Kosmos 954: A Real-life 'Satellite Down'

[Raellus]

YIL that in 1978, a Soviet spy satellite with an onboard compact nuclear reactor fell out of orbit and crash landed in Canada's Northwest Territory. Pieces were recovered by a joint Canadian-US task force during Operation Morning Light, but the onboard reactor is still missing to this day. Vice channel has a series called Hunters, and a recent episode focused on two American nuclear scientists who went looking for the reactor. They didn't find it. Apparently, even now, well after the fall of the USSR, the compact reactor tech is basically unknown, and one of the scientists featured in the program wants to find it because he believes that a similar reactor could safely power up to 150,000 homes. This would be something that would be particularly desirable in the T2k world, so this compact reactor strikes me as a potentially cool MacGuffin for a Canada-based campaign.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954

Speaking of MacGuffins, if you haven't taken the survey for the best T2k MacGuffin yet, here it is:

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.phpt=6121&highlight=macguffin&page=2

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[Vespers War]

Apparently, even now, well after the fall of the USSR, the compact reactor tech is basically unknown, and one of the scientists featured in the program wants to find it because he believes that a similar reactor could safely power up to 150,000 homes. This would be something that would be particularly desirable in the T2k world, so this compact reactor strikes me as a potentially cool MacGuffin for a Canada-based campaign.

I find this somewhat amusing, because the BES-5 had lower power density than some RTG systems - it produced 3 watts of electrical power per kilogram, while Voyager 1's MHW-RTG in 1977 produced 4.2 watts of electrical power per kilogram, and the more modern GPHS-RTG used since 1989's Galileo produces 5.4 watts per kilogram. In fact, Voyager 1 is still producing more electrical power per kilogram of power source mass than a BES-5, after 44 years of the RTG decaying (it's around 3.1-3.2 watts per kilogram).

It also needed very highly enriched uranium (90+%). I'd question the availability of that fuel in the T2K world, and it's one reason such a reactor would be unlikely to see terrestrial civilian use in our world, as it would be a target for actors (both state and non-state) seeking enriched fuel for their own purposes.

With all that said, it is a good McGuffin for a campaign. There was also a 1973 launch failure that dropped a reactor into the Pacific Ocean north of Japan, but I don't know details beyond that.

[Raellus]

I find this somewhat amusing, because the BES-5 had lower power density than some RTG systems - it produced 3 watts of electrical power per kilogram, while Voyager 1's MHW-RTG in 1977 produced 4.2 watts of electrical power per kilogram, and the more modern GPHS-RTG used since 1989's Galileo produces 5.4 watts per kilogram. In fact, Voyager 1 is still producing more electrical power per kilogram of power source mass than a BES-5, after 44 years of the RTG decaying (it's around 3.1-3.2 watts per kilogram).

It also needed very highly enriched uranium (90+%). I'd question the availability of that fuel in the T2K world, and it's one reason such a reactor would be unlikely to see terrestrial civilian use in our world, as it would be a target for actors (both state and non-state) seeking enriched fuel for their own purposes.

Your knowledge of nuclear science is impressive. I wish the scientist featured in the show had been a little bit more specific regarding how he hoped this particular compact reactor would help him develop safe nuclear power for up to 150k households. They didn't go any further than that, really.

But yeah, maybe the T2k hook here is, "Rumor has it, Bad Actor X is trying to find nuclear material from Kosmos 954 for nefarious purpose Y; we can't let him get to it first."

That could make for a decent, race against time, wilderness trek/survival, small unit combat type mini-campaign.

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