In a week we will get an opportunity seldom enjoyed by us: a
direct test of a concept we have been debating. Next Friday
there will be an attempted intercept of a missile with a missile.
Nowthen, I will make the following speculation: if the intercept
fails, it will make jubilant headlines on the front page of the
San Jose Mercury News. If on the other hand the intercept
succeeds, this same organization will mumble a few lines buried
deep within, altho either outcome is equally news-worthy.
This I predict in spite of my scolding I gave them over unbalanced
treatment of news stories.
Anyone wish to speculate on the outcome? I predict a hit.
Heres part of what the Post had to say:
On July 7, an interceptor launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific
will attempt to knock down a dummy warhead fired from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California. Key factors in the test include not only the
ability of the "kill vehicle" to hit the dummy 144 miles above the Earth
at a combined speed of 12,000 miles per hour, but also the ability of
early-warning satellites to detect the launch and convey that information
to a command and control center, which in turn sends the data to Kwajalein.
(Washington Post)
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