The fact that this thing failed is one thing. But the fact that it could be successful is damn right scary.
This missile has been code-named Skyfall by NATO. And seems to have spiked some interest in that it’s still being tested after several failures.
The Skyfall has unlimited range, and therefore, has unlimited paths to take to a target…want to hit Washington from Moscow? No problem. It could fly to the horn of Africa, Crisscross the Atlantic, fly up the coast. Its defenses against counter measures? Speed and ever changing pathways.
The problem, control the very tiny reactor without it melting down.
That’s what happened during this test. The thing melted down. Creating a radiation spike before being brought under control. Not before killing 5 of 8 scientists working on it.
Is this a new step in our arms race? Is this even possible?
There was extensive research in this area by NASA and non-NASA governmental entities in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but the research was cancelled as non-feasible by 1980. It never went beyond the theoretical. Our overall technology was not close to being able to support it.
Research has resumed in recent years, though I don’t think we have yet progressed to the experimental prototype stage.
But as with the Russians, this is highly dangerous stuff and we will likely lose lives along the way at some point with this.
Read about the Supercavitating Shkval torpedo they have that goes 230 mph by enveloping itself underwater in a gas bubble. Sounds like something from a movie but is real.
if one of our orbiting satellites locks its targeting on the incoming missile and fires a laser at the rocket, will that rocket have time to change course before the laser burns a hole through it?
or was that simply to make popcorn in the professor’s house?
