WORLD’S LARGEST MOVABLE LAND-BASED STRUCTURE – CHERNOBYL NSC

The Chernobyl New Safe Confinement (NSC) is a structure built to confine the remains of the number 4 reactor unit at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was destroyed during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The structure also enclosed the temporary shelter structure (sarcophagus) that was built around the reactor immediately after the disaster. The NSC was constructed 590 feet west of reactor 4, and slid into place. Sliding of the structure along foundation rails was a difficult process. It was pushed on Teflon pads by hydraulic pistons, and guided by lasers. The NSC is the world’s largest land-based structure ever moved. By the numbers: Ø  Weight: 40,000 tons; roughly the weight of 3 Eiffel Towers, 107 fully loaded 747s, or the USS Missouri Battleship Ø  Height: 590 feet tall; roughly the height of the Seattle Space Needle or the Washington Monument Ø  Length: 530 feet; roughly one and a half football fields Ø  Cost: $2.3 billion contributed by more than 40 nations

COLOR-CODED UTILITY LOCATION FLAGS

Utility location flags are color-coded to identify existing underground utilities in construction areas

COLOR	UTILITY
ORANGE	Telecommunications, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
YELLOW	Natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum or other gaseous or flammable material
WHITE	Proposed excavation limits or route
RED	Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
PURPLE	Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
BLUE	Drinking water
PINK	Temporary survey markings, unknown/unidentified facilities

STANNARD ROCK LIGHTHOUSE - LAKE SUPERIOR

The Stannard Rock Light, completed in 1883, is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior. The Stannard Rock Light is 24 miles from the nearest land, making it the most distant (from shore) lighthouse in the United States. The lighthouse was one of the "stag stations"*, manned only by men, and had the nickname "The Loneliest Place in the World". The lighthouse was automated in 1962 and the United States Coast Guard still maintains it as an active aid to navigation. It is closed to the public and can only be viewed by boat or airplane. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It took 5 years (1877-1882) to build and it is rated by the National Park Service as one of the top 10 engineering feats in the U.S.

*"Stag light" was an unofficial term given to some isolated lighthouses in the United States Lighthouse Service. It meant stations that were operated solely by men, rather than accommodating keepers and their families.

Editor’s Note: The details of the construction and operation of the Stannard Rock Lighthouse are very interesting. You can read more about the Lighthouse here and here.