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Thank you Ronald Reagan!!!

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
fluff said:
Oddly I was reading about this yesterday, something about peak production expected in the next 10-50 years and reserves between 1 billion and 1.6 billion, including sand/shale oils.

Seems you get a different story everywhere.

I wonder if baby Jesus made any other babies cry?

i read an chart on wikipedia (which comes in turn from a bp report) about the oil peak, and all of north america already had. same with western europe.

iraq looks like its one of the furthest from hitting peak and reserves midpoint.

the same chart speculates iraq will hit its production peak on 2015.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
So, essentially peak oil is a product of a 1950's oil man, picked up on by well meaning environmentalists, and allowed to fester by the oil companies /OPEC etc. themselves in order to help ensure better profits.

The truth is we should stop burning oil because it's the right thing to do, and maybe because we're being ripped off for it - Not because it's actually running out.
 

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,162
2,687
The bunker at parliament
ALEXIS_DH said:
i read an chart on wikipedia (which comes in turn from a bp report) about the oil peak, and all of north america already had. same with western europe.

iraq looks like its one of the furthest from hitting peak and reserves midpoint.

the same chart speculates iraq will hit its production peak on 2015.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves

I guess that date would depend on when the Iraq's stop blowing stuff up. :rofl:
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
Changleen said:
The truth is we should stop burning oil because it's the right thing to do, and maybe because we're being ripped off for it - Not because it's actually running out.
And we finally have a winner. Well sort of.... oil is running out. Unless the abiotic insane asylum proves to not be an insane asylum.

USGS is viewed within the industry as having the most accurate forecasts based on current exploration and production technology. Oil companies, OPEC and anyone else in the business of selling oil are always going to undercut those estimates.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Successful missile intercept reported in US sea-based defense test
Jun 22 9:24 PM US/Eastern

A US warship successfully shot down a target missile warhead over the Pacific in a test of a sea-based missile defense system, the US military said.


A Japanese destroyer performed surveillance and tracking exercises during the test, marking the first time any US ally has taken part in a US missile defense intercept test, the US Missile Defense Agency said.

The test came amid a confrontation with North Korea over its preparations to launch a long-range missile.

The sea-based system tested off Hawaii is designed to counter only short or medium range missiles, but the cruisers and destroyers that took part are capable of tracking long-range missiles as well.

The mock warhead was launched over the Pacific atop a medium range missile and destroyed in a direct hit six minutes later with an SM-3 missile fired by the Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh, the agency said.

"The missile successfully intercepted the target warhead outside the earths atmosphere more than 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean and 250 miles northwest of Kauai," the agency said in a statement.

"We are continuing to see great success with the very challenging technology of hit-to-kill, a technology that is used for all of our missile defense ground- and sea-based interceptor missiles," Lieutenant General Trey Obering, the agency chief, said in the statement.

He said it was the seventh successful intercept using the sea-based missile defense system out of eight tries.

The test came as the United States said Thursday that North Korea would have to pay a "cost" if it launched a long range missile.

The US has said that North Korea is preparing to launch a multi-stage Taepodong-2 ballistic missile with a range of up to 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles). US reports have said a launch was imminent.

US defense officials said the United States was ready to use its missile defense system if necessary against any threatening launch.

A North Korean missile test "would be a provocation and a dangerous action which would have to have some consequences." He told lawmakers "there would be a reaction, and it would be a mistake for North Korea to do it."

South Korea's Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said in Seoul that he did not believe a missile operation was imminent, but North Korea has received new warnings against making a launch.

Missile Defense Agency officials have said the missile interceptor test was long-planned and had nothing to do with North Korea's long-range missile launch plans.

But the agency's statement highlighted the role of the Japanese Aegis destroyer.

"This event marked the first time that an allied military unit participated in a US Aegis missile defense intercept test," it said.

It said the Japanese destroyer and a US Navy Aegis destroyer performed surveillance and tracking exercises during the test.

"This data can also be used to provide targeting information for other missile defense systems, including the ground-based long-range interceptor missiles now deployed in Alaska and California to protect all 50 states from a limited ballistic missile attack," the agency said.

A third Aegis destroyer used in the test linked up with a land-based missile defense radar to evaluate the ship's ability to receive and use target cueing data from missile defense command centers.

The mock warhead separated from the three-stage target missile. The direct hit marked only the second time a separating warhead has been successfully intercepted by a missile fired from an Aegis cruiser.

The cruisers use their modified Spy-1 radars and a shipboard battle management system to detect, track and target the warheads in space.

