Re: [californiadisasters] Pentagon Has 'No Clue' Who Launched SoCal Missile

To echo others:

That would be my belief, except that this excludes the possibility
(likelihood) that there were no safeguards such as a self-destruct mechanism
to destroy the whole thing or the warheads in space/enroute.

As I say, very safe. Nothing like "Dr. Strangelove".

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Noyes" <kimnoyes@gmail.com>
To: <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 6:08 PM
Subject: Re: [californiadisasters] Pentagon Has 'No Clue' Who Launched SoCal
Missile

> So if a sub-based ICBM with twelve warheads each able to essentially take
> out a city were to accidentally launch the warheads would be delivered to
> their targets but not detonate?
>
> Kimmer
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 5:46 PM, newnethboy <kef413@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Kim Noyes" <kimnoyes@gmail.com <kimnoyes%40gmail.com>>
> > To:
<californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com<californiadisasters%40yahoogroups.com>
> > >
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 3:47 PM
> > Subject: Re: [californiadisasters] Pentagon Has 'No Clue' Who Launched
> > SoCal
> > Missile
> >
> > :
> > :
> > :
> > > However, there is still the possibility of an errant launch by us that
> > they
> > > are not prepared to talk about yet but if that were the case it would
> > > probably have a nuke on it and something in Russia would have gone
> > bye-bye
> > > by now.
> >
> > Not so. Any ordnance, nuke or otherwise, is quite secured against
> > exploding,
> > even after launch. Non-classified example: A standard 750 lb bomb is a
> > metal
> > casing filled with a quite powerful but quite insensitive explosive.
When
> > assembled, there is a "booster-adapter" screwed into the front of it,
which
> > contains an explosive that isn't as powerful but is more sensitive. Into
> > the
> > booster-adapter is screwed a "fuse", which contains a lot of "works",
but
> > only a little bit of explosive. The works is operated by a propeller and
> > the
> > "safety" is wound out of the way of the pin that upon impact strikes the
> > fuse's explosive and detonates it, causing the booster-adapter to
detonate,
> > which causes the bomb to explode.
> >
> > While hanging on the airplane, the propeller is held in place by a
safety
> > wire. To release (drop) the bomb, the pilot or bombardier must
accomplish
> > two separate actions to drop the bomb while holding the safety wire.
Then
> > the propeller must spin its full travel and the tip of the bomb must hit
> > something. There are very few cases where a bomb that was not armed
> > exploded
> > upon impact (too many cases where a bomb was dropped accidentally).
> >
> > I can assure you that the nukes are much safer than a 750-pounder.
> >
>

------------------------------------

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