Rods From God

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Originally Posted by RedMan12

nothing like getting impaled by a 20 foot rod of god that misses the target by 5 feet and nails a civilian.

Impaled? You'd be vaporized. When that thing hit the ground it would be like a nuclear bomb going off. You wouldn't know what hit you... or the mile on either side of you!

[RedMan12]

implaed, vaporized. All's that would matter is you would be ######ed up.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Can anyone say ... "Akira?"

I don't know if anyone remembers, but in Akira, there are these satelites that were capable of shooting high indensity lasers to blow things up.

Looks like anime wins

[Shazam]

I suppose the rod wouldn't have to be made of 100% tungsten carbide - just the tip. Depleted uranium would work even better.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I suppose the rod wouldn't have to be made of 100% tungsten carbide - just the tip. Depleted uranium would work even better.

I wonder if it has to be 100% for the sake of the amount of heat it can withstand from re-entry.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I suppose the rod wouldn't have to be made of 100% tungsten carbide - just the tip. Depleted uranium would work even better.

Well that would kinda defeat the purpose of having a device with nuclear like capability without the radioactivity wouldn't it.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by photon

Lol, and reloading would cost $85,000,000 per round!

That's proably still cheaper than a tactical nuclear weapon.

Either way, I think it's kind of a cool idea, but I doubt it is all that practical right now.

You think it would be easier to use say a sphere of tungsten instead. As it would be a little easier to predict how that will fall, instead of a rod.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Well that would kinda defeat the purpose of having a device with nuclear like capability without the radioactivity wouldn't it.

No. Depleted uranium has far less radioactivity that regular uranium and is far less toxic. Not to say that it isn't toxic, but if your main goal is to obliterate something like an underground bunker, DU has some unique capabilities that helps. It's also fairly plentiful.

Uranium has the odd capability of not blunting when striking at object, in fact, it sharpens. It effortlessly goes through most armour as a result. It's already used in conventional warfare.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Shazam

No. Depleted uranium has far less radioactivity that regular uranium and is far less toxic. Not to say that it isn't toxic, but if your main goal is to obliterate something like an underground bunker, DU has some unique capabilities that helps. It's also fairly plentiful.

Uranium has the odd capability of not blunting when striking at object, in fact, it sharpens. It effortlessly goes through most armour as a result. It's already used in conventional warfare.

I know it's already used in anti tank shells etc, but there have been some serious concerns using it because it is till very radioactive (not to the level of fisonable uranium, but radioactive none the less).

Seems to me if your goal is to obliterate a target without any radioactive contamination depleted uranium is a bad choice.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I know it's already used in anti tank shells etc, but there have been some serious concerns using it because it is till very radioactive (not to the level of fisonable uranium, but radioactive none the less).

Yearh, rumours of a lot of birth defects and such in areas of the former Yugoslavia that were strafed by uranimum depleted ammunition. I think the jury might still be out on its actual toxicity... but I'm sure having depleted uranium around your bare skin is a bad thing.

[Shazam]

but I'm sure having depleted uranium around your bare skin is a bad thing.

It gives you a nice warm glow

I'd suspect that the DU would be buried under so much rubble and ground that most of the radioactivity would be contained.

[RedMan12]

Car Ram Rod?

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Shazam

It gives you a nice warm glow

I'd suspect that the DU would be buried under so much rubble and ground that most of the radioactivity would be contained.

Not so much man.

The idea is that it is like a meteor. The whole damn thing would vapourize (along with whatever you're aiming at), and debris would be all over the place, including dispersing through the atmosphere.

[Azure]

nm.