Posted on 06/17/2006 1:05:02 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
New Taepodong on launch pad
06/17/2006
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The government Friday played down U.S. intelligence reports suggesting North Korea may be gearing up to launch a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile.
Japanese officials said they had received reports that a Taepodong 2 missile capable of hitting the U.S. West Coast had been set up on a launch pad in Musudanri in Hamgyongbuk-do, a province in the northern part of North Korea.
Some senior officials said it was possible the missile could be launched as early as Sunday. However, others saw the development as another example of North Korea's brinkmanship.
Even so, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe warned that the move was in violation of the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration in which North Korean leader Kim Jong Il agreed to extend a missile freeze.
Officials said there was no sign that the missile, which was brought to the launch pad this week, had been fueled.
"If a ballistic missile is launched, it would directly affect the security of our nation and would be against the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed between Japan and North Korea," Abe said Friday.
A senior government official noted that Abe's words constituted "an open warning" to Pyongyang.
North Korea lobbed a Taepodong over Japan in August 1998 that landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Some government officials suggested Pyongyang was adopting a hostile posture in a bid to break the impasse in negotiations with Washington.
Pyongyang has already said it wants to invite Christopher Hill, chief delegate to the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, to Pyongyang.
"It could very well be Pyongyang's strategy to raise tension so that it can bring Washington to a forum of dialogue," said a government source.
Still, officials are monitoring the situation closely. They calculate it would take about 24 hours to fuel the missile, making it ready for launch.(IHT/Asahi: June 17,2006)
So calculating the missile trajectory is basically no different from calculating a trajectory of a ball thrown at a particular angle at a particular velocity in an introductory physics class.
It is only fitting that Bill Clinton be in attendance.
We could reduce their entire country to a smoking wreck within a few hours.
Not exactly....
In high school physics you assume that the Earth's gravitational field is uniform and flat and ignore atmospheric drag and come up with a "closed form" parabolic trajectory.
The simplest solution for a missile is to fit it to a "Keplerian" (elliptical) trajectory. Even in this simple case, you need an iterative solution to account for the fact that the earth rotates during the flight.
A keplerian orbit is only suitable for fairly gross approximations, the next level of fidelity to add corrections (perturbations) to account for the earth's non-spherical gravitational field and reentry drag.
Highest fidelity is achieved by numerical integration of equations of motion all along the path, accounting for non-spherical gravitational field and drag.
Agreed, that would be quite a "statement" -- as well as a nice poke-in-the-eye for the rather diminuitive "Dear Leader".
Hope all the military-hating lefties in San Francisco don't expect the US military to defend them from attack now....
Er, I live in San Francisco, and I would appreciate a little help from our brave Armed Forces in that event. :O)
The simplest solution for a missile is to fit it to a "Keplerian" (elliptical) trajectory
Oh, that one. Now that you mentioned it, I do remember what I was told in a physics class. That is, an ICBM trajectory is elliptic.
I am sure that, to account for many other factors, the accurate calculation requires numerical method.
Yes, they are quite stupid enough to do this. And palm it off somehow as a 'satellite test', or that they 'put the satellite into orbit. Of course, we will know what it truly is and what they goal is. They will be approaching the red line if you ask me. They are asking for severe US retaliation if they pull this off.
All we're hearing on FOX is that Japan and the US are telling North Korea it would be a "mistake" and "provocative" for them to launch the missle.
Is the radio announcement you posted being discussed in Japanese media?
In fact, well, there is quite a bit in the South Korean media and Japanese media that, (as usual) the stateside domestic US press/MSM is so slow to digest and put out. I guess Natalie Holloway is still more important, or maybe Britney Spears' troubles.
On the average, figure what you are hearing re: North Korea and their missile is about 12 hours delayed in comparison to what is really happening in the Asian region.
When the Norkies launch, however, watch everyone wake up. Planes will be FILLED with reporters (many of them ignorant of Asia or having Asian 'beats') flying to the Pacific to follow these developments.
Lot of information on this thread as well. Looks like the North Koreans are pondering launching a "test " missle...
Last time they did this was 1998..
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. You must either be ready for a nap or a STRONG cup of coffee!
Do you know if in 1998, did they also tell the citizens to put out their flags and listen to the radio at a certain time?
Would this be a violation of the 1953 cease fire agreement if fired?
Not if they 'claimed' it was a 'peaceful' satellite launch, for 'peaceful', and 'scientific' reasons of course.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5089476.stm
from the article linked above:
'Same procedures'
North Korea last tested a long-range missile in 1998, when it fired the Taepodong-1 missile, with a range of 2,000 km, over Japan. The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Diplomats say that North Korean technicians are going through the same procedures that were undertaken for the test in 1998.
Officials in South Korea initially said the preparations could be a performance to step up diplomatic pressure on Washington.
But the government has since given two public warnings to the north not to go ahead with any test.
It says a test launch would damage regional security and stall diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
They will claim it is peaceful no matter what.
France is ready to surrender.
America is not France Mr. President. Do not forget that.
God bless our troops in this theater and around the world.
Thanks for that information; I'm getting ready to leave in a few minutes and could't take the time to research that. It sort of made me nervous when I read that post you pinged me to :-)
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