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A comment on Air Force 'rods from god' kinetic weapon could hit with nuclear-weapon force. Parent comment

Re:Air Force 'rods from god' kinetic weapon could hit with n... by mrighele on Sunday February 17, 2019 @03:47AM (#19183402)
The shape matters because you want to maximize the impact speed which means minimizing resistance of reentry. A simple rod will not keep its orientation while falling down, it needs either fins or a different shape.
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Re:Air Force 'rods from god' kinetic weapon could hit with n... by baybal2 on Sunday February 17, 2019 @03:52AM (#19183424)
You actually have to decelerate rapidly, so you warheads fall at a steep angle. Gliding reentry is inaccurate
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Re:Air Force 'rods from god' kinetic weapon could hit with n... by manicdee on Sunday February 17, 2019 @07:01PM (#19187708)
At which point there’s no reason putting this thing in orbit instead of launching it as a regular ballistic missile.

To hit one target on the ground you are going to need thousands of rods in orbit to ensure that one is available to use on the target. This is necessary because things in orbit will only be able to de-orbit on top of things that are close to their orbital plane.

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