Checking Houston for dirty bombs today

[masraum]

Or, at the very least, taking a baseline for when they check again to see if there are any hotspots.

While sitting at work today, we noticed a helicopter zig-zagging back and forth across the downtown area flying very low through the buildings of downtown. Flying low enough to be down between the buildings is unusual. Apparently, we weren't the only ones that thought so.

Here's why low-flying helicopters were zooming around downtown Houston - Houston Chronicle

The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, will test for naturally occurring radiation around the city on Tuesday using a low-flying helicopter.

The test is designed to establish a baseline for officials of Houston’s radiation levels in support of Super Bowl LI. The NNSA is a U.S. Department of Energy agency responsible for assisting national security, working to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

A twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter, operated by the Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measuring System from the Nellis AFB, will be equipped with the radiation sensing technology.

According to a NNSA press release, the helicopter will fly in a grid pattern over the areas at 150 feet or higher above ground surface, at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour. Officials from NNSA said the radiation assessment will cover approximately 7.5 square miles.

Flyovers will occur only during daylight hours, and it is estimated to take about three hours to complete per area.

Why is that helicopter flying around Houston so low? | khou.com

HOUSTON -- Concerned KHOU 11 viewers have a question: "Why did that helicopter just fly by my office building so low!?"

Several viewers shared videos of a helicopter flying very low around the Galleria area on Monday, including Henri Dubiton.

The chopper zoomed by his office tower window at Sage Road and San Felipe at around lunch time Monday.
"It turned around little bit further south on San Felipe and heads right back toward us," said Dubiton, who works on the 13th floor.

At times the chopper appeared to be only about 10 stories off the ground.

On Wednesday, the chopper was spotted again in downtown and near NRG Stadium.

The Department of Energy was doing a radiation test. KHOU 11 News is still waiting for official word on that but the tail number on the helicopter confirms it belongs to that government agency.

"I was just about able to see the pilot's face and his head gear on and to be honest I wasn't thinking too much other than there's a helicopter 30 feet from me right now," Dubiton said.

Others in the Galleria area did the same thing he did, pulling out their phones to capture the sight.

In April, the Department of Energy did one of these low-altitude flights around Boston before the marathon to measure naturally occurring background radiation, using the same twin-engine Bell helicopter it used Monday.

"There's going to be all sorts of odd things going on in our city that we don't normally see so it's kind of what we chalked it up to," Dubiton added.

The DOE says they do this to establish baseline levels and that it's a normal part of emergency preparedness.

Houston Police tells us the chopper is part of security operations, adding that the public should not be alarmed.

[mjohnson]

A few of my colleagues will be in the area - they deploy to big events just in case anything happens and to support the first responders. Some joke that they've been to numerous superbowls, inaugurations and pope visits and the view from the (now $400/nt) Days Inn is the same every time.

The DOE crew helps stabilize the evidence and take whatever's left elsewhere for forensics, our place (LANL) for radionuclide analysis and the NV test site for the nuts-and-bolts FBI crime-stuff.

Sometimes I help out with their drills and training - it's awesome to be paid to be evil. The responders, especially the top dudes, are _extremely_ impressive and it's fun to throw them curve balls. We have a little museum of "test articles" that span from "clever" to "just because you can doesn't mean that you should, for the sake of humanity".

[David]

JFK talking about Russian nuke:

In late July 1961, President Kennedy, just back from the grim Vienna summit with Khrushchev, asked me to dinner in Palm Beach. After daiquiris and Frank Sinatra records on the patio, his three guests and I gathered around the table for fish-in-a-bag, a White House recipe. Between lusty bites, Kennedy told the story of Khrushchev's anger over West Berlin, the island of freedom in the Soviet empire's East Germany. "We have a bustling communist enclave just four blocks from the White House," I noted, meaning the Soviet embassy. Kennedy paused, fork between plate and mouth, and said, "You know, they have an atom bomb on the third floor of the embassy." Aware of JFK's love of spy stories, I said something like, "Sure, why not?"

(See the worst nuclear disasters of all time.)
No, Kennedy continued, it was his understanding that the Soviets had brought the components of an atomic device into the building in inspection-free diplomatic pouches and assembled it in the upstairs attic. "If things get too bad and war is inevitable," he said, "they will set it off and that's the end of the White House and the rest of the city." I laughed. Still suspending his bite of fish, Kennedy said, "That's what I'm told. Do you know something that I don't?" No sign of mirth. The conversation moved on.

Was Russia Hiding an Atom Bomb at Embassy in Washington? - TIME

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by David

JFK talking about Russian nuke:

Was Russia Hiding an Atom Bomb at Embassy in Washington? - TIME

That wouldn't surprise me. I've possibly seen lots of stuff tossed into the bags we send overseas. Typically candy and booze - but in other areas of the gov't I imagine it's much more creative.

Spent a day with an ally's military cargo flight crew a few months back. They would never of course confirm anything specific but they did visit the States with long shopping lists. Sometimes I guess the plane isn't completely full with official cargo?

[pwd72s]

The time we're in now is as scary as any time during the cold war. Maybe more so, because of who now has nukes.

[87maniac]

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by 87maniac

Oh - this excites me! I think it was for the W54 SADM. I even have one of these bags in the basement holding a tent and a sleeping bag.

Combat engineers would strap one of these, with the atomic demolition munition, to their belt and parachute to wherever they needed to be. They'd emplace the munition and set the timer. Veterans that had this role joked that they were somehow less than infantry - but they commented that "what infantry EVER strapped a nuke between their legs and jumped of a plane?"

Rumors are that some missions would require that they guard it until detonation but I can't get anyone to conform that.

Evidently there are still bridges in Europe with specific, engineered, emplacements for these. I haven't seen one but would be eager to see some (morbid) history.

I'm amazed that we survived 1950-1980. From my professional life "inside" it's even crazier than what we (the public) were ever taught...

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Oh - this excites me! I think it was for the W54 SADM....

Fun fact there was that it had a mechanical timer that would, once set, snap back to zero - soiling more than a few trousers.

The munition itself was of course used in the Davey Crockett tests in NV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdLm0PgrqBI

Fun times back then!

[Don Ro]

Stadium Snipers
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[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

That's true but the Russians have stated that the titanium triggers in the missing suitcase bombs would corrode
& therefore became non operative several years ago.

I'm not sure I believe them but even if true they could be rebuilt by an unfriendly Government with modest means.

Rest assured that Russia is (moderately) friendly rebuilding these things every day. They never set back and "coasted" like we did. In the 90s our materials scientists visited them and discussed aging problems. The Russian response was "what aging problems? They never really stopped...

[87maniac]

SADM Delivery by Parachutist/swimmer.
SADM : Special Atomic Demolition Munition
presented by SANDIA CORPORATION Albuqueroue, New Mexico

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Stadium Snipers
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To slowly deflate the ball? Those Pats think of everything!

[nota]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr View Post
''That's true but the Russians have stated that the titanium triggers in the missing suitcase bombs would corrode
& therefore became non operative several years ago.

I'm not sure I believe them but even if true they could be rebuilt by an unfriendly Government with modest means.''

titanium does NOT corrode very much
so BS

[Wetwork]

I've read lots of stories about those man-portable nukes being designed to go off as soon as the timer got set. No count-down, just "pop". The thought was if the target was important enough to nuke, they wouldn't want someone to have time to disable it or even care if the bomber has time to get away. Spooky..-WW