Project Pluto

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Joe Wooten
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#1 Project Pluto

Post by Joe Wooten »

Have any of you guys ever heard about this gem of gov think? A nuclear ramjet missile, the launching of which woiuld do almost as much radiological damage as the bombs it carried....

http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html

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The AEC actually tested the nuke ramjet engine at Jackass Flats from 1961 to 1964. It worked.

I might have to try building this one and have it disperse little bomblets with the ejection charge..... :mrgreen:
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bernomatic
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#2 Re: Project Pluto

Post by bernomatic »

Haven't heard of the nuclear ramjet concept, but it would seem to me that flying at treetop level, where you are more likely to get something sucked into the intake isn't the most reliable course of action.
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luke strawwalker
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#3 Re: Project Pluto

Post by luke strawwalker »

bernomatic wrote:Haven't heard of the nuclear ramjet concept, but it would seem to me that flying at treetop level, where you are more likely to get something sucked into the intake isn't the most reliable course of action.
Considering the extremely high temperature of the reactor, and the fact that the amount of radiation would kill everything with a half mile of the flight path on the ground, I don't think they were too worried about it. The thing was capable of being directed to continue to fly a cross-country path over enemy territory after it had dispensed its nuclear payload, irradiating the countryside and everything in it as it flew over, giving a lethal dose of radiation to everything under its flight path. It could continue flying for days, even weeks, lethally irradiating everything in its path, before it finally ran out of useful energy and crashed.

The crash site, of course, would be irradiated basically permanently, with incredibly high levels of radioactive waste scattered around the crash site, which would take thousands of years to decay to anything approaching safe levels.

Absolute doomsday weapon. Later! OL J R :)
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Rocket Babe
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#4 Re: Project Pluto

Post by Rocket Babe »

Not long ago Randy told me about this. He was thinking of using it as part of a story line but changed his mind.

Glad it was never used in real life.
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luke strawwalker
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#5 Re: Project Pluto

Post by luke strawwalker »

If it had ever been used in real life, it would literally have been the end of the world, anyway, as it was a weapon of an all-out nuclear war. Humankind would have been reduced to perhaps a handful of people in very remote parts of the world, the only areas that by sheer chance escaped radioactive contamination.

Later! OL J R :)
My MUNIFICENCE is BOUNDLESS, Mr. Bond...
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bernomatic
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#6 Re: Project Pluto

Post by bernomatic »

All I can say is, sometimes the minds of men really scare the *oops you said word #1 out of me.
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Joe Wooten
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#7 Re: Project Pluto

Post by Joe Wooten »

Yep. From what I read of that Merkel guy, he was a really nice man. This was one project where he let his dark side shine through though......
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