The very real risks of radiation accidents on Earth, from nuclear reactors in space
Ensuring Safety on Earth from Nuclear Sources in Space, Mirage News, 28 Oct 20, In early 1978, the world steeled itself as gravity pulled an uncontrolled satellite powered by a small reactor fueled with 45 kg of highly enriched uranium towards Earth. Since COSMOS 954’s impact point could not be predicted accurately, emergency responders had to assume that an inhabited area could be contaminated, and they feverishly prepared equipment and response procedures. This was the world’s first experience with the uncontrolled re-entry of a space object with radioactive materials.The radioactive materials launched into Earth orbit, or traveling in spacecraft, can potentially harm people or the environment in case of an accident and for which strict emergency response planning and effective information sharing at the international level are required. This was the topic of an IAEA webinar held last week for emergency response experts.
In the majority of nuclear and radiological emergencies there will be enough information to know the location of a potential release of radioactivity, but with space activities the exact location of impact cannot always be predicted. “The IAEA has developed arrangements to share information about any pending nuclear-powered satellite re-entry. Using the data, countries can quickly respond to protect the public and the environment from the radioactivity that might spread as a result of an accident,” said Frederic Stephani, Incident and Emergency Assessment Officer in the IAEA, during the webinar. COSMOS 954 eventually crashed in the Northwest Territories in Canada on 24 January 1978, scattering radioactive debris over a 600 km footprint and spreading radioactivity over 100 000 km2. The clean-up operation, called “Operation Morning Light,” jointly coordinated by Canada and the US, recovered 80 radioactive items…… accidents can occur during the launch, operation and end-of-service mission phases of space nuclear power source applications. These accidents could expose the nuclear power source to extreme physical conditions leading to a radioactive release into the Earth’s atmosphere. …. https://www.miragenews.com/ensuring-safety-on-earth-from-nuclear-sources-in-space/ |
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