Because they do not burn oxygen from the air, ballistic missiles can fly beyond earth’s atmosphere. Long range ballistic missiles spend a majority of their flight time in the vaccum of space. Short-range ballistic missiles, because they can fly where there is little or no air resistance, can reach speeds up to 20 or more times the speed of sound—some 15,000 miles per hour (7km/sec)—speeds which allow ballistic missiles to go between continents. A missile is called ballistic because, just as one would throw a ball or spear, the rocket’s engine gives the missile an initial push, after which its flight is affected only by gravity. Ballistic missiles do not fly. They go up, and they come down.
Ballistic missiles are not to be confused with cruise missiles. The former are unmanned projectiles; the latter are pilotless airplanes, either remote controlled or pre-programmed. They fly through the air, and only through the air. The engines of cruise missiles, like those of aircraft, burn oxygen from the air. Like all other kinds of aircraft, cruise missiles are held up by the flow of air over their wings. Their engines work throughout the flight, not just at the beginning. Cruise missiles fly horizontally rather than in arches, reach only about twice the speed of sound, and typically travel from tens to hundreds of miles. More here:
Ballistic missiles are not to be confused with cruise missiles. The former are unmanned projectiles; the latter are pilotless airplanes, either remote controlled or pre-programmed. They fly through the air, and only through the air. The engines of cruise missiles, like those of aircraft, burn oxygen from the air. Like all other kinds of aircraft, cruise missiles are held up by the flow of air over their wings. Their engines work throughout the flight, not just at the beginning. Cruise missiles fly horizontally rather than in arches, reach only about twice the speed of sound, and typically travel from tens to hundreds of miles. More here:
The thing that got me thinking about this was this article:
In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Adm. Timothy Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Commands, said that the military is prepared to shoot down any North Korean ballistic missile -- if President Obama should give the order.
"If a missile leaves the launch pad we'll be prepared to respond upon direction of the president," Keating told ABC News. "I'm not a betting man but I'd go like 60/40, 70/30 that it will, they will attempt to launch a satellite. There's equipment moving up there that would indicate the preliminary stages of preparation for a launch. So I'd say it's more than less likely." More here:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment