Failure Can Be Successful (officials said the test flight's duration was closer to two minutes)

The Treasonous NY Times ^ | July 9, 2006 | WILLIAM J. BROAD

[neverdem]

Flight Lessons

ON June 11, 1957, the Atlas, America's first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, took its inaugural flight from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

It lasted 24 seconds. The missile roared off the launching pad and soared to about 10,000 feet before its engines failed. Tumbling out of control, the rocket fell through its own trail of fire before the safety officer on the ground sent a radio signal that told the wayward rocket to blow itself up.

The rocket's designers, though disappointed, learned a lot. It was clear that, despite the pummeling the Atlas took as it careered out of control, the rocket had remained intact. That proved its structural integrity, ending a major debate over the design's soundness.

Perhaps everyone can learn from failure, even the North Koreans.

Their missile, the Taepodong 2, took flight briefly last week, and seems to be in no shape to send an atom bomb whizzing halfway around the globe toward the United States. Experts judge that many years of testing beyond that inaugural flight on Tuesday will probably be needed before the North would entrust the new missile with anything as costly and precious as a nuclear warhead.

"It would take five or six tests of their final design before they'd be confident it could go someplace," said Harold M. Agnew, a former director of the Los Alamos weapons laboratory, which designed most of the nation's nuclear arms.

In the hours and days after the missile test Tuesday, military experts and administration officials expressed relief at the apparent failure, some calling the North Koreans inept. Stephen Hadley, President...

--snip--

In fact, the test flight was actually longer than at first reported. American military officials said on Thursday that the test flight's overall duration was closer to two minutes, not the 42 seconds initially reported....

[neverdem]

Mainichi Shimbun/Associated Press
BLAST OFF North Korea produced this poster to celebrate its Taepodong 1 missile. The caption at the bottom reads: "First sound of gunfire from big power."

Can anyone attest to the accuracy of the translation? Click on MISFIRE In 1957, a United States Vanguard missile exploded seconds after takeoff, if you want so see a pic of it. It's on their regular webpage for the article, not the printer friendly page that I linked for the text. It's from the Bettmann/Corbis archive which we can't post.

[Question Liberal Authority]

Experts judge that many years of testing beyond that inaugural flight on Tuesday will probably be needed before the North would entrust the new missile with anything as costly and precious as a nuclear warhead.

Well, yeah. 'Cause doing anything else would be just plain CRAZY.

[Question Liberal Authority]

I love how these same people are simultaneously "eh, so North Korea might nuke us in a few years" and "we must take drastic action NOW, for we only have 10 years to stop global warming!".

[Nachoman]

Why doesn't NK just declare themselves winners of the Korean war and all-around king of the world?

[Jack Hammer]

The obvious attempt to draw some sort of equivalency between the early Atlas program and the North Koreans' search for an offensive nuclear capability bespeaks a moral idiocy which is jaw-dropping in its obtuseness, even for the NYT.

[Canard]

"The obvious attempt to draw some sort of equivalency between the early Atlas program and the North Koreans' search for an offensive nuclear capability bespeaks a moral idiocy which is jaw-dropping in its obtuseness, even for the NYT."

Err, the equivalency isn't 'moral'. The point is that just because the thing crashed doesn't mean we should relax and assume that the situation doesn't require attention.

[Jack Hammer]

Err... the writer was clearly attempting to draw a moral equivalency. Read between the lines. I stand by my post.

[Canard]

"Read between the lines"

I generally prefer to read the actual words ;)

[neverdem]

A Drive to Root Out the Resurgent Taliban (pic slide show) Check out the blog with pics linked in comment# 4.

Why do "they" hate us?

Rudy for president? God save us from this RINO statist, please.

From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[Jack Hammer]

No need to apologize. Not everyone has the education or the insight to spot these things; it's unfortunate, though, inasmuch as I have no doubt you miss a great deal when perusing written texts. :-)

[ansel12]

"Why doesn't NK just declare themselves winners of the Korean war and all-around king of the world?"


In the context of North Korea, that is a very good question.

What do they need the rest of us for, just decree ascension and move on.

[Fresh Wind]

I agree with this writer that important information can be learned from test failures.

I just wonder whether he would agree with himself when considering failures of the US anti-missile system? Or would he, like most liberals, take those failures of proof that the concept is flawed and the effort is nothing but a waste of money, not to mention "destabilizing"?

[Canard]

Well, lets see, I've taken a relevant point about the continuing need for action to be taken wrt North Korea's missile programme and you have more material to bash the NYT with.

I'll go with mine, thanks, probably due to my lack of education and insight.

Seriously, I wish people would stop posting articles from the NYT (not just because I can't be bothered to register and so can't read the whole of the things anyway). Seems like it's impossible to have a discussion on the actual subject at hand without everyone 'reading between the lines' and turning it into another trash the source job. I'm sure that's fun and has its place, but as a Brit it has limited relevance or interest tbh.

Hopefully there'll be an article from another source posted and there can be a discussion on the subject. Maybe see you there.

[Jack Hammer]

Yes, maybe see you there. Pip, pip and cheerio for now, Old Bean!

[SkyPilot]

It lasted 24 seconds.

It should have tried reciting these from memory.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Nonetheless they're hailing it as a victory. To liberals Bush is a "miserable failure" and North Korea's tests are "successful".

[grjr21]

This is the part I found interesting


Missiles also have the inherent disadvantage of advertising where they arise. If the North Koreans really wanted to wreak havoc by sending a nuclear weapon overseas, Dr. Agnew said, they might consider loading it onto an inconspicuous boat.

"Most of our attractive targets," he remarked, "are on the East Coast."

[leadhead]

Missiles also have the inherent disadvantage of advertising where they arise. If the North Koreans really wanted to wreak havoc by sending a nuclear weapon overseas, Dr. Agnew said, they might consider loading it onto an inconspicuous boat. "Most of our attractive targets," he remarked, "are on the East Coast."

All part of a forthcoming special by NYT "Attacking America for Dummies"

[Zhang Fei]

Failure Can Be Successful

For the New York Times, that's only true for missile programs - when it comes to anti-missile programs - especially American ones - a failure is a failure.

[kittymyrib]

The NYT is impressed that NK is only 50 years behind us in missle development. In 50 years, wonder what the USA will be flying?