Exclusive Access to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory!

[@steveoreneo8220]

Wow. I did a lot of construction work up there. The sodium burn pit was on the very west end towards Runkle ranch. It was a concrete pit about 8' wide x 8' deep x 20' long. I replaced the west concrete wall. The LASER test area in CTL III is gone, where they had underground tunnels in a spoke pattern where they fired their LASERS (Tokamak?) To the west of that facility was a building where I built them a floating concrete LASER bench that was 13' wide x 35' long x 4' thick. Chem Lab is all gone, as is the Hydrogen Test Lab. Coal Gasification Area seems to gone, as is the giant concrete sodium containment pit I had built by the wooden cooling tower. Most all the work we did up there was keeping things clean and safe, such as the water monitoring weir I installed down towards Bell Canyon in the Buffer zone. They even had cat fish in their retention ponds that they would dissect, analyze, and test for dangerous chemicals and other things.

[@Gemashke]

Hi, thanks for the information on what you built up there and what's no longer left. Very interesting information that you shared...thank you!!

[@kenkarish826]

I worked up there in the 1980s spraying herbicide to kill off plant life around the facility in case of forrest fires. I was privileged to see them fire off a shuttle engine from a half mile away across the ravine from the test stand. Still the most amazing experience in my life.

[@CaptainReverendo]

Used to hear those rocket engines fire up in the early 80s. This brings back memories. Its a beautiful location and great footage!

[@kenkarish826]

I worked there in the 1980s and was privileged to see them test a shuttle engine. Amazing.

[@stevejohnson1685]

Love your choice of music for this otherworldly place! When I was an undergraduate physics student in the 1970's in Chicago, I had a summer job at Argonne National Laboratory assembling compuer equipment for the Core Components Test Loop for the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor. That turned out to be on one of the four test areas at the SSFL. Now I hike nearby.

[@Gemashke]

Thank you, Sir! That's interesting about the summer job!!

[@robertdavis5714]

Nice production. Grandparents live at east end of Simi Valley and in late 1960's (was a kid) but remember well how loud those Apollo engines were and the vibration. Late 1970's Black Canyon to Woosley Canyon was my stomping grounds on my motorcycle, so know this place very well.

[@Gemashke]

Thank you very much for the kind words regarding the production! That's awesome that you lived close to the lab when it was active...you witnessed history!!

[@robertdavis5714]

Ohhhhhh, the stories I can tell you, lived in Canoga Park and myself and fellow friends we use to hike that canyon from Valley Circle that takes you all the way up to Santa Susana, I remember probable 11 yrs old and being up there with Men in chemistry coats taking water samples and talking to nobody (probable 1/2 dozen people). Guess I got lucky 62 now and no Cancer. @@Gemashke

[@HARDL3FT]

Scary watching this knowing how deadly the place is. Music is perfect.

[@gwharton68]

Amazing video. Always wondered what was beyond the barriers on the roads going in there.

[@Gemashke]

Thank you so much!

[@karendinsfriend9724]

Had no idea what was there. Heard stories when I lived in the SFV...

[@kenkarish826]

I lived in Van Nuy's and worked there for a summer.

[@StevieinSF]

During the 1970's, you could hear when they tested those rocket engines across the SFV. It was up in a place called Dayton Canyon an adjunct facility to SSFL. One has to remember, the west SFV was full of cold war era and cutting edge companies when it was open land and no wall-to-wall homes like it is now, so there was a remoteness from prying eyes. SSFL will be polluted for along time chemically and radioactive.

[@bcdvideo]

70s? The last rocket test was in 2006. I remember hearing tests all the time in the late 80s.

[@lulujrlaulom7905]

Found my grandpa in the picture @ & 7:18.. Awesome!

[@willieverusethis]

My grandpa worked there too. He died of cancer in his 50s.

[@Gemashke]

That's awesome!!

[@anjaliamit1]

Awesome. Thanks for this. Would be lovely if you had more to upload.

[@Gemashke]

Thanks very much, I appreciate it! I unfortunately don't have any more video of the Field Lab to upload, but there are a few other great videos on KZbin about the place.

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

@@Gemashke You should do another one asap to see what happened to see what happened to the facility after the Woolsey fire and try and see if you can find the location that was burning for hours and hours. And also try and show the water pits that basically look like giant holes in the ground. I believe this is where the fire started and burned for a couple of days or longer. Great video share. I'm surprised this video is still up and hasn't been taken down.

[@Gemashke]

@@WrestlingErnestHemingway Hi, That's a VERY good idea! You are correct, the fire did start on their property at a Southern California Edison Electrical Box or Transformer. It was not facility's though.

