Combination of numbers for nuclear missiles=00000000, page 1


Pages:
ATS Members have flagged this thread 8 times
Topic started on 10-11-2011 @ 02:45 AM by Dalbeck
I found this interesting story right here: Link

It deals with the combination of numbers to initiate a start sequence for the "Minuteman" long range missiles, which went online during the Cuban crisis and which required an 8-digit combination in order to launch.

Here are some parts of the article:

Robert McNamara, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense, personally oversaw the installation of these special locks to prevent any unauthorized nuclear missile launches. He considered the safeguards to be essential for strict central control and for preventing nuclear disaster.


But what Secretary McNamara didn’t know is that from the very beginning, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in Omaha had decided that these locks might interfere with any wartime launch orders; so in order to circumvent this safeguard, they pre-set the launch code on all Minuteman silos to the same eight digits: 00000000.


For seventeen years, during the height of the nuclear crises of the Cold War, the code remained all zeros, and was even printed in each silo’s launch checklist for all to see. The codes remained this way up until 1977, when the service was pressed into activating the McNamara locks with real launch codes in place. Before that time, the the lack of safeguards would have made it relatively easy for a small group of rogue silo officers or visitors to implement an unauthorized nuclear missile launch.


The men and women running SAC in 1960 essentially put the entire planet’s population at risk by deliberately disabling the PAL safety mechanisms. Perhaps we should keep that in mind before we put too much trust in the people charged with our nation’s defense.


I found this article quite interesting and scary at the same time how lax the persons in charge were while "handling" stuff that probably could've destroyed our planet a few times...

What do you think about this story?

Further reading:

What is a PAL?


reply posted on 10-11-2011 @ 03:05 AM by PutAQuarterIn
I read about this on cracked a while ago. Tried to find it on there lost patience, but I'll offer you another article about how well we keep a track of our nukes. Cracked <- Seriously, if you think the code was shocking this read is hilarious, in a poop your pants from fear of incompetence kinda way.
Thanks for posting.
edit on 10-11-2011 by PutAQuarterIn because: add



reply posted on 10-11-2011 @ 03:39 AM by Dalbeck
reply to post by PutAQuarterIn


Aw thanks that's an interesting site as well, I'll have a read!!


reply posted on 10-11-2011 @ 06:20 AM by TrueBrit
reply to post by Dalbeck


Trust an American to leave something as deadly as a nuclear weapon virtualy unprotected. You can put as many rifles between the public and a nuclear weapon as you like, but the only realistic way of preventing an unauthorised use of any code accessed program or technology is to actualy think about your codes, and create them in a secure manner.

Most people have bank accounts more secure than that! Hell , my hotmail account is more secure than that, and contains nothing of any worth to anyone !


reply posted on 11-11-2011 @ 04:47 AM by Brother Stormhammer
Originally posted by Dalbeck
Originally posted by eywadevotee
Fortunately that is just the code to prime the missile itself for launch, not the code to arm the bombs themselves or actually launch the missiles. You need four things to launch and bomb.

The missile ready code, this code starts the fuel pumps and primes the misslle for launch. It was for the longest time set at all zeros.

The central authorization (NORAD) code to get the code brick and 2nd launch key out of the safe.

The code brick is broken open and is used arm the weapons and set target destinations, If arming and launch are aborted the code cannot be reused to re-arm and target the weapon, target destination can be changed right up to launch however. The missile's (PAL) module must be removed from the missile and replaced with a new module and new code brick. Launch must occur within 15 minutes of arming and setting coordinates.

The 2nd launch key is usually in the code brick safe as well. Turn both keys within 1/4 second of each other and somebody is gonna get nuked.


Oh okay Thanks for your input but how do you know? I'm interested in further reading, so I hope you got any good book titles


The procedure itself is pretty open information...I don't know how the poster above found it, but if you visit the Titan Missile Museum (Shameless plug for cool museum!), you can actually go through a simulated launch sequence using the actual launch consoles and keys. The young kids these days usually think it's cool (and so do I), but for older folk like me who grew up during the latter part of the Cold War, it's a bit of a hackle-raising experience.
Pages:     ^^TOP^^



Top 10 Non-Lethal Weapons
  Posted 5 days ago with 8 member flags
A Different look at the Tunguska Event
  Posted 2 days ago with 7 member flags
The Robots Of Boston Dynamics Inc.
  Posted 5 days ago with 4 member flags
Camouflage face paint \'resists intense heat from bombs\'
  Posted 19 days ago with 3 member flags
Freeze Dried Food
  Posted 1 days ago with 1 member flags
Asia’s New Arms Race: Missiles, Missile Defenses
  Posted 15 days ago with 0 member flags