From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Fri Jul 28 2000 - 18:43:19 MDT
"Michael S. Lorrey" wrote:
> Spudboy100@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > I wonder if a plasma "field" could somehow be used to deflect ICBM's and
> > MIRV-ed warheads?
>
> Things that make you go HMMMM. Depending on the energy density, such fields
> should act on objects in hypersonic trajectories as any high energy shock wave
> does when struck by hypersonic objects. Spike ought to be able to calculate some
> figures here.
A ballistic reentry body would punch right thru it. In fact, current reentry
bodies *do* penetrate a high energy density plasma field, in a sense: a
shock wave forms a cone in front of the vehicle, a shock wave intense
enough that the atmosphere behind the shock wave is ionized so completely
a plasma develops, along with the associated radiation. So one
could argue the last 89 reentry bodies in a row have successfully
punched thru a plasma field, altho the first several were all unsuccessful... spike
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