Radiological alarm

A radiological alarm is a special sensor aboard a battlestar and its fighters or other Colonial support vessel that detects the unique and powerful radiation signature of a nuclear device, particularly that of a nuclear weapon such as a missile. On battlestar Galactica, any radiation detection and corrosponding alarms appear to be tied into the central communications console at Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla's station in the Combat Information CenterTemplate:Ref. It is likely that the detector is tuned to detect plutonium radiation frequently used on nuclear weapons used by Cylon fighters and basestars.

While it is likely that a battlestar has its own radiation detector, the radiation detection process appears to be greatly extendable throughout wireless telemetry from a battlestar's Viper or Raptor intercepts, which have radiological detectors/alarms as well. When a Viper or Raptor detects a radiation signature, that information appears to be immediately relayed by the craft's wireless telemetry back to the home battlestarTemplate:Ref. This method of detection in using Colonial fighters and support craft creates an effective method against the likelihood of a Cylon nuclear sneak attack against the Fleet. It's likely that the radiation detection sweep is maintained at all times through the Combat Air Patrol during Condition Three threat levels.

It appears that radiological sensors are either tuned to ignore certain devices with nuclear material, or sensors or sweeps to detect radiological dangers are not always present in a battlestar. When a Demand Peace member is released from Galactica's brig (Black Market), he smuggles away one of the battlestar's nuclear warheads, given to him by Gaius Baltar (who, in turn, receives it from Commander Adama for use in building his Cylon detector).

Despite the transfer of that warhead off-ship to Cloud Nine (where it's eventually detonated by Cylon agent Gina), the battlestar's command is unaware of its removal from the ship until the explosion. As the device was indeed one of Galactica's weapons, either the radiological detection process is not done within the ship, the weapon was somehow shielded, or the sensors may be told to ignore warheads with a specific radiation signature or tracking signal.

Similarly, the plot of "Flesh and Bone" hinged around a Leoben Conoy copy claiming that he had planted a nuclear bomb somewhere in the Fleet, and it was stated that Starbuck had to interogate him because Galactica and her Raptors could not scan the entire fleet within so short a timespan. Taken together, this would seem to indicate that a radiolotical alarm is not as broad in scan as DRADIS, but instead the crew has to know what to scan. New Cylon contacts would logically be scanned immediately for nukes, as would the Olympic Carrier by Galactica because its return was under dubious circumstances.

Sources

1. Template:Note In the Miniseries, Dualla receives a radiological alarm moments before Lieutenant Thrace destroys a Cylon Raider and two of the three nuclear-tipped missiles that it launches during the first dogfight for Galactica in the Cylon attack. Given that many other missiles were fired at Galactica at the time, it reasons well that Starbuck's Viper identified the specific Raider with the radiation signature through her in-flight instruments, and her Viper relayed this data back to Galactica and to Dualla's station.
2. Template:Note This sequence of events from "33" supports radiological detection via wireless telemetry from interceptors:

Aboard Raptor 478, accompanying Viper pilots Apollo and Starbuck:

Crashdown: Cylons o­n intercept course. They'll be in weapons range, within...two minutes. Oh, frak me--radiological alarm!

Aboard Galactica, in the CIC, seconds later

Dualla: Radiological alarm!

Colonel Tigh: From where?

Dualla: The Olympic Carrier, sir. They've got nukes o­nboard.

Re-imagined Series definition: Colonial equivalent of radio