http://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-sends-drone-inspect-damaged-japanese-nuke-plant-20110317-021316-873.html

Tokyo, Mar.17 (ANI): The United States will fly a high-altitude drone over Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant to take a closer look and assess the degree of the damage that has occurred inside the reactor buildings.

The unmanned plane is equipped with infrared sensors and cameras, which will provide useful clues to what is occurring inside the reactor buildings and determine the extent of the damage. It will also warn against any further damage.

Conditions at the plant had deteriorated on Wednesday, with increasing radiation levels forcing Japan to order workers to temporarily withdraw from the plant, prompting the US to warn its citizens living within 50 miles of the area to evacuate.

Pentagon Spokesman Col. David Lapan said the US would review assistance requests from Japan that would require troops to move within the 50 mile radius and said that the troops were receiving anti-radiation pills before missions to areas where radiation exposure is likely.

US airmen have been flying search and rescue missions in Japan. They will also be operating a Global Hawk drone and U-2 reconnaissance planes to help the Japanese assess damage from the disasters.

Japan had been hit by a magnitude 8.9 earthquakes and tsunami last Friday, following which the cooling systems in many reactors of its Fukushima nuclear power plant had failed to operate, resulting in the recent explosions and radiation leaks in the area. (ANI)

I wondered when Bono would show up to rescue folks in his cool sunglasses.