The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is upping its vigilance against nuclear terrorism at an event some already consider radioactive in a metaphorical sense: Super Bowl 52.
The big game this year will be played in Minneapolis between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles: teams whose fervent fan bases occasionally provoke resentment among fans of rival teams that goes beyond a loser’s sour grapes.
But setting rivalries and team loyalties aside, the NNSA will conduct low-flying helicopter flights above Minneapolis over three days next week.
Using sensors aboard the aircraft, the agency will measure the city’s natural background radiation levels. Initial measurements will serve as a baseline to which measurements on game day can be compared to scan for unauthorized nuclear materials.
One of the NNSA’s missions is to prevent a nuclear terror attack on the United States. Some fear terrorists might attack soft targets such as a sporting event with, among other things, a so-called dirty bomb: a package of radioactive material dispersed by conventional explosives.