Today the oldest nuclear reactor of Eurasia, located at Russian science centre “Kurchatov Institute” celebrates its 60th anniversary.
      
      The reactor was launched for the first time December 25 of 1946 in northern suburbs of the Russian capital, where Russian physicists have performed self-sustaining chain reaction of uranium fission on the first nuclear reactor F-1 on the European continent.
      
      The rector required 500 tons of graphite and 50 tons of uranium for performing said reaction. The unit is a sphere with 7.5 m in diameter. The reactor’s power excursion exceeded 1 thousand kVt, and uranium’s temperature reached 60-70 degrees Centigrade. These power excursions were aimed at accumulating plutonium, for performing biological experiments and studies of changes in material properties under radiation impact.
      
      This unique unit is still working nowadays and today celebrates its 60th anniversary.
      
      Source: Science News