Cosmos 954 - Soviet Nuclear Satellite Falls to Earth - CIA Files & Government Reports

Cosmos 954 - Soviet Nuclear Satellite Falls to Earth - CIA Files & Government Reports

This collection contains 944 pages of material.

In 1977, the Soviet Union launched the nuclear-powered Soviet ocean surveillance satellite, Cosmos 954, (Космос 954). In late 1977, the craft began to disintegrate and deorbit the Earth. At 6:53 AM on January 24, 1978, Cosmos 954 (Космос 954) crashed into an uninhabited area of Northern Canada, near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada.  This was the first time an uncontrolled reentry and Earth impact of a nuclear-powered artificial satellite took place. Previous Earth impacts took place after measures took place on the craft to prevent the inflicting damage.

An indication that there might be trouble with this nuclear-powered satellite occurred when in December 1977, North American Defense Command ground-based surveillance, installed at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado detected aberrant behavior in the orbit of the Soviet Cosmos 954 satellite. 

When communication between the United States and the Soviet Union took place on this issue was established, the Soviets revealed that the Cosmos 954 contained 110 pounds of highly enriched U-235 for the stated purpose of providing power for the surveillance satellite. The purpose of this satellite was to help the Soviets spot submarines in the Pacific Ocean. 

Operation Morning Light was conducted to search for the reactor core of Cosmos 954. The yield of this comprehensive search was about 15 kg of debris. Before reentry, Cosmos 954 weighed several thousand kilograms. Approximately 80 percent of the recovered debris showed the craft's heavy use of beryllium in the satellite's parts.

Under the terms of the 1972 Space Liability Convention, a state which launches an object into space is liable for damages caused by that object. For the recovery efforts, the Canadian government billed the Soviet Union $6,041,174.70 Canadian for expenses and additional compensation for future unpredicted expenses. The Soviet Union paid Canada, $3 million CDN.

This collection contains: 

CIA Files

140 pages of CIA files, dating from 1977 to 2004. Beginning with a memo noting the detection of a major malfunction to Cosmos 954. Followed by status reporting, concerning the Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (RORSAT)'s orbit degrade and crash to Earth and recovery.

 
Government Reports

804 pages in 11 scientific, military, and academic reports. Including reports from the Air Force Systems Command, McGill University, Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, United States Navy Post Graduate School, Federal Aviation Administration, Naval Research Laboratory, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and the Joint Advanced Warfighting School.

They cover the arrangement of events related to Cosmos 954's degradation, crash, recovery, and analysis.

Report titles include:

Analysis of Beryllium Parts for Cosmos 954 

Storm Over a Satellite Crash 

Disturbance Caused by the Fall of a Satellite

Cosmos 954. The Occurrence and Nature of Recovered Debris - Atomic Energy Control Board, Ottawa, Ontario

A Survey of Uncontrolled Satellite Reentry and Impact Prediction