In an annual pregame tradition as sure as the coin toss, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will again police this year’s Super Bowl for signs of radiological dangers.
The NNSA Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measuring System team will sweep the area around Atlanta on Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday using radiation-detecting equipment flown aboard a single twin-engine Bell 412.
The team, based out of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, measures naturally occurring background radiation ahead of the Super Bowl, creating a baseline for a third sweep on game day. A radiological weapon would stand out against the baseline the team will collect this week.
The helicopter will fly in a grid pattern, dropping as low as 150 feet and flying at about 80 mph, the NNSA said in a press release. Flights will be conducted only during daytime and will range across “Atlanta and areas in and around Buckhead,” Ga., the release says.
One of the NNSA’s missions is to prevent a nuclear terror attack. Some fear terrorists might attack soft targets such as a sporting event with a so-called dirty bomb: a package of nuclear material dispersed by conventional explosives.
Super Bowl LIII pits American Football Conference champions the New England Patriots against National Football Conference champions the Los Angeles Rams.
