Iran Set to Try Space Launch

[Nutmegger]

Iran has converted its most powerful ballistic missile into a satellite launch vehicle. The 30-ton rocket could also be a wolf in sheep's clothing for testing longer-range missile strike technologies, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reports in its Jan. 29 issue.

The Iranian space launcher has recently been assembled and "will liftoff soon" with an Iranian satellite, according to Alaoddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

The move toward an independent space launch capacity is likely to ratchet up concern in the U.S. and Europe about Iran's strategic capabilities and intents. Orbiting its own satellite would send a powerful message throughout the Muslim world about the Shiite regime in Tehran.

U.S. agencies believe the launcher to be a derivation of the 800-1,000-mi. range Shahab 3 missile. A Shahab 3 fired from central Iran could strike anywhere in Israel, Saudi Arabia, the entire Persian Gulf region and as far west as southern Turkey.

Full article: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/IRAN01257.xml

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Good for them.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. How dare they! Don't they realize that we want them to remain a 3rd world country??

[Warren DeMontague]

3. That's great. The 14th century fundy throwbacks who run iran are even interested in space.

It'd be nice if our nation could stop pissing away money on shit like Iraq and the drug war, and get our ass in gear with the 21st century again.

[Wizard777]

4. Okay now they're just baiting Bush and YES the moron will take the bait.

If they want to mess with our village idiot like that. They deserve what they get and I have no sympathy for them.

[bonito]

6. Maybe they will offer him a ride on it.

You know just for fun.:shrug:

[Hatalles]

5. Oh, you know what this means...

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Jews in Space!

Mel Brooks is a visionary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lpc-2CH1lg

Ooops - this is better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrGTyRooVY

[bonito]

10. I checked that out the 2nd one

But I didn't get it?:shrug: seriously.

[lovuian]

8. This is not good and this is suspicious let us hope

our government will protect us if the missile heads for the US and not space

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Oh, yes. It's terrifying.

:eyes:

[Rick Myers]

11. They can get a sat in orbit with a 1000k ICBM launcher?

They can only get a warhead 1000km downrange but the same thing can get to LEO? Doesn't sound right...

[nealmhughes]

12. They know the oil will run out by 100 years from now. Given the considerable lack of arable land

in that huge country, with already a third of the US population, it is obvious that the Iranians are getting ready to stop being a hermit. The old farts in turbans are going bye bye soon enough. I believe that the vast majority of Iranians, who are young, by the way, not overly religious, and extremely well educated churning out engineers of every stripe, medical personnel, and top notch intellectuals are ready for Iran to take its place in the sun.
Who can blame them for wanting to show off a bit of pride in their technology? Iran is surrounded by Arab Wahhabi Sunni extremists propped up by the US in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US is occupying their other close neighbor, Iraq. The Sunni monarchies face them across the Gulf. The President calls them on par with North Korea. Their president, equally batshit crazy, and a Ph.D. baits the US and Israel, when he is a ribbon-cutter!
The US propped up that disgusting tyrant Reza Pahlavi for years. Even when we had our embassy occupied by the radical students during the Iranian Revolution, no blood was shed.
Talks need to be held with every country on normalizing relations with Iran, ASAP. War with Iran is unthinkable for anyone with a brain. Baghdad would be destroyed and all the Sunni areas in an hour by Iranian missiles. The Saudis, UAE, US, NATO, etc., not to mention Russia and China, India, Pakistan all choosing sides! WTF?
Iran has enemies with the US arsenal facing them. So they try to even the playing field, perhaps...or else they launched a satellite rocket.

[Nutmegger]

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