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Article: HOW STUFF WORKS: ; Rockets are easily converted to missiles
- Article from:
- Charleston Gazette
- Article date:
- July 6, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Charleston Gazette. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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HowStuffWorks.com
In mid-June, a Japanese newspaper reported something rather
alarming. The North Korean military appeared to be preparing a
Taepodong-2 missile for a July 4th firing. And the target appeared
to be Hawaii.
Since Hawaii is 4,350 miles away from North Korea, it is
provocative. The idea that a missile might actually launch, fly over
Japan and then land near the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific fleet
in Hawaii dredges up many bad memories. It also raises the question:
How does a ballistic missile like this work?
The first thing to understand is that any rocket is easily
converted to a missile; it's just a matter of sticking an explosive
in the nose cone. The Redstone rocket that ...