Omaha's secret nuclear reactor

[Omaha Steve]

X post in GD.

http://dataomaha.com/bigstory/news/omahas-secret-nuclear-reactor

A nuclear reactor operated by the VA Medical Center in Omaha from 1959 to 2001 is believed to be the only one of its kind in the country inside a hospital.

Either this year or next, all its pieces will be gone for good.

By Steve Liewer / World-Herald staff writer

Sunday, February 1, 2015

In the jittery days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, those tasked with keeping America safe suddenly saw threats everywhere.

Federal aviation officials grounded every airplane. Uniformed officers ringed Memorial Stadium during Husker football games. Governors smothered power plants and dams with armies of guards.

As the federal Department of Veterans Affairs looked for its own weak spots, its leaders found a glaring one right here in Omaha: an active nuclear reactor in the basement of the VA Medical Center.

Known by few Omahans, it had long been a valuable tool for VA medical researchers, and was believed to be the only one of its kind in any hospital in America.

FULL story at link.

Moved here from LBN.