“Unraveling the Mysteries: How Fire, Ice, and Plutonium Could Redefine Our Understanding of the Universe”
This infrastructure allowed for 24-hour operations – a vital capability as the rapidly-approached spring thaw threatened to release the trapped contaminants into the bay.
Four days after the crash, a “zero line” was established around the crash site outside of which no significant radioactive contamination could be detected. This was used throughout the operation as a decontamination checkpoint; all men and vehicles crossing the line were decontaminated by scrubbing them down with water or by removing their protective clothing, which was then packed into containers for disposal. Biological uptake of radioactive material was also monitored via nose swabs and urine samples, though according to official reports none showed plutonium contamination above acceptable levels. However, many personnel who participated in Project Crested Ice later claimed that few such precautions were taken, and that they suffered lifelong health issues as a result- but more on that later.
Phase I of the operation – removal of all debris not embedded in the ice – was underway by mid-February and was completed within a month, whereupon Phase II – removal of contaminated snow and ice – began. Graders and other heavy equipment was used to scrape off the top blackened layer of ice and dump it into wooden boxes, which were then transported to a special area of Thule Air Base known as the “tank farm”. Here, the contaminated material was transferred into more robust metal containers for temporary storage and eventual transportation back to the United States. Clear weather allowed for speedy progress, but perpetual winter darkness, temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius and high winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour caused endless problems, including constant breakdowns of heavy equipment and radiation monitoring instruments. Indeed, one of the three daily work shifts had to be devoted entirely to keeping this equipment up and running. Yet despite these challenges, Operation Crested Ice succeeded in collecting more than 400 cubic metres of contaminated snow and ice, which were packed into 11 large fuel tanks, 14 engine containers, and 163 50-gallon fuel drums. These and the collected aircraft debris were gradually shipped back to the United States, with most of the contaminated water being sent to the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina for permanent storage and the recovered hydrogen bomb components to the Pantex nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility near Amarillo,Texas. According to contemporary estimates, this material accounted for nearly 93% of the total contamination at the site – even better than the operation planners had hoped for.
