At 11:26 PM 7/15/01 -0500 Ronn Blankenship wrote:
><http://www.msnbc.com/news/599472.asp>
><http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,29558,00.html>
I did not read these specific stories, but I think the preliminary results
of the most recent test deserve at least a mention here.
In case you haven't mentioned, yesterday the United States launched an
unarmed missile at an unspecified time within a given range. Accordingly,
operators launched an interceptor. This interceptor distinguished the
missile from a decoy designed to have an identical heat signature as the
missile, and knocked the missile from space 140 miles above the Earth's
surface.
IMHO, this is nothing short of spectacular feat of human engineering. As
has been said many times early, its like hitting a bullet with a bullet
from a tremendous distance.
Sure, this test proves nothing by itself. After all, even a confused
interceptor had a 50-50 chance of picking the right target. Likewise, an
array of decoys will likely be a bit more troublesome than a single decoy.
Nevertheless, I have to say that I would feel much better with even this
very crude system at our disposal, "just in case." Given the state of
Russia these days, an accidental launch can hardly be ruled out, and this
system would be a most welcome insurance system for that possibility alone.
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
