A few years ago the Rooskies hit upon the brilliant plan of hiring out their Mig-29’s to anyone with loads of cash. For a few thousand you can now fly one of the fastest things anywhere, ever, and Russia gets some much needed income to keep their machines in the air. Everybody wins.
Very soon there will be another market opportunity. The US currently has 2016 Trident missiles lurking around the worlds seabeds, the UK has 50 (and even that seems a lot, doesn’t it?). Apart from the fact that no one could possibly need that many nukes, Trident as a platform is soon to be retired.
Instead of dismantling Trident, it would be far better to remove the warheads and replace them with fare-paying passengers. There should be enough room for one person to fit inside the warhead compartment and get fired at their chosen destination. A small window in the nose would give them a missiles-eye view of their flight which would be short but exciting. At one mile from the ground, they would be jettisoned along with a static line parachute and allowed to land gracefully while the rest of the missile buries itself deep underground.
While we’re about it, rather than replacing Trident with another very costly method of blowing up millions of people just to balance out Russia’s absurd stockpile of death, we could do a travel/arms deal with Russia whereby holidaymakers are returned by way of aging Russian ICBMs or SLBMs which are ripe for decommissioning.
Travel to Russia in Trident, spend a few days flying a Mig and return in an SS-25 Sickle. My kind of holiday.-- wagster, Mar 10 2007 Trident http://www.navweaps...t_C4_and_D5_pic.jpgYou could just squeeze a person into the nosecone of this. [wagster, Mar 10 2007] SS-25 Sickle http://www.fas.org/.../icbm/topol-tel.jpgFor the return journey. [wagster, Mar 10 2007] Fly a Mig http://www.incredib...dventures.com/migs/While you're over there - why not? [wagster, Mar 10 2007] Bring back Concorde http://www.ethical-...sect=detail&pet=720Yes, I know it's advocacy but. [MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 10 2007] Ken Thompson flies a MIG (1995) http://www.langston...e/1995/1995ACZ.html"I didn't black out but I was able to know exactly what it would feel like." [jutta, Mar 10 2007] Slightly similar to the ending of this http://en.wikipedia...ainbow#Episode_12_3 [calum, Mar 12 2007] Russia uses SS-18 ICBM for launching US satellite http://missilethrea...s/id.372/detail.asp [wagster, Mar 12 2007] Rocket System Launch Program http://www.fas.org/...nitiatives/rslp.htmThe US has been hoarding its old ICBM motors for re-use as suborbital launch vehicles. Minuteman II seems to be the best under its new guise as the Multi-Service Launch System [wagster, Mar 12 2007] [+] but why stop at 1 mile high? 3 miles would be fine (15,000 feet) - just give the passenger a 10,000ft freefall and then if necessary use an AAD (automatic opener) rather than a static line to pop the chute.
And while we're about it, bring back Concorde.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 10 2007 Take a ride on a submarine-launched ballistic missile? I say let Bush and Cheney go first.-- nuclear hobo, Mar 10 2007 leathal, but really, really coool.-- the dog's breakfast, Mar 11 2007 //I say let Bush and Cheney go first// - Would this not be your ultimate boxcar, [nuclear hobo]?-- wagster, Mar 12 2007 But the exchange will be unequal - the Russians are already using decommissioned ICBMs for launching satellites - they'll run out before the Tridents are exhausted.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 12 2007 I think the US is re purposing ICBMs as satellite launchers too.-- Galbinus_Caeli, Mar 12 2007 Galbinus, I am fixing you with a long, hard stare until you tell me that you used the word "re purposing" as a point of humour.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 12 2007 "Re purposing" Do you have a valid substitute for that neologism? I can't think of one.
"Recycling" has an implication of breaking down into constituent elements and forming something new.
"Reusing" implies that something has been used before (rather than simply stored).
"Use" is really not terribly descriptive as to "use" a weapon implies that it is being used as designed.
Do you have a good word for "giving a new purpose for something that is only peripherally related to its initial intended function"
Language grows and develops. Sometimes new words need to be created to convey new concepts.
So, to answer your cold stare, I will proudly raise my chin and defend my use of "re purpose".-- Galbinus_Caeli, Mar 13 2007 //The US has been hoarding its old ICBM motors for re-use as suborbital launch vehicles// Errr... if it doesn't make it to orbit, doesn't that mean it falls back down to Earth very shortly after leaving said planet? FIne for TridentAir (or MinuteManAir), but not a lot of use as a launch vehicle, I'd've thought.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 13 2007 Suborbital flight is used for a lot of research. It puts your scientific instruments above the atmosphere for a period of time long enough to perform your experiments then returns them to earth for recovery.-- Galbinus_Caeli, Mar 13 2007 random, halfbakery