How to launch a nuclear missile

I just watched this and thought others might find it interesting as well. The guy in the video visited a place that has one and was told the steps that they take to launch a missile. Included are facts about missile launches. Here is one that I didn't know: the walls of the silos have to be covered with acoustically absorbent tiles because the sound of the missiles launching would shake the missiles apart. Anyway, here's the video.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I watched that earlier today. What is scary is there are so few steps to the annihilation of millions of people. Recieve a code, verify, turn a key, etc.

After I read the comments on the video, I looked up and refreshed my memory on Stanislav Petrov, the man that practically prevented WW3 by using common sense when a faulty system showed that the USA launched a nuke towards Russia during the cold war.

How one frivolous error could have lead to such devastating consequences should show how fragile humans and their psyches are.

ww3

Ghost

a reply to: ghostrager
I agree, it's scary as hell. I heard about how Stanislav Petrov basically saved the world. I'm glad that the procedure wasn't automated or else everything would have gone up in smoke.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Exactly, it makes one wonder about today's nukes and their procedure.

Irrelevant still, these weapons are far too powerful, and devastating, against millions of innocent lives to be held in the hands of just a few.

Disarmament, while a pipe dream, is the best solution.

Ghost

Star and Flag for this thread. Spent many of a night sitting at one of those consoles with a key around my neck.I can verify that video is near true to life...brought back memories.

a reply to: ghostrager

It makes me think of Superman 4 Quest for Peace, where Superman gathered up all of the nukes and sent them into the sun. Too bad we can't find a safe way to get rid of them. If we just store them, they run the chance of leaking and that's bad in a whole other way.

a reply to: Gothmog

That must have been a scary job, waiting to unleash hell on earth. It also must have been a dizzying relief going home at the end of the day and not having had to do it.

I have been thinking about something kind of weird lately. I wonder how many ICBM's would have either failed to launch or blew up shortly after launch.

With the failures I have seen on YouTube with both Russian and the U.S. AFTER the Cold War ,it kind of scares me that the failures on both sides might have caused enough damage with dirty debris to make the successful launches moot.

I'm sure I'm exaggerating, but who knows?

I certainly hope we don't have to find out.

a reply to: Spader

That's a scary thought. I hope we never have to find out, too.