Cold war secrets unearthed: NASA's rediscovery of camp century
NASA scientists have rediscovered the former military base Camp Century in Greenland. This finding was made during tests of a device used to study the interior of glaciers. Although the base's existence was no longer a secret, the advanced technology provided new insight into its structure.
According to the TVN24 portal, in April, NASA scientists, while testing new radar technology, inadvertently discovered the former military base Camp Century beneath Greenland's ice. The base, constructed during the Cold War, was part of the Iceworm project, which aimed to establish a network of bases equipped with nuclear weapons.
Initially, we didn't realize what it was. We were searching for the bottom of the glacier, and suddenly Camp Century emerged - said Alex Gardner, one of the scientists involved in the project, as quoted by TVN24.
Known as the "city under the ice," the complex consists of a network of tunnels carved into the ice sheet. Camp Century, built in 1960, housed a permanent staff of 200 people and was fitted with amenities such as a cinema, gym, and library. The scientific research conducted there over five years provided invaluable data for climatologists.
According to CBS News, the base was abandoned in 1967 and gradually submerged under accumulating snow and ice. The decision to abandon the base was based on maintenance challenges and the potential risk of environmental contamination.
New technology allowed for a closer look inside
The new UAVSAR technology enabled detailed imaging of the base's structure, which was previously unachievable. The radar identified the object about 240 kilometres east of Thule Air Base. Previously, the base had only been detected as an anomaly in measurements.
In the new data, individual structures within the secret city are visible in ways they have never been before — said Greene, who works with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Previous scans utilized radar directed straight down to the ground, providing a two-dimensional scan of buried structures. Greene's flight employed synthetic aperture radar, which creates maps with "greater dimensionality." NASA's discovery demonstrates how technology can uncover hidden secrets from the past.
