This is an update to last Friday's email (see 8/28/15 news item below) regarding the schedule of September activities. The reported Department of Homeland Security fly-over of the RFS will take place tomorrow afternoon Wednesday September 2, 2015. The helicopter will do a fly-over of the Berkeley campus in the morning and then travel to the RFS in the afternoon.
The U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) describes the flyovers as follows: A NNSA helicopter may be seen flying at low altitudes around the California Bay Area from September 1- 6, 2015. The purpose of the flyovers is to measure naturally occurring background radiation. A twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter, operated by the Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measuring System in Las Vegas, Nevada will be equipped with gamma radiation sensing technology. The helicopter will fly in a grid pattern over the area at 300 feet (or higher) above the ground surface, at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour. The flights will take place over various portions of the Northern California metropolitan areas. The flyovers are part of a research project sponsored by the DHS Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO). The background data will be used by DNDO to improve aerial radiation measurement capabilities used by local, state, and federal entities.
See also the following September 1, 2015 Campus News item: http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/09/01/helicopter-campus-flyover-to-measure...
and the Berkeleyside news story for a photo of the helicopter and more information about the flyovers at: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/08/31/low-flying-helicopter-to-measure-...