Dr. John C. Evvard...Image # : C-1961-56466
John Hire adjusts an instrument console for final hydraulic testing prior to the reactor going critical for the first time. The console was on the lily pad area at the center of the quadrants, directly above th More
Reporters with cameras in hand are given a tour of the hot laboratory...(NASA GRC: C-1961-56468)
Dean Sheibley and Barbara Johnson perform studies in the Plum Brook chemistry lab in 1961 before the reactor was shut down...(NASA GRC: C-1961-55639)
First-level floor plan for the hot laboratory (no. 1112) at the Plum Brook Reactor Facility...Image # : Hot_Lab_Floor_Plan
Technicians wheel a large "thimble" containing experiments for irradiation into the containment vessel through the truck door. When the reactor was shut down and the protection of the containment barrier could More
Frequent tours were given to high school students and families from the local community to promote an interest in nuclear science and to dispel the anxiety people may have had about living next door to a nuclea More
The experiment control room, located directly below the reactor control room, contained various monitoring equipment. In this photo, Johnny Miller exmines the Experiment Data Logging and Alarm System, which rec More
Diagram of two insertion tables in Quadrant C. Experiments were loaded here and sent through the two horizontal through-holes or ports (HT-1 and HT-2) into the reactor core to be exposed to radiation. After irr More
The HB-2 Cryogenic Experiment investigated the effect of low temperature and high radiation on various metals for potential use in space vehicles. The experiment consisted of a refrigeration system, a transfer More
Exterior view of the Space Power Facility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The $28.4-million facility, which began operations in 1969, is the l More
Hap Johnson (left) and H. Brock Barkley (right) examine a test specimen. It was designed to be inserted into the aluminum "rabbit," standing on end with its cap next to it. The rabbits housed the sample test ma More
After mothballing in 1973, the reactor went silent. It was visited only by the numerous deer in the area and a skeleton crew that continued to monitor the facility during the standby period...Image #: C-1961-55643
Bill Fecych shut down the reactor for the last time on 5 January 1973, as Dale McCutheon, Dan Gardner, George Gowan, and others looked on. Employees had gathered in the Plum Brook auditorium for an announcement More
This calendar, left open in the reactor building just days before the reactor's final closure, has remained untouched for almost 30 years. Despite their disappointment at the shutdown of their facility, Plum Br More
For almost thirty years, the facility remained sealed and constantly monitored to ensure that no contamination escaped. However, aesthetic maintenance was not important, as shown by the peeling paint on the onc More
This blackboard graffiti expresses the sentiments of Plum Brook employees after learning about the reactor shutdown. It went untouched for over twenty-five years and is now being preserved as a museum artifact. More
This chart hung in the reactor building outside the experiment control room. It listed the experiments to be irradiated for each cycle and the through-holes, or access ports, to the reactor assigned to them. Th More
Decommissioning manager Tim Polich (second from left) and Keith Peecook (right) consult with former reactor employees Jim Martz (left), Len Homyak (third from left), and Jack Crooks (second from right). Retired More
Puncture rig. Puncture rigs were used to penetrate the outer capsule of each experiment and measure the pressure increase in the system due to released gases during irradiation. The plastic vial on the left was More