Missile Test Failure Won't Delay Flights

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The failure of an interceptor missile to launch during a December test of the Pentagon's soon-to-be-activated missile defense system was caused by a "minor glitch" in its computer software, and the setback will not delay future testing, a senior official said Wednesday.

It was the first time the booster rocket was to be tested with a new and improved "kill vehicle," the device atop the rocket that uses computer codes and sensors to guide itself into the path of an incoming enemy missile. The device "kills" the target by colliding with it.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said the Dec. 15 test will be redone in mid-February, and additional tests in April, July and September will proceed as planned.

In the meantime, the eight missile interceptors that are now in underground silos in Alaska and California -- while not yet kept ready for use around the clock -- are capable of being activated for use against an actual missile attack against the United States, Obering told reporters.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-missile-defense,0,1115757.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[aden_nak]

1. "Failure Won't Change Plans" is kind of a Bush theme.

[no_to_war_economy]

2. budget of

$3.73 billion ( with a b )

such wise spending

[madrchsod]

3. let`s build a system that the russians have

already defeated! don`t you feel safer now? all those billions probaly could have helped shore up our dock security across the east and west coast

[progressiveBadger]

4. What happens if we really have to use this thing

and there is another "minor glitch"? If a "minor glitch" causes failure, then what the hell would a "major glitch" do? Go after Air Force One instead?

[GAspnes]

5. Now that's interesting language

The complete failure of a critical component is a "minor glitch".

I suppose if the damn thing *does* launch and misses by mere miles, that's a 'hiccup'.

[GAspnes]

6. And here's the solution...

"That smoke alarm sound bothering you? Here, let me turn it off..."

Military fixes the problem by ignoring it.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/01/12/missile.defense.ap/index.html

Offering the first public explanation of what went wrong, Obering said the blame lay with an automated pre-launch check of the communications flow between the interceptor and the main flight control computer. Detecting too many missed messages, the system shut down automatically, as designed.

In response, the Pentagon will increase the pre-launch tolerance for missed messages. Obering said the tolerance level was set too low; increasing it will not risk a flight guidance failure, he said.