Yes, you read that headline correctly.
State papers declassified under the thirty-year rule show that Ireland was potentially looking at a nuclear catastrophe in the form of a failing satellite, operated by the Soviet Union.
According to the papers, there was a slim chance - 1 in 10,000 - that the nuclear-powered satellite could crash somewhere in Ireland and cause a national disaster.
The Soviet embassy was pretty much tight-lipped about the whole thing and said that the satellite was working just fine.
Sort of like that scene in The Hunt For Red October when Joss Ackland said there was no nuclear submarine missing. He was the baddie in Lethal Weapon 2, as well. Just FYI.
Meanwhile, the US embassy said the reports were accurate and offered assistance to any country in which the satellite landed.
State papers also suggested that Ireland would seek compensation from the Soviets if it landed on Irish soil.
In the end, the satellite landed just off the coast of Brazil and Ireland didn't get to sue the Soviets for damage from space.
Man, the 1980's was a weird time.
