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kleinbl00 · 1711 days ago · link · · parent · post: Russian nuclear agency confirms role in rocket test explosion
The tricky thing is if we're talking about a radioisotope source used to power an aircraft, and if that radioisotope source experienced, erm, violent dispersion due to any number of factors involved in propulsion and energy generation, then your radioisotope source is likely to be distributed over a formidable area. Columbia was 39 miles up and traveling at about 12,000 mph when it ceased to be an aircraft so we're not talking about that level of dispersion, but we're also not talking about a gopher hole full of strontium 90. Goiania was 93 grams of medical isotopes and involved health checks for a quarter million people. It was also distributed by thieves, not physics.