Satellite Imagery and the Chernobyl Incident

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Satellite Imagery and the Chernobyl Incident

• Clara Gillispie
• STIA-475
• Nov 13, 2006

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Overview

• On April 26, 1986, the Soviet nuclear power plant
  at Chernobyl suffered an explosion in reactor 4
  that led to a devastating meltdown.
• In reaction, the government of the USSR made
  every attempt to limit knowledge about the scope
  of the catastrophe
• restricted journalists access to Chernobyl
• blocked hospitals from recording causes of death
  that could be linked to the meltdown
• denied rumors about the disaster.
• Ultimately, however, such efforts had to be
  largely abandoned when a French satellite known
  as Satellite Probatoire de L-Observation de la
  Terre (SPOT) captured and disseminated images
  of the meltdown.
• By increasing the volume of information available
  about the Chernobyl incident,
• SPOT satellite imagery reshaped the context in
  which the Soviet Union, the West,
• and others could act helping to both resolve
  and exacerbate problems arising
• from coming to terms with the disaster.

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Satellite Imagery and the Soviet Government

• SPOT impacted the ways in which the Soviet Union
  could deal with the problem privately.
• Satellite imagery moved first-hand information
  out of the USSR and into the international arena,
  giving journalists, Western governments, and the
  IAEA credible information that directly
  contradicted Soviet assertions.
• Such information was critical, as the radiation
  had spread to other countries and required some
  kind of informed, international response.
• By the time the photos were released, many
  Western media outlets had already begun to
  speculate about what was going on inside of the
  USSR
• SPOTs photos gave confirmation of the truth of
  the matter, while also checking some of the more
  exaggerated and terrifying rumors.

--- One of the meltdown images captured by SPOT
---
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Further Consequences of Dissemination

• SPOTs images indirectly impacted the Soviet
  domestic scene, as some citizens caught wind of
  SPOTs revelations from radios that were able to
  pick up foreign media.
• Combining this with the responses from the
  international community, complete and total
  denial was effectively unusable as a successful
  damage-control tool, pushing the Soviet Union
  into responding with some truths, in order to
  maintain their ability to spin the issue.

Closer image of the disaster (not from SPOT)
Thus SPOT satellite imagery not only provided
answers about what was going on, but would also
create a basis of understanding that would be
vital to any responsive efforts from the IAEA.
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Impacts on Other Countries

• France
• In revealing information about a nuclear disaster
  in a close neighbor, France also suggested
  something about their own internal ramifications,
  namely that if the disaster was as profound as
  Frances satellites suggested, then it was
  unlikely that none of the fallout had gone into
  France.
• By revealing these images, Frances government
  hurt its own damage control by undermining claims
  that the increase in certain types of cancers was
  not caused by radiation.
• United States
• The release of SPOTs images also created new
  concerns for national security.
• The precedent set by SPOTs release of satellite
  photos implies that if a country is unable to
  block a foreign satellite from releasing
  sensitive photos, that foreign satellite could be
  capable of releasing almost any kind of
  information
• military base locations
• weapon specifications
• even troop movements.
• Key concern for other powers as well

Key lessons about SPOT for other countries What your IT reveals about other countries can reveal something about you as well IT can allow other countries to make determinations about your national security
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Negative Consequences of SPOTs images

• At the same time, SPOT satellite imagery also
• exacerbated the problem of accurately
• comprehending the impact of the Chernobyl
• crisis
• Though SPOTs images did depict what was going on
  at the Chernobyl power plant, these images
  required analysis and interpretation.
• Consequently, while the existence of the photos
  eliminated some rumors, misinterpretations of
  these photos added to the panic and confusion
  surrounding the incident, by suggesting that the
  disaster was more severe than it actually was.
• As a result, SPOTs information was ultimately
• capable of sending signals that both downplayed
• the need for panic and increased the need to
• alarm.

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Some Final Thoughts Important Distinctions to
Understand

• The impact that SPOTs images were able to have
  was made possible by an overlap of different
  information technologies
• ex radio and television as means of
  disseminating the intelligence found by SPOT
• The dissemination of SPOTs images did not result
  in complete information about the Chernobyl
  disaster, nor did it force total honesty from
  those responding to the crisis.
• Even more telling, SPOTs ability to uncover
  deception did keep the Soviet Union from
  attempting future deceptions.
• The information contained in the satellite images
  was not readily apparent
• It required interpretation and analysis
  processes which were capable of misunderstanding
  the data and creating false assumptions about the
  crisis