From: Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@turbont.net)
Date: Fri Jul 21 2000 - 15:16:49 MDT
"Ross A. Finlayson" wrote:
>
>
> Moscow is supposed to have an anti-missile system, I don't know if it is ever tested.
> Matthias Rust flew right into Red Square, no? This was known to the rest of the world, and
> wasn't really a big deal.
Matthias flew in at just above treetop level, something their
anti-missile system is not capable of dealing with. The national
perimeter radars SHOULD have spotted him, over the Baltic Sea, but the
men occupying them were likely too drunk at the time to notice, or care.
Having been in the bunkers of our own NORAD radar systems (the enlistees
who watch the radar screens are called 'scope dopes') I know we can spot
low level planes pretty well, even small ones. If they don't respond
with a proper IFF code, and don't respond to a radio hail, interceptors
go up to check them out. Usually its an idiot whose radio is off or dead
or non-existent in a civil aircraft. Occasionally, its a drug smuggler,
who will get dropped in the drink if he does not land as commanded. Once
in a great while, its a Russian Bear Bomber (don't know if they still
fly today, but they were the primary means for Russian spies in Silicon
Valley to radio out intelligence data in the 80's outside of 'fishing
trawlers' on the west coast) flying off the coast.
>
> My advice: drive friendly.
>
> About the lasers I think you can adjust the frequency to make them non-visible or something,
> ablative and reflective materials would still be effective laser retardant. How about a
> magnetic tube focussing a plasma burst from a tokamak, except it would diffuse when it got
> past the containment.
Any amount of ablation will turn to plasma rather quickly from laser
hits, and will act as thrusters to destabilize the MIRV. If it tumbles,
it burns up.
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