Cosmos 954. The occurence and nature of recovered debris

The Russian nuclear-powered satellite, Cosmos 954, re-entered the earth's atmosphere early on 24 January 1978. Concern about radioactive debris, whose presence was quickly verified on the frozen surfaces of lakes and land, led to a massive airborne and ground search and recovery program that lasted from re-entry date to the middle of October, 1978, interrupted only by the spring break-up period. The search area extended from Great Slave Lake northeastward towards Baker Lake. Only about 65 kilograms of material were found, although it is probable that the satellite weighed several tons. All fragments but one - itself weighing over 18 kg - were radioactive; many showed clear evidence of melting and erosion. A wide area stretching southwards from Great Slave Lake was affected by a scattered shower of minute particles representing the enriched fuel of the satellite's power source. Intensive searches were carried out in the Territories and adjacent Alberta and Saskatchewan in an effort to find and remove as much as possible of such material. Laboratory studies were carried out on particles to learn their chemical and physical nature, in order to understand their probable behaviour in the general environment. Search and recovery continued until it could be concluded that 1) it was most unlikely that highly raidoactive fragments had been missed; 2) all obvious large fragments had been located and removed; 3) the risk to people from particles remaining in unfrequented areas was not great because of the particles' tiny size, their general insolubility, and their scattered distribution. Residual radiological risks were also fading rapidly relative to the natural radiation background. (auth)