1st robot into Fukushima reactor stalls, but gets some data

TOKYO — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said Monday that the first robot sent inside one of the melted reactors stalled before finishing its work but collected data that indicates a path exists to send robots deeper into the reactor. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the robot stalled after completing about two-thirds of its planned mission Friday inside the Unit 1 containment vessel. TEPCO spokesman Teruaki Kobayashi said the robot collected temperature and radiation data and images from parts of the platform around the area known as the pedestal below the bottom of the reactor core before it became stuck and unrecoverable. A 2 ½ minute edited compilation of images transmitted by the robot, released Monday by TEPCO, showed steam wafting from inside the dark container, lit by a lamp mounted on the robot, as it slowly maneuvered around debris that looked like small rocks and metal parts.