The SM-3 Block IA interceptor missile fired in Thursday's test is slated for deployment in the US Navy and had never been used before in an intercept test.
 

dhbuilder

jingoistic xenophobe
Aug 10, 2005
3,040
0
i saw a report about that this morning.
that kicks @$$ !!

is this a great country or what ?
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
I saw that on the news here. Looked very spectacular in infra-red. Here's hoping it never needs to be tested in real life.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Anyone else find it strange that THIS is new technology? I mean, we've had shoulder fired stingers for what...20 years now? I cant beleive this is just happening.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
BurlyShirley said:
Anyone else find it strange that THIS is new technology? I mean, we've had shoulder fired stingers for what...20 years now? I cant beleive this is just happening.
The analogy I heard was it's like hitting bullet with another bullet. Not so easy if couched in those terms.
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
BurlyShirley said:
Anyone else find it strange that THIS is new technology? I mean, we've had shoulder fired stingers for what...20 years now? I cant beleive this is just happening.
A stinger is trying to hit a target moving at less than the speed of sound to an altitude of 12,000 feet or so. From a physics perspective, it's the same problem, but the speeds involved are much higher with a ballistic missle and an interceptor. It's like trying to hit a baseball tossed underhand to you versus a Randy Johnson fastball. One it a lot easier to do.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Actually the technology is pretty old...

My dad was a development engineer on the Nike Missile program back in the 50's and 60's as well as the Sidewinder and Stinger missiles at Army's White Sands Missile Range in NM.

The ABM missile was the Nike Zeus.

 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,241
20,025
Sleazattle
N8 said:
Actually the technology is pretty old...

My dad was a development engineer on the Nike Missile program back in the 50's and 60's as well as the Sidewinder and Stinger missiles at Army's White Sands Missile Range in NM.

The ABM missile was the Nike Zeus.
Are you saying the test was performed on a 1950's technology missle? If so it wouldn't make that much difference than any real missle threat we face but how hard would it be for someone to develop a stealthy missle? Tha would probably be the trump card on our MDS.
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Westy said:
Are you saying the test was performed on a 1950's technology missle? If so it wouldn't make that much difference than any real missle threat we face but how hard would it be for someone to develop a stealthy missle? Tha would probably be the trump card on our MDS.

No, I am saying anti ballistic missile technology is old.
 

Tenchiro

Attention K Mart Shoppers
Jul 19, 2002
5,407
0
New England
Heh, too bad we may not use this new system if Korea starts a shootin'

US won't necessarily shoot down N.Korea missile

(2006-06-22)

By Carol Giacomo and Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea is far along in its preparations for testing a long-range ballistic missile but the United States would not necessarily use its missile defense system to shoot it down, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

After a week in which unidentified American officials had stoked alarm about activities at a missile site in eastern North Korea, the U.S. government appeared ready to ease tensions somewhat.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
LMAO!

I think its pretty hilarious that ONE option we are considering is shooting down their test missiles :rofl:
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
The US will probably not hit the real missiles either, unless Cheney's the target. After all, nothing motivates the electorate like being attacked...
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
This being a purely defensive weapon I'm assuming the US will share this technology with all and sundry. After all if everyone has this technology the world will be a safer place without the threat of nuclear war from ballistic missiles. I mean Bush is always going on about how he wants to make the world a safer place.:rolleyes:
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
valve bouncer said:
This being a purely defensive weapon I'm assuming the US will share this technology with all and sundry. After all if everyone has this technology the world will be a safer place without the threat of nuclear war from ballistic missiles. I mean Bush is always going on about how he wants to make the world a safer place.:rolleyes:
A safer place for us or US is what he meant.

Y'all can just suck eggs.

Though maybe since the Japanese helped with this latest test, you're included now..... I'll have to look into that.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
DRB said:
A safer place for us or US is what he meant.

Y'all can just suck eggs.

Though maybe since the Japanese helped with this latest test, you're included now..... I'll have to look into that.
Is it still Friday where you are?
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
DRB said:
A safer place for us or US is what he meant.

Y'all can just suck eggs.

Though maybe since the Japanese helped with this latest test, you're included now..... I'll have to look into that.
Okay I've carefully reviewed Japan and have decided that you can in fact have the technology.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200945,00.html

But to the rest of the world, get to sucking...
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
Yet another sucessful test... :)


White Sands missile test phenomenal'
By Jason Gibbs Sun-News reporter

The rising sun lights a contrail pattern made by a missile test launch at the White Sands Missile Range in the sky over Phoenix, Ariz., early Wednesday. The launch was a test of the Missile Defense Agency's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. (AP photo)

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE — It was a picture-perfect pre-dawn Wednesday and a picture-perfect launch at White Sands Missile Range.

Hundreds of miles above southern New Mexico, it was a picture-perfect impact between two missiles.

The morning sky above the Tularosa Basin was painted in every color of the rainbow — hues ranging from iridescent purples to emerald greens and pastel blues, pinks and electric whites against the darkness of space.

The pre-dawn art show was the result of the third of five tests planned at White Sands Missile Range to determine the effectiveness of THAAD — Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile. And military officials said the test went better than they could have hoped.

"This was phenomenal," said U.S. Army Col. Charles Driessnack, the project manager for the Missile Defense Agency's THAAD program. "It performed as expected."

The test demonstrated the THAAD's ability to "completely destroy that warhead so that no chemical or nuclear residue would contaminate areas" below the explosion, Driessnack said.

During the test firing, the airspace above the 3,200-square-mile missile range was cleared, including orbiting satellites, said Jim Eckles, a spokesman for the missile range.