[@Gemashke]

Thank you...I was kind of rushed...they still do have armed security on the site and they were on to me...you can actually see a white security truck speeding up to two test stands I'm featuring at 5:42 rounding the bend before the blue globe-like fuel "dome"

[@linecrosser1738]

Love how we just took a mic and talked into it to make it sound like radio chat. Wtf?

[@kolmichelson]

2 years ago me, and my boys snuck in to see what it was all about. we went to the small test stands and hiked further back to the super big test stand with the round fuel container on it. we climbed all over it until a firefighter came and found us. he was going to call the cops but we told him we were hiking and got lost lol. fuck the gov for keeping that place off-limits. clean it up and open it to the public. it's beautiful back there. the rocks are amazing. Im planning to go back soon. if anyone goes, be careful of the cameras that are mounted everywhere. maybe spray paint the lenses black if you can for future visitors.

[@cyberworld9000]

Just as a heads up, it's one of biggest nuclear disaster on USA soil. It's absolutely not safe to be walking around, even to this day. Really wish someone had warned me about that before going up myself as a kid.

[@carl-cr7rp]

Where was the containment pond they put the sodium in?

[@Gemashke]

Not quite sure

[@flgators87]

Hey man! Doing a little project on the SSFL... would love to talk to you about using some of your footage!

[@Gemashke]

Hi, I'm SO SORRY I didn't get back to you sooner...I didn't see your message until now. SURE, please feel free to use my footage!! I hope it's not too late.

[@mikedoesvoices525]

Great vid! Where were you when you shot this? I took my Mavic to the top of Black Canyon..

[@Gemashke]

Hi, I was on the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy land (formerly known as the Ahmanson Ranch) If you do go back to fly your drone, be careful...they do still have armed security at the site...the located my drone above them...I flew the heck out of there as I'm not sure what they were planning to do.

[@donk.johnson7346]

my dad's in that photo somewhere

[@Gemashke]

Awesome! Which photo!!!

[@heathhunley7342]

How long ago was this taken, last time I was in the facility most of the buildings and a few rocket test stands were dismantled in like 2013.

[@Gemashke]

Late 2016...there were five test stands remaining when I shot this video. At about 5:51 into the video you'll see two Blue test stands come into the frame as I start approaching the ridge of the hill...there's also a yellow one that isn't visible located in back of that ridge as well.

[@kenkarish826]

I worked there in the 1980's.

[@daniel9000407]

Is it open to public? Is there security in the entire property?

[@Gemashke]

Hi, No, the property is very much closed to the public. There is a full time armed security staff 24/7 there.

[@kolmichelson]

there is security but not armed and not 24/7. they say that to keep ppl out. you can sneak in easily from sage ranch hiking trails. Even if someone sees you, there are so many hills you can easily hide in. nothing is off limits.

[@Josh-vj5ip]

Fuck America has some cool bases

[@Jose-sy1je]

If it were really that dangerous, wouldn't the people in the surroubding communities be dying en masse? Nobody ever monitored soil levels in all these decades to see how safe it is? They even kept this open and had people continue to work there until 2006 I read. Why would that be?

[@Gemashke]

There are actually several people who worked there when the lab was very active (1960's, etc) who contracted cancer and attributed their illnesses to their employment there. I believe at least a couple of them proved that their illnesses were caused by their employment in court and won law suits. Regarding soil tests, there were several soil tests that showed pollution consistent with the chemicals released at the facility.

[@Jose-sy1je]

@@Gemashke And where would these contaminated areas be? Is Chatsworth a safe place to live for instance? You hear of people getting cancer, but are these cancer rates higher than in other communities that are further away? So many people have lived there for decades and seem to be fine.

[@lime4328]

how creepy and ominous it is now

[@Gemashke]

Indeed!

[@toxicSantaSusana]

I'm creating a mini-documentary about the SSFL. May I have permission to use some of your footage for it? It will be distributed online and through our www.change.org/SantaSusana campaign. You can also contact me through our website www.ParentsAgainstSSFL.com

[@Gemashke]

I'm SO SORRY I didn't see your comment until now (I'm not too sharp when it comes to KZbin.) If you still need the footage please use it. My apologies.

[@AlexRPerez]

Maybe Simi Valley will end up like the Hills Have Eyes movie (Government negligence leading to victims of radiation exposure)

[@Gemashke]

I hope not!

[@kenkarish826]

I worked there, and Safety was a big BIG number one.

[@justanotherguy1794]

And this : kzbin.info/www/bejne/h52QfWqgqZlsn6M