Moscow Acknowledges Mysterious Rocket Explosion Involved Nuclear Workers

[Rogue Valley]

Moscow Acknowledges Mysterious Rocket Explosion Involved Nuclear Workers

We know that the Russians are working on some kind of nuclear propulsion for a cruise missile.

Area of the nuclear accident in the northern White Sea.

8/10/19
Russia's state nuclear agency acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that nuclear workers were involved in an explosion during a rocket engine test that caused a spike in radiation in a nearby city. The agency, Rosatom, said five people killed in the blast were its staff members, and the accident involved "isotope power sources," giving no further details. Russia has given no official explanation for why the explosion of a rocket engine near the White Sea in northern Russia would have caused radiation to spike. Statements on Saturday by state nuclear agency Rosatom were the first confirmation of the involvement of the body responsible for Russia's atomic power industry. Rosatom said five of its staff members were killed and three others injured in the blast, which took place during a rocket test on a sea platform. The rocket's fuel caught fire after the test, causing it to detonate and the explosion threw several people into the sea, it said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. "Searches continued as long as there was hope to find survivors," Interfax news agency cited Rosatom as saying. There were no further details of the rocket or fuel type.

As always, Russia is hiding details of a nuclear accident. This incident occurred at a Russian Navy proving ground near the village of Nyonoksa on the White Sea. It seems the Russians were again testing a Buresvestnik (SSC-X-9 Skyfall) nuclear-powered cruise missile. The missile has failed on each of its five previous tests.

Related: U.S.-Based Experts Suspect Russia Blast Involved Nuclear-Powered Missile

 

[Bum]

Aaaaand, progress goes "boom".

 

[Rexedgar]

Nuclear powered, but not nuclear warhead? What are the latest radiation numbers?

 

[Rogue Valley]

Nuclear powered, but not nuclear warhead? What are the latest radiation numbers?

According to Greenpeace, the radiation numbers in Severodvinsk rose to 6x normal levels, but this is still below a dangerous situation and they returned to normal after 24 hours. The Buresvestnik (Petrel) is actually bi-propelled. The initial phase is a solid fuel turbo-jet, which then switches over to being powered by the heat decay of nuclear isotopes. Getting such a device to work in a missile traveling at super/hypersonic speed is vastly different than a successful bench test in a research lab. The Russians state that such a cruise missile could stay aloft indefinitely, which may or may not be true, but I fail to see the utility in this. Either you are going to strike something or you are not. US Navy surface ships and submarines enable any location on the globe to be targeted and struck by cruise missiles.

 

[AProudLefty]

Moscow Acknowledges Mysterious Rocket Explosion Involved Nuclear Workers

We know that the Russians are working on some kind of nuclear propulsion for a cruise missile.

Area of the nuclear accident in the northern White Sea.



As always, Russia is hiding details of a nuclear accident. This incident occurred at a Russian Navy proving ground near the village of Nyonoksa on the White Sea. It seems the Russians were again testing a Buresvestnik (SSC-X-9 Skyfall) nuclear-powered cruise missile. The missile has failed on each of its five previous tests.

Related: U.S.-Based Experts Suspect Russia Blast Involved Nuclear-Powered Missile

Why do Russians love to play with radioactivity?

 

[Rogue Valley]

Why do Russians love to play with radioactivity?

View attachment 67261721

Without its nuclear arsenal, Russia couldn't bully or scare anyone.

 

[AProudLefty]

Without its nuclear arsenal, Russia couldn't bully or scare anyone.

True.