TakeYouToTasker Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 Deserved it’s own thread. Little information, much speculation/disinformation. 2
Koko78 Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 I read about that. Interesting speculation that it was a nuclear-powered missile that blew up on them. I had no idea such a thing existed.
DC Tom Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 4 minutes ago, Koko78 said: I read about that. Interesting speculation that it was a nuclear-powered missile that blew up on them. I had no idea such a thing existed. Project Pluto. A weapons system so batshit insane, even at the heighth of atomic mania, when the were designing nuclear demolition charges for urban renewal, the USAF said "Y'know...this is too batshit insane, even for us."
Koko78 Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 28 minutes ago, DC Tom said: Project Pluto. A weapons system so batshit insane, even at the heighth of atomic mania, when the were designing nuclear demolition charges for urban renewal, the USAF said "Y'know...this is too batshit insane, even for us." Thanks. I just read up on it. Interesting idea. Batshit crazy (and fraught will all kinds of potential World War III-starting problems), but interesting.
Hedge Posted August 10, 2019 Posted August 10, 2019 Quote Russia's state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom says that a team of its employees had been working on an experimental "isotope power source" when it exploded, killing five people and injuring three more in a still very mysterious accident yesterday. The company offered no specifics about the project, but this new information, coupled with other details, suggests that this power source may be associated with a nuclear-powered cruise missile called Burevestnik that the Kremlin first announced publicly last year. ... "The tragedy happened while working with the engineering and technical support of the isotope power source in a liquid propulsion system," Rosatom's statement reads. ... The cruise missile reportedly has a nuclear-powered ramjet engine that uses rocket boosters – as seen in the video of a purported previous test of the weapon below – to get it to an optimal speed. At that point, the fast-moving air would then blow over the hot reactor, before squirting out an exhaust nozzle to generate thrust. 1
Tiberius Posted August 13, 2019 Posted August 13, 2019 Ronald Reagan's legacy is all over this. His Star Wars program scared the s h it out of the Russians and they are still trying (hopefully unsuccessfully) to defeat that perceived advantage we have.
Tiberius Posted August 13, 2019 Posted August 13, 2019 So much that is rotten in Russia Quote Tens of thousands of people protested in Moscow on Saturday, marking the fifth weekend people have rallied in the Russian city to demand fair elections. The demonstrations began in July after election officials barred opposition candidates from running for the Moscow city council, disqualifying their ballots because of what officials claimed were irregularities in the 5,000 signatures each had to gather to run. That decision — to block the opposition from participating — turned a sleepy municipal election into a political controversy that intensified amid police crackdowns against demonstrators and opposition figures. Saturday’s rally in Moscow was the largest yet, and one of the biggest political protests in Russia in years. Estimates put the crowds at about 50,000, although authorities suggested the official number was closer to 20,000. The rally was sanctioned — meaning people had a permit to protest — although police reportedly arrested about 200 people. Russians in other cities, including St. Petersburg, also joined in on the demonstrations, a sign that the unrest and dissatisfaction may extend beyond Moscow. Moscow’s municipal elections are very much the focus of these protests, but it’s hard to divorce it completely from larger political and economic issues within Russia, specifically President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime. https://www.vox.com/2019/8/13/20802093/moscow-protests-city-concil-opposition-putin
Hedge Posted August 21, 2019 Posted August 21, 2019 Russian Army Rep Warned Villagers Near Nuclear Explosion Not to Visit White Sea Coast Due to Radiation: 'What You're Afraid Of Might Just Happen' Quote Secretly filmed footage has emerged of a Russian army representative warning anxious villagers near the site of a suspected failed nuclear-powered missile test about the radiation dangers on the coast. The video, obtained by the independent Russian-language news website Newsader, shows the unidentified officer addressing concerned residents of the village of Nyonoksa. ... He said that only those in the immediate vicinity were affected by radioactive contamination. He then urged people not to go near the White Sea coast due to the danger of radiation posed by debris scattered on the coast and washed ashore after the explosion's aftermath. ... Independent analysts said the video appeared to be authentic, Radio Free Europe reported, although it is unclear when it was recorded. While the speaker urged villagers not to compare the explosion with Chernobyl, the catastrophic 1986 nuclear accident in then Soviet Ukraine, many present in the room were audibly unhappy with him.
DC Tom Posted August 23, 2019 Posted August 23, 2019 Just now, Deranged Rhino said: Reminder: "normal" is VERY low. Sixteen times normal is still very low. Sixteen thousand times normal would still be low. 1
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