Unsung Hero
Apr. 24th, 2003 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursangnomeSeems that there's someone we ought to thank...
On September 26, 1983, 12:40 AM, the world nearly ended.
Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was stationed in a bunker south of Moscow. His job was to monitor, verify, and report on missile launches from the United States of America. That night, a Soviet Oko satellite detected a missile launch from Malmstrom AirForce Base in Montana, the main U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) field.
Petrov hesitated.
Minutes later, his equipment registered more launches. His instruments told him a total of five missiles were headed for Soviet territory. He had about ten minutes to decide the fate of the world.
If Petrov had informed the Politburo, as was his duty, he expected their response would be to launch an attack of their own. But Petrov had a strong suspicion that something was amiss. Who would launch a first strike with only five missiles? Petrov staked the fate of his nation on that suspicion. Good thing for us.
Bad thing for Petrov. Later, his conduct during the incident was investigated. He was forced into early retirement, and later suffered a nervous breakdown.
No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. Eventually, the error was traced to a fault in the Oko Satellite, which had been rushed into service. Under particular atmospheric conditions could register a false launch.
You can read about Lt. Col. Petrov in the Washington Post, and from the BBC News.
On September 26, 1983, 12:40 AM, the world nearly ended.
Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was stationed in a bunker south of Moscow. His job was to monitor, verify, and report on missile launches from the United States of America. That night, a Soviet Oko satellite detected a missile launch from Malmstrom AirForce Base in Montana, the main U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) field.
Petrov hesitated.
Minutes later, his equipment registered more launches. His instruments told him a total of five missiles were headed for Soviet territory. He had about ten minutes to decide the fate of the world.
If Petrov had informed the Politburo, as was his duty, he expected their response would be to launch an attack of their own. But Petrov had a strong suspicion that something was amiss. Who would launch a first strike with only five missiles? Petrov staked the fate of his nation on that suspicion. Good thing for us.
Bad thing for Petrov. Later, his conduct during the incident was investigated. He was forced into early retirement, and later suffered a nervous breakdown.
No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. Eventually, the error was traced to a fault in the Oko Satellite, which had been rushed into service. Under particular atmospheric conditions could register a false launch.
You can read about Lt. Col. Petrov in the Washington Post, and from the BBC News.
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Date: 2003-04-25 10:16 am (UTC)