Project Pluto completed..

Pluto has a horrible sort of fascination, as in how could the USAF be so dumb...:)

Its the US version of the Ratte....:p

for those who not understand

"Ratte" was code name for WW2 German Monster Tank: P-1000 Landkreuzer
a 1000 ton heavy with two 280 mm SK C/34 naval guns,
one 128 mm anti-tank gun, two 15 mm Mauser MG 151/15 autocannons.
and eight 20 mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns...
 

Nebogipfel

Monthly Donor
...
Since the device also flew at Mach 3 at extremely low levels it had the potential to kill through its pressure wave alone. However, its real destructive power came from its payload of 16-24 thermonuclear weapons which could be delivered to multiple targets due to the fact that the nuclear-powered missile could potentially stay in the air for days/weeks.

So imagine such a thing getting out of control during a test. A radiation spewing
thing flying across continents for weeks in a random pattern :eek::eek::D ...
 
for those who not understand

"Ratte" was code name for WW2 German Monster Tank: P-1000 Landkreuzer
a 1000 ton heavy with two 280 mm SK C/34 naval guns,
one 128 mm anti-tank gun, two 15 mm Mauser MG 151/15 autocannons.
and eight 20 mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns...

Eh??? I think similar monster existed only in Anime or Manga
 
Pluto would also've had another problem - which they would've seen had there been a long test flight. Most really fast things with wings run into big heating troubles, like our Shuttle.

We probably know a way around this now (waveriders), but it takes modern very high speed computing to proof designs.
 

balom

Banned
Pluto would also've had another problem - which they would've seen had there been a long test flight. Most really fast things with wings run into big heating troubles, like our Shuttle.

We probably know a way around this now (waveriders), but it takes modern very high speed computing to proof designs.

Pluto was designed to be so solid that it was nicknamed "The Flying Crowbar"
 
Pluto was designed to be so solid that it was nicknamed "The Flying Crowbar"
So? How would solidity keep really, really hot things from melting and deforming so they become useless for mission and unstable in flight?
 
So? How would solidity keep really, really hot things from melting and deforming so they become useless for mission and unstable in flight?

They planned the use ceramics around the reactor. Also if they really wanted they could have implemented some kind of exotic cooling, say add liquid H2 to the core flow. Also it would not go so fast that aerodynamic heating would be more then steel can handle.
 
They planned the use ceramics around the reactor. Also if they really wanted they could have implemented some kind of exotic cooling, say add liquid H2 to the core flow. Also it would not go so fast that aerodynamic heating would be more then steel can handle.

quite, Pluto was designed to hit mach 3, not mach 30
 
my mistake

Whoopsie! You're right - I misread RAMjet on the Pluto page as SCRAMjet. Those two letters make quite a difference in operating speeds, because it has to be fast enough to compress air substantially.

Now I
 
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