4 ms·

> At the most basic conceptual level, the weapon could conceivably reach supersonic speeds, fly at very low altitudes, and have effectively unlimited range than

by clon 9y ago

> At the most basic conceptual level, the weapon could conceivably reach supersonic speeds, fly at very low altitudes, and have effectively unlimited range thanks to its nuclear powerplant If the Ruskies have developed a reactionless rocket engine capable of crashing further down range than experimental error, I would keep silent as well /s

voidmain 9y ago
Reactionless? Presumably the reaction mass would be... air.
- clon 9y ago
  Oh my.. Never thought of that. Surely it does not use the atmosphere as the primary circuit coolant?
  - TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
    - behindmyscreen 9y ago
      If only there were a good way of heating the air without contaminating it with radioactive emissions. If we could figure that out, such an engine would be useful in many non war related jobs.
  - wcarss 9y ago
    That's one of the ways these could run, yes. But hopefully not the way this one is -- there are direct exchange and indirect heating methods that have been researched. Check out Project Pluto on Wikipedia [1], and the Direct Air Cycle part of the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion page [2]. From the Pluto page, "The principle behind the nuclear ramjet was relatively simple: motion of the vehicle pushed air in through the front of the vehicle (ram effect), a nuclear reactor heated the air, and then the hot air expanded at high speed out through a nozzle at the back, providing thrust." 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto 2 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion#Direct_Air_Cycle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion#... while we're at it, have a fun tangential short story by Charlie Stross about rockets, missiles, volatile oxidizers, and more, with only a touch of plausible-sounding scifi nonsense: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
roywiggins 9y ago
The "unlimited" range comes because the thing is powered by a nuclear reactor, which would run out of fuel eventually but not before reaching any point you want on Earth first. So it doesn't have a limited range in the normal sense of "how far away can I hit something?"- the answer is, as far away as you like.

by clon 9y ago

voidmain 9y ago

Reactionless? Presumably the reaction mass would be... air.

clon 9y ago
Oh my.. Never thought of that. Surely it does not use the atmosphere as the primary circuit coolant?
- TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
  - behindmyscreen 9y ago
    If only there were a good way of heating the air without contaminating it with radioactive emissions. If we could figure that out, such an engine would be useful in many non war related jobs.
- wcarss 9y ago
  That's one of the ways these could run, yes. But hopefully not the way this one is -- there are direct exchange and indirect heating methods that have been researched. Check out Project Pluto on Wikipedia [1], and the Direct Air Cycle part of the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion page [2]. From the Pluto page, "The principle behind the nuclear ramjet was relatively simple: motion of the vehicle pushed air in through the front of the vehicle (ram effect), a nuclear reactor heated the air, and then the hot air expanded at high speed out through a nozzle at the back, providing thrust." 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto 2 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion#Direct_Air_Cycle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion#... while we're at it, have a fun tangential short story by Charlie Stross about rockets, missiles, volatile oxidizers, and more, with only a touch of plausible-sounding scifi nonsense: https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/

roywiggins 9y ago

The "unlimited" range comes because the thing is powered by a nuclear reactor, which would run out of fuel eventually but not before reaching any point you want on Earth first. So it doesn't have a limited range in the normal sense of "how far away can I hit something?"- the answer is, as far away as you like.