“Nicholas Christofilos, a Greek elevator mechanic turned nuclear physicist , predicted [a nuclear explosion in the Van Allen belts] would create an artificial radiation belt around the earth, which would not only interfere with communication systems but also act as a shield, frying the electronics of any missile that passed through it. It could rebnder intercontinental ballistic missiles obsolete. Christofilos imagined creating a permanent shield by detonating thousands of bombs in space each year. Tempted by the idea of a space-based missile shield, the Defense department decided to experimentally detonate a nuclear bomb in the belts. Military officials approached Van allen the day after he publically announced the discoverty of the belts to find out if he’d co-operate of the planning of such an experiment. He agreed. Historian James Fleming has noted it was an apparent unique instance in whch a sceintist ‘discovered something and immediatey decided to blow it up”
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:33:37 +0000
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