Shoebox-Sized Satellite To Expose Hidden Nuclear Weapons In Space Announced

Nuclear physicist Areg Danagoulian of MIT announced a proposal for a shoebox sized satellite that could detect hidden nuclear weapons in orbit. Danagoulian reports July 8 in Nature that the inspector satellite could cozy up to a suspicious spacecraft and detect neutrons produced when high energy protons in the vicinity crashed into the weapon. Simulations suggest the inspecting satellite could identify a thermonuclear weapon 4 kilometers away after shadowing its target for about a week. With an even closer approach or with multiple inspector satellites the measurement could be made in just hours in a single pass. The technique would outfit a small satellite with detectors to spot neutrons coming from the direction of the target satellite. Additional detectors would weed out signals from protons and electrons. The proposal addresses verification for the prohibition on nuclear weapons in space.