Securing Loose Nukes in Chile

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The HEU is loaded onto a ship bound for the U.S. As the container was hoisted into the air, one of the cranes holding it malfunctioned, sending the container hurtling out of control, yards above the deck. For a few heart-stopping seconds, it swung back and forth as the cranes groaned to support it. "I don't like that sight," Bieniawski said. "Jesus, I don’t like that sight." Fortunately, the moment passed, and the container made it onto the ship and out of port. But for the nervous NNSA team, the job was still not done. Still to come were several thousand miles of open sea and the Panama Canal. "The mission," said a team member, "is not over yet."

• Article: Chasing Bombs in Chile