North Korea blew up rocket stage to confound analysts: South Korea

Indian Express ^ | February 9, 2016

[TigerLikesRooster]

North Korea blew up rocket stage to confound analysts: South Korea

The U.S., Japanese and South Korean militaries are scouring the seas for debris and analysts are studying photos, trajectories.

Minutes after North Korea launched its rocket, South Korea's navy detected a rain of fragments falling into the sea and then a sooner-than-expected disappearance of the rocket from their radar, suggesting a possible failure. News outlets working in real time jumped on the idea. But it quickly proved wrong. South Korean officials and foreign analysts say they now believe the first stage of the rocket had a cagey new feature: It was deliberately rigged to blow up after separation Sunday, for the express purpose of confounding foreign analysts.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[Black Agnes]

To hide evidence of radioactive payload?

[Black Agnes]

Ping.

[CodeToad]

If had been radioactive we would have measured that long before it got onto the rocket.

[Black Agnes]

Wonder if we did.

You know the dude in the WH would do a happy dance if we got EMP’d.

[CodeToad]

EMP is an Internet sensation and not something anyone in the DoD cares about. EMP isn’t even in our weapons inventory.

[Black Agnes]

Why are they reactivating Cheyenne Mountain?

[GraceG]

[ To hide evidence of radioactive payload? ]

I don’t believe in coincidences:

Nationwide Air Force & Army COMEX communication GRID down exercise Friday 02/12/2016

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3394666/posts

[IronJack]

I lost the pool. I was betting it would never even clear the gantry.

Kim, if you're going to threaten us, you at least have to give us something to shoot down.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Salvaged nose cone fairing:

[StormEye]

Some recovered rocket debris:

Just look at all the rivets on that one piece.
Lots of added weight.

[pabianice]

*cough*goa’uld*cough*

[chajin]

Looks like a riveting experience

[tanknetter]

Not just rivets, but raised rivets at that. So weight AND drag.

[Black Agnes]

Only had to boost the payload to 311 miles altitude. Did so successfully.

[Black Agnes]

Where’s O’Neal when you need him.

[The_Victor]

South Korea's navy detected a rain of fragments falling into the sea and then a sooner-than-expected disappearance of the rocket from their radar, suggesting a possible failure. News outlets working in real time jumped on the idea. But it quickly proved wrong.

How was it proved wrong?

[Black Agnes]

The payload is currently orbiting in a LEO.

[NorthMountain]

Compare that to the welds on the Thor-Agena rocket at the USAF Museum in Dayton.