gnu-

That cap gasket on top of the reactor vessel was indeed the theory put forth by the Union of Concerned Scientists but evidently the venting system may be the primary culprit.

In Units 5 and 6 they were able to get one of the back-up generators back on line which helped stabilize things there.

I'm certain that the spent fuel in Units 1-4 has also partially melted down. The spent fuel pools depended on the same cooling system that was totally knocked off-line. Some day we'll get an update on their status.

Charley Noble