3 ms·
How accurate can it be - or does it only work when there is almost no wind? Also, isn't there a maximum velocity based on air drag - if so, can something simila
by sebazzz 8y ago
How accurate can it be - or does it only work when there is almost no wind? Also, isn't there a maximum velocity based on air drag - if so, can something similar not be dropped from a plane?
- stouset 8y agoRod-shaped means very little drag. And at the speeds that would produce such an energetic effect, wind isn’t going to cause much drift.
- tgtweak 8y agoI'd imagine at that speed (mach 8) it spends only a few short seconds in the part of the atmosphere that is dense enough to cause it to deviate from wind. Maybe a few metres? The thing I was more curious about is how they drop it from non-geostationary orbit and still have it entering the atmosphere and landing at the right place.
- Phlarp 8y agoIt would need a precise retrograde burn at a precise orbital location. This means it will be slower than surface based nukes and have a highly variable time to target. At a low orbit this could be 90 minutes, at geostationary orbit it could be almost a day, but it will always vary based on the location of the target and the weapons orbital position when the order is issued.
- tgtweak 8y agoI think they'd just get very strategic about the direction they launch it from the satellite. They mentioned 15 minutes in the article but that would require multiple satellites in the sky. The idea of putting rocketry and guidance systems omboard seems plausible too.
- Phlarp 8y agoYou can't deorbit something just by "dropping" it from a satellite. If you want to target a single "rod" they would need independent onboard guidance and propulsion.
- tropo 8y agoA better orbit is retrograde solar, just inside or outside the Earth's orbit. With 183 of them in orbit, one would pass by the Earth every day. With a week or so advance notice, aiming would be easy.