Hunting For a Lost Russian Satellite in Canada
In 1978, a Soviet reconnaissance satellite called Kosmos 954 crashed while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, spreading radioactive debris across a vast area of northern Canada.
The Kosmos 954 is excellent. Here’s a spy satellite with a little secret that could have a huge impact on humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels today or in the near future. Tyler Wilson, a 27-year-old nuclear scientist, thinks so.
Taylor was a scientific prodigy and advocate, a veritable nuclear genius, well known and respected by the scientific community around the world. He successfully fused an atom at the age of 14, becoming the youngest person in history to do so.
He has advised numerous companies and governments on nuclear science and even invented breakthrough nuclear technologies with commercial applications, particularly in the areas of security, medicine and energy. For example, he developed a counter-terrorism device that can identify nuclear material and dirty bombs in shipping containers, among many other technologies.
Taylor believes that nuclear energy is our future and the only way we can sustainably power humanity. One of his favorite projects, and the subject of one of his Ted talks, is building a small nuclear fission reactor that could provide carbon-free and fossil-free energy to about 100,000 homes without Chernobyl-style fusion reactors. risk of ruin.
However, to build one, he had to design a small reactor similar to the one that powered the Kosmos 954, the design of which has unfortunately been lost to Soviet-era Russian secrecy.
So Taylor and his nuclear-hunting partner Carl Willis set out on a mission to brave the cold and unforgiving Canadian Northern Territory wilderness to find the secret reactor core, advance their research and development, and complete his tiny reactor. .
Armed with the latest nuclear detection tools, plenty of camping gear, gallons of bug spray and a wilderness expert named Pierre Bernard to give them a chance at survival, these two bright but eccentric friends set out.
They reached Yellowknife, the capital of the region and the starting point of their exploration. The Northern Territory is a vast territory, accounting for more than one-third of Canada’s land area. Its terrain is challenging and consists of forests and tundra. It is also one of the most naturally radioactive places on Earth. This made things more difficult for Taylor and Carl, who, much to their dismay, found mostly rocks with natural radiation.
Despite being completely out of their comfort zone, our intrepid treasure hunters set out, beset by inclement weather, curious black bears, swarms of bugs and more. They are using this opportunity to make an amazing discovery, one that could dramatically change the course of the planet and end our dependence on fossil fuels.
