4 Jun 2010

AUSTRIA / DETECTION OF NUCLEAR TESTS

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty Organization opens a new facility in Austria to improve the detection of nuclear tests around the world. CTBTO

Posted at: June 4, 2010 3:56 pm

Duration: 02:05

Available in: SD

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STORY: AUSTRIA / DETECTION OF NUCLEAR TESTS 
TRT: 2:05
SOURCE: CTBTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 2 JUNE 2010, TRAFELBERG, AUSTRIA

1.	Wide shot, Conrad Observatory entrance with tent and satellite dishes
2.	Wide shot, bus unloading
3.	Med shot, greeting 
4.	Wide shot, people walk to infrasound station
5.	Wide shot, people walking towards camera, wind blows against umbrellas
6.	Med shot, infrasound gate is opened
7.	Wide shot, journalists enter the station facility
8.	Close up, infrasound sensor
9.	Pan right, from Infrasound station to people in background looking at borehole
10.	Zoom out, from Borehole to overlook group talking at the infrasound facility
11.	SOUNDBITE (English) Alfred Kramer, CTBTO Infrasound Technician:
"When you feel the wind here that's already air pressure moving, that's what you feel on your face. When there is a nuclear explosion the same thing happens, there is a pressure wave moving for thousands of kilometres but you don't feel it, you cannot hear it.  But we have a special sensor that can register,  that can see this  pressure wave moving through the air, so that is why we have this  very sensitive sensor, you cannot see it you cannot hear it but we can measure it here."
12.	Wide shot, infrasound array element
13.	SOUNDBITE (English) Alfred Kramer, CTBTO Infrasound Technician:
"We have a worldwide network and we are using equipment and we are using wind noise reducing systems, which means if the wind is like this we cannot see our signal so we have to reduce the wind noise.  That's why you see all the pipes here.  And the reason you see this one here is that we want to develop it further, our network, we want to improve it.  And we needed a test environment where we could easily do it.  All the stations that are already installed we are not allowed to touch, the data is forwarded to Vienna, it's very official, and you should not touch that station, but we here we can do all the tests to improve our IMS infrasound network." 
14.	Med wide shot, Closing borehole cover
15.	Wide shot, view of Conrad Observatory, bus and satellite dishes

STORYLINE:

On a remote Austrian hilltop, scientists and diplomats joined on Wednesday (2 June) to open a new facility that will help to improve the detection of nuclear tests worldwide.

The CTBTO (Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty Organization) has installed detection equipment at Austria's Conrad Observatory about one hour's drive from Vienna.

It purpose is to conduct research and development on infrasound and seismic monitoring, two of the technologies used to monitor the planet for nuclear tests.

The CTBTO is tasked with building a network of 337 facilities around the globe, to watch the world for nuclear explosions.

Infrasound arrays like these, detect ultra-low frequency sound waves inaudible to the human ear.

SOUNDBITE (English) Alfred Kramer, CTBTO Infrasound Technician:
"When you feel the wind here that's already air pressure moving, that's what you feel on your face. When there is a nuclear explosion the same thing happens, there is a pressure wave moving for thousands of kilometres but you don't feel it, you cannot hear it.  But we have a special sensor that can register,  that can see this  pressure wave moving through the air, so that is why we have this  very sensitive sensor, you cannot see it you cannot hear it but we can measure it here."

The new facility is a hands-on training ground for engineers to study and improve the technologies performance.

SOUNDBITE (English) Alfred Kramer, CTBTO Infrasound Technician:
"We have a worldwide network and we are using equipment and we are using wind noise reducing systems, which means if the wind is like this we cannot see our signal so we have to reduce the wind noise.  That's why you see all the pipes here.  And the reason you see this one here is that we want to develop it further, our network, we want to improve it.  And we needed a test environment where we could easily do it.  All the stations that are already installed we are not allowed to touch, the data is forwarded to Vienna, it's very official, and you should not touch that station, but we here we can do all the tests to improve our IMS infrasound network."

Over 40 infrasound stations around the world send data in near real time to the International Data Centre in Vienna.

The new facility will help to strengthen the performance of the CTBTO monitoring network as it watches the world for nuclear explosions.

Filed under 01.03.00 - MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY 01.04.00 - DISARMAMENT AND MILITARY QUESTIONS AUSTRIA CTBTO - Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Recent.