Also, roughly 80 to 90 families were evacuated from surrounding ranch land during the test and traffic was halted on area highways.

The target — a Hera missile that closely mimics the characteristics of the more infamous SCUD missiles — was launched shortly after 5:17 a.m. Wednesday. It took to the skies from a location on the far northern reaches of the bombing range's territory, about 100 miles north of the Organ Mountains, 25 miles north of Highway 380.

It carried a canister of inert material to simulate chemical or biological elements that could be mounted on an enemy missile, Driessnack said. The target missile rose roughly 200 miles above the Earth before beginning the final stage descent toward land.

The THAAD was launched close to the southern end, on the east side of the Organ Mountains. The object of the THAAD missile is to provide a weapon to intercept incoming missiles during the "terminal" phase, when only seconds remain before it would strike an intended target.

A crowd of roughly 75 spectators, military personnel and defense department contractors, gathered near the WSMR Museum in the predawn hours to view the test.

As the target missile launched, it streaked into the still-dark sky, looking like a comet with a long, white tail. As it got to the second firing stage, red fire bloomed out of the leading edge of the missile.

Minutes later, the THAAD was launched, giving a little pirouette before speeding upward.

"Get up there baby," one observer shouted.

For a couple of minutes, the crowd held their collective breath, waiting to see if the impact would occur as planned.

When the target missile was destroyed, sending a brilliant white, mushroom-like cloud into the dark sky, the crowd began to applaud and cheer wildly.

" We smashed it," several people cheered as the rainbow colored contrail gave way to the cotton ball

Eckles said contrails and explosions from previous tests have been seen as far away as Phoenix and Tucson. On Wednesday, Phoenix residents again were treated to a colorful contrail pattern over the Arizona skies, while closer-to-home reports were received from Lordsburg, Silver City and Doña Ana County from early risers who observed the same display.

"All evidence is that it was totally destroyed," Driessnack said of the target missile during an interview after the test was complete. "We knew from the last test, 60 days ago, that it was working as it should."

He said the test indicates THAAD could be ready for emergency deployment "as soon as a year from now."

While the previous two THAAD flight tests, also conducted at WSMR, were focused on interceptor fly-out and performance, the remaining flight test program is providing verification of the integrated THAAD element at increasingly difficult levels.

Further testing, both at White Sands and in the Pacific, is planned. In all, the nine-year program to develop the defense system has cost about $4 billion dollars, and is expected to come up roughly $48 million over budget when complete, Driessnack said.

It's the latest step in filling a president directive issued in December 2002 to build a defensive system capable of countering missile threats to our homeland as well as our deployed forces and allies.

Driessnack said the system could be used "to protect our East and West coasts" from missile attack.

The United States and North Korea are in a diplomatic stalemate following the communist country's recent test firing of the long-range Taepodong-2 missile. The missile, which U.S. officials believe to be capable of reaching American soil, exploded some 40 seconds after launch.

When fully operational, the THAAD system will provide quickly-deployable protection from missile attacks in any region needed, including homeland territory, Driessnack said.


THAAD fast facts

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system includes four main components:

Launcher: Highly mobile, able to store, transport and fire interceptors.

Interceptors: Designed to intercept its target both in and out of the atmosphere using hit-to-kill lethality.

Radar: Largest mobile X-band in with world. It provides search, track, discrimination and fire control updates to the interceptor.

Fire Control: Communication and data-management backbone, links THAAD components together and to external units as well as the entire Ballistic Missile Defense System.

Source: Missile Defense Agency
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
:wave:

U.S. Successfully Completes Missile Test

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) -- The Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile early Thursday.

The Minuteman III dummy warheads were fired at 3:14 a.m. and traveled about 4,200 miles before hitting a water target in the Marshall Islands.

The launch was delayed by a day because of a power outage at a radar facility that handles flights in and out of Southern California. The purpose is to test the defense system's reliability and accuracy.

Earlier this month, North Korea shook up the world by firing several missiles into the Sea of Japan, including a failed long-range missile.

The North Korean launch raised questions about the readiness of the U.S. missile defense system, which includes interceptors housed in underground silos in California and Alaska.
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
N8 said:
:wave:

U.S. Successfully Completes Missile Test

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) -- The Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile early Thursday.

The Minuteman III dummy warheads were fired at 3:14 a.m. and traveled about 4,200 miles before hitting a water target in the Marshall Islands.

The launch was delayed by a day because of a power outage at a radar facility that handles flights in and out of Southern California. The purpose is to test the defense system's reliability and accuracy.

Earlier this month, North Korea shook up the world by firing several missiles into the Sea of Japan, including a failed long-range missile.

The North Korean launch raised questions about the readiness of the U.S. missile defense system, which includes interceptors housed in underground silos in California and Alaska.
Umm.....huh??? :confused: I'm lost......They launched an unarmed ICBM just for the hell of it....and it was successful that it actually flew??....amazing...groundbreaking even....

So the purpose was to test the defense system's reliability and accuracy....but it didn't defend anything.....The ICBM hit it's target....how is that a successful defense????

Better hope that the radar doesn't go down if we're under attack....