LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – As law enforcement gets ready for America’s biggest party on New Year’s Eve, safety is top of mind for every one.
Besides having boots on the ground on New Year’s Eve, helicopters will be flying over the Las Vegas Strip to measure radiation.
This is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Their helicopters will fly over the Las Vegas Strip on Dec. 29th and Dec. 31st to detect any suspicious radiation, and to monitor buildings that could be in the way of their flight path.
“We can actually tell the difference between different construction materials. When buildings are torn down and rebuilt, sometimes we can actually see that on our maps,” Dr. Mark Norsworthy, manager for Aerial Measuring System Program.
Norsworthy and his partner Mike Toland, also a manager will be flying off from North Las Vegas Airport to detect the radiation.
“You’ll see us flying between buildings, but that’s all very important. If we don’t do those things if we don’t fly where we need to fly, that means we may not see something that we need to find. So that’s the purpose of our flight and why we fly in the way we do,” Toland said.
The choppers will be flying as low as 300 feet above ground.
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