This video could almost be a training vid for KSP

[Zeiss Ikon]

Back in 1965, the military made a short film about reentry (seemingly animated by Fred Ward, the creator of Bullwinkle).  It's a useful tutorial on the same tradeoffs we meet when we reenter a command pod or spaceplace in KSP -- the twin enemies of heat and acceleration.

Here's the video:

 

[DerekL1963]

Some of things in there, I bet this was classified back in the day.

And interestingly enough, the USAF (and USN) were moving to conical and sphere-conical warheads at the time - both shapes noticeably absent from the film.

[Zeiss Ikon]

50 minutes ago, DerekL1963 said:

Some of things in there, I bet this was classified back in the day.

And interestingly enough, the USAF (and USN) were moving to conical and sphere-conical warheads at the time - both shapes noticeably absent from the film.

Well, would you let the guys from Fractured Fairy Tales have access to your latest tech? 

I don't think anything in this film was classified when it was released -- after all, Gemini was ongoing, and Apollo was already under construction when it was made.  And, as you note, the RV designs they illustrated were already obsolete(ish).  Things that would have flown on an Atlas or Titan missile were already being replaced by Minuteman (solid rocket), and Polaris replaced by Poseidon.  Smaller warheads with bigger yield flying on rockets with enough payload to deliver MIRVs -- that was all classified in 1965.  The 1958 nose cone tech illustrated in this film wasn't, any more.

[DerekL1963]

5 hours ago, Zeiss Ikon said:

I don't think anything in this film was classified when it was released -- after all, Gemini was ongoing, and Apollo was already under construction when it was made.

Gemini and Apollo were NASA programs, and not relevant to a USAF training film.  Not to mention neither one faced ABMs during re-entry, nor were planned for ballistic CEPs of only a couple of thousand feet.
 

5 hours ago, Zeiss Ikon said:

And, as you note, the RV designs they illustrated were already obsolete(ish).  Things that would have flown on an Atlas or Titan missile were already being replaced by Minuteman (solid rocket), and Polaris replaced by Poseidon. 

Both Titan II and Polaris A3 served into the 1980's, A-2 was still in (limited) service.  Though Polaris A-1 and A-2 (like Titan II) carried their RVs unshrouded...   A-3's reentry vehicle design (sphere-cone-flare) was missing from the film though.
 

6 hours ago, Zeiss Ikon said:

Smaller warheads with bigger yield flying on rockets with enough payload to deliver MIRVs -- that was all classified in 1965.  The 1958 nose cone tech illustrated in this film wasn't, any more.

There were no (US) MIRVs in service in 1965.  (Polaris A3 was MRV not MIRV.)  When MIRVs did enter service, they were anything but classified - the capability was widely advertised.  (You can't deter an enemy or reassure a populace without publicizing capabilities, at least in general terms.)  In the same way, that the US was extremely successful at miniaturizing nuclear weapons was also widely advertised as a sign of our prowess.  The USSR''s lack of such ability was also widely advertised by the West to denigrate their accomplishments. 

[James Kerman]

1 hour ago, DerekL1963 said:

The USSR''s lack of such ability was also widely advertised by the West to denigrate their accomplishments. 

I think this should read; The USSR''s (apparent) lack of such ability.

https://southfront.org/nuclear-bullets-dangerous-soviet-project/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuclear_device

[Vanamonde]

Congratulations on being a thread of the month, Zeiss Ikon.

[DerekL1963]

On 12/30/2017 at 12:47 AM, James Kerman said:

I think this should read; The USSR''s (apparent) lack of such ability.

https://southfront.org/nuclear-bullets-dangerous-soviet-project/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuclear_device

Let's see...  the first is cancelled project, because it wasn't a viable weapon.  The second is something rumored to exist.

But off topic from the point of the thread either way.

[Zeiss Ikon]

On 1/5/2018 at 12:09 AM, Vanamonde said:

Congratulations on being a thread of the month, Zeiss Ikon.

Thanks!  I didn't even know there was such a thing, I was just wanting to pass along a cool video I found on YouTube. 

[Zeiss Ikon]

YouTube has a recommendation system; they show you more videos like those you've watched recently.  This one came up in that category today -- it's older than the one above, but live action instead of animated, and covers differing conditions on various planets (but seems aimed mainly at crewed flight).

 

[Rickert-A33]

it can be helpfull but it isnt the best i think...

[Diche Bach]

On 1/10/2018 at 6:15 AM, Rickert-A33 said:

it can be helpfull but it isnt the best i think...

I get a lot of viewing pleasure out of YTs "suggestions" algorithms. True, a fair bit of <<click, watch, watch . . . 30 seconds later click away>> too, and of course I empathize with the travails of YT content creators in their "demonetization" woes (the most paradoxical of which I've seen being a recent video by Tim Pool in which he puzzles of the fact that his "Icelandic appendix vermicularis Museum" video was human-eyes confirmed for monetization, whereas his "Interview with former Icelandic PM and wikileaks member" was human confirmed for DE-monetization . . .).

YT is far from perfect, but overall, I appreciate the robotic assistance it affords to further my webcrastination viewing free and often interesting stuff!

[KG3]

On ‎12‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 1:59 AM, DerekL1963 said:

 

Both Titan II and Polaris A3 served into the 1980's, A-2 was still in (limited) service.  Though Polaris A-1 and A-2 (like Titan II) carried their RVs unshrouded...   A-3's reentry vehicle design (sphere-cone-flare) was missing from the film though.
 

 

It seems to me that in all the of the animations of nuclear reentry vehicles that I've seen the warhead had been shaped like a cone and traveled into the atmosphere point first.  How does a  sphere-cone-flare work and look like?  Does KSP have anything like this to play around with?

I just loved Fractured Fairy Tails as a kid although those Bullwinkle cartoons were actually made more for an adult audience. 

[DerekL1963]

On 1/24/2018 at 5:33 AM, KG3 said:

It seems to me that in all the of the animations of nuclear reentry vehicles that I've seen the warhead had been shaped like a cone and traveled into the atmosphere point first.  How does a  sphere-cone-flare work and look like?

Sphere-cone-flare works like any other RV. 

There are various details difference, but the Polaris RV can be seen here:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/MIRV  (The UK used the same RV.)