Message posted by Griffon_314 on November 01, 2015 at 11:59:05 PST:
In addition to being prohibited by treaty, putting nuclear weapons in space is also a bad idea from an engineering perspective. Almost all of the energy you have to put into orbiting the weapon, NEEDS TO BE COUNTERACTED TO DEORBIT IT - at least, to do so with any accuracy. So now its a weapon PLUS a big thruster and fuel for the thruster. Then add the risks associated with malfunctions getting them into orbit ("oops - terribly sorry - turbopump failed and we dropped a live nuke onto your country - it has broken into radioactive debris scattered across your territory - very sorry"), on-orbit malfunctions, collisions, and of course how the hell do you get rid of them when they reach the end of their useful life (nuclear weapon cores have limited lifespans). Its not just a bad idea - it's a truly terrible idea.
In Reply to: Re: Air Force picks Northrop Grumman to build next big bomber posted by gordy on October 28, 2015 at 15:36:24 PST:
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