tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post2223126078319133141..comments2023-11-03T09:36:22.100-04:00Comments on In From the Cold: Too Good to be True?George Smileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049707648660651119noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-60170066249639089462007-09-24T05:25:00.000-04:002007-09-24T05:25:00.000-04:00What about a missile storage facility doing multip...What about a missile storage facility doing multiple operations simultaneously? You could have had a fuel explosion which damaged other missiles, causing the contamination. Perhaps I'm just unfamiliar with Scud protocol, but multiple operations would explain the large crew complement and odd mode of failure.OmegaPaladinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16031663925500964350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-73700059235762023202007-09-20T23:08:00.000-04:002007-09-20T23:08:00.000-04:00There are many scenarios that could have occurred,...There are many scenarios that could have occurred, but we shouldn’t assume what could or couldn’t have happened based on western safety procedures. Non-western countries tend to use shortcuts we never would consider.<BR/><BR/>Case in point: I was a junior officer and a special team member aboard a ship in October 1960. We were keeping tabs on a Soviet missile tracking ship, the Sibir, in the central Pacific. In that case the Soviets were attempting to launch a new ICBM which failed on the launch pad, killing design team head Marshall Nedelin and dozens of others. The Soviets used a block house in the immediate vicinity for launch control (the German practice), where we used remote launch centers several miles away. When the countdown was delayed, Nedelin and others left the block house to get a better look at things. The missile blew up, killing Nedelin and the top members of the design team. This disaster wouldn’t have happened at a US missile test range and God knows we had a number of major mishaps during that time period.<BR/><BR/>To know the cause of the Syrian incident, we need to know many more details such as whether the countdown had begun or whether it occurred outside of the countdown. These are things we can only speculate about. Missiles the size of a Scud are normally mated to the warhead in a horizontal position and you would think the warhead would survive a 4 foot drop. There is no reason to believe the Syrians would use binary agents. Again this is a far safer technology the US used, but just another complication to less advanced societies. One drop of Sarin on your skin will kill within minutes, so even a small spill would be lethal to anyone nearby unless they had instant access to atropine and decontamination facilities.<BR/><BR/>My thoughts: Probably happened pretty much as described. Warhead fell (oops) and small amounts leaked. Without protective suits and decontamination facilities, anyone in the area was doomed. The chemical warheads were probably designed and fabricated in Iran (most likely) or Syria using their technology. The Russian do stupid things at times, but I doubt they would sell advanced chemical warhead technology to a client state within range of their homeland.Corky Boydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16363812378536729410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-27151162441600520092007-09-20T19:02:00.000-04:002007-09-20T19:02:00.000-04:00IIRC, storeable liquid rocket propellants tend to ...IIRC, storeable liquid rocket propellants tend to be exceedingly nasty stuff in and of themselves. Is it possible that some of the "lethal chemical agents" are simply propellant residues?warhorsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18402732868698813268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-7702683263050537002007-09-20T18:16:00.000-04:002007-09-20T18:16:00.000-04:00I believe this is the Syrian cover story for the I...I believe this is the Syrian cover story for the Israeli air raid. Gotta keep face you know...RobChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07495024548913451231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-61833625864688677002007-09-20T17:59:00.000-04:002007-09-20T17:59:00.000-04:00I'm no expert on this, but isn't it possible that ...I'm no expert on this, but isn't it possible that the Syrian/Iranian technicians were just a bunch of screw ups? There is the right way to do something, the wrong way, and the dumbass way. Didn't Lockheed screw up a metric conversion that resulted in a probe to Mars to miss the planet entirely?grhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14695430541657927622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-60049534099430244682007-09-20T16:31:00.000-04:002007-09-20T16:31:00.000-04:00Whatever happened - if it's true, praise be to All...Whatever happened - if it's true, praise be to Allah.gr8scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07301711756689943500noreply@blogger.com