Re: Manhole cover beat Sputnik?

Robert Harley (Robert.Harley@inria.fr)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 18:13:27 +0200 (MET DST)


>Hmmm... serious people thought Orion (nuclear rockets propelled by
>bombs exploded under their tails) could be made to work

Yes, but by repeatedly exploding very small charges at a distance of
several tens of metres from a reinforced shield so that only a thin
layer would be destroyed each time (the shield would have had to be
continuously replenished).

I imagine that a thin steel plate in the immediate vicinity of a
sizeable explosion is a different matter altogether!

But hey, I'm not a physicist so perhaps Ernie should chime in with an
expert opinion...

Bye,
Rob.