Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1977-1980, 1994 (Creation)
- Creator
- Morrison, C.A., 1936-1990
Physical description area
Physical description
1.49 m of textual records
5 cm of printing plates of photographs
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
C.A. Morrison (1936-1990) was an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Forces from 1959 to 1980. From 1978 to 1980, he worked as an historian at the Directorate of History, and was responsible for the production of the official historical narrative of Operation Morning Light, the operation to recover debris from the crashed Soviet surveillance satellite Kosmos 954.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of documents collected and annotated by Capt. C.A. Morrison on Operation Morning Light. Includes a narrative prepared by him. There are 5 series.
Series 1: Flight Records (9 fonds)
Series 2: General Files (6 fonds)
Series 3: Official History (5 fonds)
Series 4: Operation and Daily Logs (3 fonds)
Series 5: Reports (6 fonds)
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
The immediate sources of acquisition is described at the series level.
Arrangement
Language of material
- англійська
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Two files in Series 3 are Classified: 79/686 and 80/100 are Confidential. File 79/30 under series 3 is Protected “B” An unclassified version available. File 79/377 Folder 15 in Series 3 is Secret. The remaining files are unclassified.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Copies of the finding aid are located in the Reading Room at the Directorate of History and Heritage. Electronic copies are also available.
Associated materials
Accruals
Further accruals are not expected.
General note
Operation Morning Light was the name given to the retrieval of radioactive debris from the Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954 that accidentally crashed over northern Canada on January 24, 1978. As part of the Soviet Union’s Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (RORSAT) program, Cosmos 954’s function was to survey ocean traffic. The cause of Cosmos 954’s crash was due to the design of its low orbit radar that made contact with earth’s atmosphere, ultimately dragging it down. Though Soviet engineers built in safety measures for the satellite, they lost control of it in mid-December of 1977. Pieces of the radioactive material covered a total area of 124,000 square kilometers, spanning across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The cleanup began January 24, 1978 and ended October 15, 1978.
General note
Researchers should cite the Document Collection reference number and not the 2017/15 reference number.
General note
The files for the entire fonds can be found in the Document Collection filed separately under their reference number.
General note
The printing plates of photographs can be found in Series 2 under 85/459.
General note
Series 1 consists of 79/358, 79/359, 79/360, 79/361, 79/362, 79/363, 79/366, 79/367 and 79/628.
Series 2 consists of 79/374, 79/468, 79/470, 79/472, 79/528 and 85/459.
Series 3 consists of 78/481, 79/30, 79/377, 79/686 and 80/100.
Series 4 consists of 79/422, 79/423 and 79/452.
Series 5 consists of 79/356, 79/371, 79/372, 79/375, 79/421 and 79/568.