As it has for major events in the past, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will make low-altitude helicopter flights over the Las Vegas Strip area leading up to New Year’s Eve celebrations in the desert city.
The flights by NNSA’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) Aerial Measuring System aircraft will measure expected background radiation as part of standard preparations to protect public health and safety during the event, NNSA said in a Monday Dec. 22 press release.
The flights start Monday, Dec. 29, and run through Wednesday, Dec. 31, NNSA said in the release. Local residents might spot a Leonardo AW-139 helicopter, equipped with radiation sensing technology, those days, NNSA said.
“These aerial radiation assessment surveys are a normal and routine part of security and emergency preparedness activities,” NNSA said in the release.
NNSA has done such helicopter monitoring in the past for events ranging from large public protests to Super Bowls.