05 Apr 13
If a nation has the proven capability to build and detonate nuclear bombs how hard is it to make them small enough to put on a rocket?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9738806/North-Korea-rocket-launch-satellite-successfully-sent-into-orbit.html
Once a nuclear bomb is put into orbit how hard is it to drop it from orbit to the mainland USA to detonate?
05 Apr 13
Originally posted by twhiteheadI was thinking the same thing. Just because the DPRK had one successful launch does not indicate that the next one would be successful either, but they might be desperate enough to try given how things are going.
I would say the hardest part would be ensuring that it doesn't detonate upon launch failure. Even if only 1 in 100 launches are unsuccessful, you don't want a 1 in 100 chance of blowing yourselves up with a nuclear weapon.
05 Apr 13
Originally posted by Metal BrainHow are things going? Would they go better if they launched a nuke? I would think that launching a nuke in today's world would be suicide. I certainly don't think that launching a nuke would get anyone to pay them a ransom or remove sanctions or anything else that might be beneficial to them. Even threatening nukes has harmed them. It must be noted that some harm, can be perceived as beneficial to the ruling class - which is why they do the threatening. Zimbabwe went through something similar where the rulers totally destroyed their country just to they could stay in power (and benefit personally for the short term).
I was thinking the same thing. Just because the DPRK had one successful launch does not indicate that the next one would be successful either, but they might be desperate enough to try given how things are going.
05 Apr 13
2 edits
Originally posted by twhiteheadI think the primary reason the DPRK is doing this is to stop the USA/South Korea joint military drills from being done very close to their country. It is not an unreasonable request to ask that they be done further south. The USA didn't like the USSR putting nuclear missiles in Cuba and the response was the USA putting missiles in Turkey.
How are things going? Would they go better if they launched a nuke? I would think that launching a nuke in today's world would be suicide. I certainly don't think that launching a nuke would get anyone to pay them a ransom or remove sanctions or anything else that might be beneficial to them. Even threatening nukes has harmed them. It must be noted that s ...[text shortened]... ed their country just to they could stay in power (and benefit personally for the short term).
The USA is downplaying the DPRK's threats and saying they are not capable of delivering a nuclear armed missile to the USA mainland. I think that detonating a nuclear bomb above the USA to show they are capable would be in their best interests. It would not kill anybody and a electro-magnetic pulse would cause enough disruption that it would get the American people's attention.
Maybe then Obama will stop these foolish drills that are so close to the DPRK. So far, too few Americans are questioning Obama for poking North Korea in the eye with a stick. Americans think the DPRK is just being crazy. They don't see that those drills are too close for comfort for the DPRK and that ending them is a simple solution to all of this.
No, I don't think they should detonate a nuclear weapon on land. I do think they have good reason to threaten using them though. Not enough scrutiny is being focused on the policy of of the USA/South Korean joint military drills being done so uncomfortably close to the DPRK. Those drills should be done considerably further south. Until they are, the DPRK has every right to being bellicose.
When the USA put nuclear missiles in Turkey the USSR removed the missiles from Cuba, didn't they? The DPRK has every right to demand the same respect from the USA and asking nicely doesn't work, so that is why we get what is happening.
05 Apr 13
Originally posted by Metal BrainI am sure that they couldn't care less about that. That is just part of the bargaining process in a much more complicated political game.
I think the primary reason the DPRK is doing this is to stop the USA/South Korea joint military drills from being done very close to their country.
I think that detonating a nuclear bomb above the USA to show they are capable would be in their best interests.
Lets hope the people in charge are not as naive as you. Such an act would be suicide.
It would not kill anybody and a electro-magnetic pulse would cause enough disruption that it would get the American people's attention.
Maybe then Obama will stop these foolish drills that are so close to the DPRK.
Did 9/11 stop the US from meddling in the middle east?
A nuke over the US would result in war, which the US would no doubt win. If anybody decided to side with North Korea, China for example, it could get ugly. But there is no way that the current North Korean regime would live through whatever happened next.
06 Apr 13
1 edit
Originally posted by twhiteheadI'm sure the DPRK is bothered by the military drills very much. They are too close to their country and could easily turn into an invasion on short notice. Any country that distrusts another would be pissed about it. You seem to believe the DPRK is making a fuss about nothing. That is absurd. There is always a reason. To imply otherwise is naive.
I am sure that they couldn't care less about that. That is just part of the bargaining process in a much more complicated political game.
[b]I think that detonating a nuclear bomb above the USA to show they are capable would be in their best interests.
Lets hope the people in charge are not as naive as you. Such an act would be suicide.
Did 9/11 stop the US from meddling in the middle east?
[/b]
Those middle eastern countries didn't have nuclear weapons. If they did the USA would not invade those countries.
06 Apr 13
Originally posted by twhiteheadThat's not a worry, assuming the mad f***ers aren't using a Hiroshima type bomb then part of the arming sequence involves replacing a solid ball in the centre of the bomb with a hollow sphere containing tritium as an accelerant, until that's happened an implosion is impossible, so nothing will go wrong. Even if there was a fire after that point (or they don't bother with namby pamby safety stuff) accidental detonation of the HE which drives the implosion would tend to be asymmetric so the most likely outcome would be a radiological clean-up. There's been a number of crashes including fires involving nuclear armed aircraft, and nothing ever happened - that anyone's admitting to anyway.
I would say the hardest part would be ensuring that it doesn't detonate upon launch failure. Even if only 1 in 100 launches are unsuccessful, you don't want a 1 in 100 chance of blowing yourselves up with a nuclear weapon.
07 Apr 13
12 edits
Originally posted by Metal BrainLOL. The idiots!
North Korea appears to have a long way to go.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-12/north-koreas-satellite-tumbling-out-control
So they fire a satellite into orbit tumbling wildly totally out of control endangering other satellites!
What a hilarious shameful outrageous display of total incompetence!
LOL
I wonder what excuse they give?
I mean, how would they put a spin on this? (no pun intended)
Perhaps they would say this was a heroic deliberate attack on enemy satellites!?
08 Apr 13
Originally posted by humyThere's already so much crap up there it's hardly going to make much of a difference.
LOL. The idiots!
So they fire a satellite into orbit tumbling wildly totally out of control endangering other satellites!
What a hilarious shameful outrageous display of total incompetence!
LOL
I wonder what excuse they give?
I mean, how would they put a spin on this? (no pun intended)
Perhaps they would say this was a heroic deliberate attack on enemy satellites!?
08 Apr 13
Originally posted by humyConsidering how many US and Russian launches have failed, its really not that bad. Just getting into orbit puts you in the top 10 countries in the world. (just)
What a hilarious shameful outrageous display of total incompetence!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_first_orbital_launches_by_country