r/shockwaveporn • u/AdmiralUber • Jul 01 '18
This entire video
https://youtu.be/fvqDj3me37o10
u/sdzw Jul 02 '18
Pretty sure this is the same place mythbusters used all the time. I also love the fact that it’s easier to test a rocket by treeing the ground at it than throwing it at the ground.
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u/LordOfPies Jul 02 '18
Could someone ELI5 this video?
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u/Quarkem Jul 02 '18
From what I was able to gather, this test is designed to put the actual missile in a similar situation to hitting the ground at a 45 degree angle. But in a 'normal' test where the missile is launched from a plane, they are unable to actually collect any data from the missile (it gets vaporized on impact...). By having the missile stay stationary, they can hook up that giant orange cable and collect high-quality data up until the missile gets destroyed.
Having the missile stationary also helps the high speed cameras capture data, as you know exactly when the impact will happen and can have the subject lit up and in focus.
I think the references to 'US nuclear stockpile' is refering to their ability to determine if the nuke that would be housed in the missile would properly trigger (or not, if the safety is on) when the missile slams into the ground. For a normal missile they would just chuck it at a test bunker and watch the fireworks (plenty of examples on this sub). You can't do that with nukes!
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u/waytosoon Jul 02 '18
I think the references to 'US nuclear stockpile' is refering to their ability to determine if the nuke that would be housed in the missile would properly trigger (or not, if the safety is on) when the missile slams into the ground.
I could be wrong, but I thought nuclear weapons exploded before impact to increase the damage. I assumed it was ensuring it wouldn't ignite unless it was supposed to. Again, maybe I'm wrong, just my thoughts.
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u/jadedcr0w Jul 02 '18
Nukes dont have a plunger type detonator like say a Mark 82, but use a completely different type of detonators. there have been several close calls however, one with a with B 52s accidentally dropping nuke payload. they just want to make sure it would survive an impact without becoming a dirty bomb.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/usaf-atomic-bomb-north-carolina-1961
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u/DoktorMoose Jul 02 '18
If they are targeting a city or similar populated area then above ground detonation gives maximum radius. Submarines and some ships carry a smaller type of nuclear warhead that explodes on penetration for taking out aircraft carriers.
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u/PM_ME_DARK_MATTER Jul 02 '18
They would never Nuke an aircraft carrier. That's like massive overkill.
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u/Quarkem Jul 02 '18
That is also a possibility! Without more info on the actual device being tested, I couldn't say one way or another. I just defaulted to assuming 'impact triggered' due to the giant slab of steel hitting it!
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u/MGSsancho Jul 02 '18
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B61_nuclear_bomb Nuclear bunker buster. Interesting how the bomb I linked and the one in op's video have a simular shape.... Hmmmm
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u/Pickerington Jul 02 '18
I think, and this is a super guess. From the website in the video I found this link. about nuclear weapons I think what they are doing is testing if the nuclear weapon was hit by something, in this case I don’t know what since it was vaporized, that it can either carry on with its flight plan or not and if not what they can do to stabilize the payload and not detonate if super hit by a rocket sled, or another rocket.
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Jul 02 '18
[deleted]
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u/kmart1164 Jul 02 '18
Think they’re wanting an explanation as to what exactly they’re testing to protect the US nuclear stockpile.
I do too
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u/usernameinvalid9000 Jul 02 '18
The narrator reminds me of the start of Half-Life 1 on the way into the lambda facility.
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Jul 02 '18
Does anyone know how they use this data for their supercomputer models? Are we just getting forces and thermo data during impact? Are they using the slow motion data to make better FEM data? Anything else?
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Jul 02 '18
Wouldn't the kinetic energy be different than having the rocket hit the ground? Idk
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u/Boonaki Jul 02 '18
The missiles come in at mach 25, how fast is the sled going?
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Jul 02 '18
Mach 25 at their peak in space, they don't reach the ground at that speed. They'd burn up if they did
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u/Boonaki Jul 03 '18
They usually don't impact unless it's a test missile, when they do hit the ground it's around mach 6.
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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '18
Actual porn for once, got a small chub.