Information Notice No. 88-71:Possible Environmental Effect of the Reentry of Cosmos 1900 and Request for Collection of Licensee Radioactivity Measurements Attributed to that Event
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
September 1, 1988
Information Notice No. 88-71: POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT OF THE
REENTRY OF COSMOS 1900 AND REQUEST FOR
COLLECTION OF LICENSEE RADIOACTIVITY
MEASUREMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO THAT EVENT
Addressees:
All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power
reactors, fuel cycle licensees, and Priority 1 material licensees.
Purpose:
This information notice is being provided to: 1) alert licensees to the anti-
cipated reentry of a U.S.S.R. satellite, COSMOS 1900, which is powered by a
nuclear reactor; and 2) request voluntary reporting of any licensee environ-
mental radioactivity measurement data probably caused by that event.
In order to enhance Federal and State monitoring programs, all facilities with
ongoing environmental monitoring programs are requested to consider the NRC
request to report confirmed anomalous environmental radioactivity measurements
likely to have been caused by radioactive material released during the reentry
of COSMOS 1900. However, the request contained in this information notice
does not constitute an NRC requirement.
Description of Circumstances:
On May 13, 1988, the Soviet News Agency Tass announced that the Soviets had
lost radio contact with COSMOS 1900, a satellite launched on December 12,
1987. Tass noted that COSMOS 1900 carries a nuclear power plant which is
believed to still be operating. The Soviets have indicated that the satellite
is continuing to maintain its orientation. However, if nothing is done to
maintain the orbit, the satellite will eventually decay and enter the earth's
atmosphere. Latest predictions are that the satellite will reenter between
mid-September and early October. This prediction is subject to uncertainties,
however, and the reentry could occur sooner if the stability of the satellite
changes.
The primary means of preventing the reentry of a radioactive nuclear core is
to boost the reactor into a higher orbit to allow for decay. By radio command
from earth, the nuclear reactor would be ejected and moved to an orbit
8808260492
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in excess of 800 kilometers. Since this method has apparently failed, there
is a system designed to automatically separate the core from the satellite.
If upon reentry, there has been a separation, it is expected that the reactor
would burn up completely like COSMOS 1402 in 1983 and no debris would reach
the earth's surface. There is, however, uncertainty about the condition of
any of these systems. If the satellite and nuclear power plant remain intact,
it is believed that debris may reach the earth's surface like the 1978 reentry
of COSMOS 954 which deposited a significant amount of radioactive debris on
Canada.
Discussion:
This notice is primarily to alert licensees of the reentry of COSMOS 1900. It
is highly unlikely that debris from the reentry will impact any part of the
U.S. However, there is some probability that increased radiation levels may be
detected. In that case, in order to supplement and reinforce the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nationwide surveillance program, NRC
licensees, as part of their routine environmental monitoring program, are
requested to voluntarily provide the following information:
Report to the NRC any anomalous environmental radiation or radioactivity
measurement that can be reasonably assumed to have resulted from the
reentry of COSMOS 1900. The NRC would like confirmed measurement results
from the licensee's routine environmental monitoring program to be
reported via facsimile to the NRC Operations Center (301/492-8187;
verification 301/951-0550) within 24 hours of determining that material
from the re-entry has been measured.
The reporting format is requested to provide for:
� Sample date(s) and approximate location(s)
� Medium or pathway (e.g., air particulate, soil)
� Type of analysis (e.g., gross beta, gamma spectrometry)
� Statistical data (mean, range, number of samples)
Any data provided by NRC licensees will be transmitted to EPA. Because of the
sensitivity and broad scope of existing licensee programs, augmentation of NRC
licensee environmental monitoring programs is not being requested.
We appreciate your cooperation with us in this matter. If you have any
questions regarding this matter, please contact the technical contact listed
below or the Regional Administrator of the appropriate NRC regional office.
This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number
3150-0011 which expires December 31, 1989. The estimated average burden hours
is 4 man-hours per licensee response, including assessment of the request,
searching data sources, gathering and analyzing the data, and preparing the
reports. Comments on the accuracy of this estimate and suggestions to reduce
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September 1, 1988
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the burden may be directed to the Office of Management and Budget, Room 3208,
New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503, and to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Records and Reports Management Branch, Office
of Administration and Resources Management, Washington, D.C. 20555.
Charles E. Rossi, Director
Division of Operational Events Assessment
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical Contact: Bernard H. Weiss, AEOD
(301) 492-7053
Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
. Attachment
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September 1, 1988
Page 1 of 1
LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
NRC INFORMATION NOTICES
_____________________________________________________________________________
Information Date of
Notice No._____Subject_______________________Issuance_______Issued to________
88-70 Check Valve Inservice 8/29/88 All holders of OLs
Testing Program or CPs for nuclear
Deficiencies power reactors.
88-69 Movable Contact Finger 8/19/88 All holders of OLs
Binding in HFA Relays or CPs for nuclear
Manufactured by General power reactors.
Electric (GE)
88-48, Licensee Report of Defective 8/24/88 All holders of OLs
Supplement 1 Refurbished Valves or CPs for nuclear
power reactors.
88-68 Setpoint Testing of Pres- 8/22/88 All holders of OLs
surizer Safety Valves with or CPs for nuclear
Filled Loop Seals Using power reactors.
Hydraulic Assist Devices
88-67 PWR Auxiliary Feedwater Pump 8/22/88 All holders of OLs
Turbine Overspeed Trip or CPs for nuclear
Failure power reactors.
88-66 Industrial Radiography 8/22/88 All NRC industrial
Inspection and Enforcement radiography
licensees.
88-65 Inadvertent Drainages of 8/18/88 All holders of OLs
Spent Fuel Pools or CPs for nuclear
power reactors and
fuel storage
facilities.
88-64 Reporting Fires in Nuclear 8/18/88 All holders of OLs
Process Systems at Nuclear or CPs for nuclear
Power Plants power reactors.
88-63 High Radiation Hazards 8/15/88 All holders of OLs
from Irradiated Incore or CPs for nuclear
Detectors and Cables power reactors,
research reactors
and test reactors.
_____________________________________________________________________________
OL = Operating License
CP = Construction Permit
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