The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it will begin deploying a gamma ray-reading drone to monitor former uranium mining and processing sites in Central Asia. The airborne surveys will permit accurate analysis of the radioactive zones that human researchers have had to wade through until now.
Radiation-reading drone to over-fly contaminated areas
The global nuclear authority said it will start flying the specially equipped drone in missions over radioactive sites in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The areas were all used for uranium extraction and preparation purposes during the Soviet era, but have since been undergoing remediation efforts. The uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) will carry a new generation gamma spectrometer that can take accurate radiation readings from above ground level, and spare human researchers the slog out to often remote areas for what has been manual readings.
“(E)xperts in Central Asia monitor these sites for…
