http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/rocket/ en-us Fri, 3 Jul 2009 02:54:04 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284592/posts A post-launch examination of the Unha-2 By David Wright and Theodore A. Postol | 29 June 2009 Article Highlights * The launch vehicle North Korea tested on April 5, the Unha-2, represents a significant advance over North Korea's previous launchers. * In particular, it would have the capability to reach the continental United States with a payload of 1 ton or more if Pyongyang modified it for use as a ballistic missile. * However, if key Unha-2's components were acquired from Russia and elsewhere, North Korea's domestic missile development program may be much more limited than commonly assumed. North Korea... Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284592/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 02:54:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283840/posts U.S. 'ready' for N. Korean missile Pyongyang expected to test ICBM By Bill Gertz July 2, 2009 COLORADO SPRINGS | U.S. missile defenses are prepared to try to knock down the last stage of a Taepodong-2 missile that North Korea is expected soon to launch if sensors detect the weapon threatens U.S. territory, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command told The Washington Times. "The nation has a very, very credible ballistic-missile defense capability. Our ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, I'm very comfortable, give me a capability that if we really are threatened by a long-range ICBM that I've... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283840/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 03:58:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283109/posts SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The long-range rocket North Korea launched in April could be converted into a ballistic missile capable of striking half of the continental U.S., two American physicists have concluded in a joint study. North Korea launched on April 5 what it claims was a rocket designed to carry a satellite into orbit. The U.S. and its allies say nothing entered orbit, calling the "Unha-2" rocket a disguised ballistic missile capable of flying over 6,700km. South Korean and U.S. officials have refrained from elaborating on the capabilities of the rocket, while media reports said the rocket flew... Yonhap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283109/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:59:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283092/posts (LEAD) N. Korean rocket capable of hitting half the U.S.: American scientists By Sam Kim SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The long-range rocket North Korea launched in April could be converted into a ballistic missile that can theoretically hit half the United States with a substantial payload, two U.S. physicists have concluded from their joint study. North Korea launched on April 5 what it claims was a rocket designed to carry a satellite into orbit. The U.S. and its allies say nothing entered orbit, calling the "Unha-2" rocket a disguised form of a ballistic missile capable of flying over 6,700... Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283092/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 08:45:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262986/posts Liberty County Sheriff’s officials are expected to meet with the FAA on Tuesday to discuss what a Continental Express pilot reported as a “missile or rocket” flying near his airplane. A pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that at about 8:15 p.m. Friday, an object passed within 150 feet beneath the aircraft, sheriff’s officials said. The aircraft was near the southern edge of the county, flying at about 13,000 feet, officials said. “The pilot, from what we understand, was former military. He was able to get the coordinates down real quick,” said Cpl. Hugh Bishop with the Liberty County... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2262986/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 16:18:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255503/posts MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia must strengthen its competitive positions on the global commercial space launch market by expanding its launch facilities and developing new types of carrier rockets, the prime minister said on Monday. "We should not simply maintain but significantly strengthen our competitive edge in the space sector, not least by developing the Plesetsk and Vostochny space centers, and producing advanced rockets and a new-generation spaceship," Vladimir Putin said. He said this would enable Russia to provide high-quality, low-cost launch services on the international market. "I believe that in the foreseeable future we'll have the ability... RIA Novosti http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255503/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 15:14:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2250246/posts An earlier thread posted another video of Mr. Clarkson shooting up cars skeet style. I love that video and decided to watch some other videos from "Top Gear's" Jeremy Clarkson. I now have a new personal favorite... Mr. Clarkson outfits a Porsche 944 Turbo with rocket launching tubes and goes hunting for traffic cams, signs and traffic cops. Too funny! Click here for the video. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2250246/posts#comment Wed, 13 May 2009 20:26:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2247285/posts WALLOPS ISLAND To take advantage of better weather, officials at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport have moved up the planned launch of a $60 million rocket to 7:35 tonight. The launch of the Minotaur I rocket, which carries several satellites, has been delayed twice because of storms. The launch window will be open until 11 p.m. today. If weather interferes again, another attempt could be made Saturday night. For updates on the launch, follow NASA_Wallops on Twitter. To watch the launch video, go to the NASA Wallops Web site: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast/ [1] The Virginian-Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2247285/posts#comment Fri, 8 May 2009 23:50:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2232086/posts Note: The following blog entry is a quote: Ahmadinejad: Iran Developing New Rocket Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on April 14 that Iran intends to manufacture rockets with a range of 700-1,500 km that can carry heavier satellites into space than Iran has launched to date. Source: Fars, Iran, April 14, 2009 Posted at: 2009-04-16 ("Source: Fars, Iran, April 14, 2009") via THE MEMRI BLOG.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2232086/posts#comment Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:13:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226180/posts N.Korean Rocket 'Made Using Chinese Technology' The rocket launched by North Korea last Sunday was made using the technology of the Long March-1 rocket China fired in the 1970s. After looking at video footage of the rocket launch released by AP on Tuesday, Chae Yeon-seok, a former president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, said, the external appearance of the rocket shows that the North must have used technology of the Chinese rocket to make it. The assembly method also seems to be Chinese. "The North set the first-stage booster rocket up vertically first, and then put the second and... Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226180/posts#comment Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:31:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224897/posts N. Korea warns Japan against searching for rocket debris SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's military warned Japan on Wednesday against trying to find debris from its long-range rocket, saying mobilizing combat ships for the search would be a "military provocation." The Japanese government was considering salvaging parts from the North Korean three-stage rocket, fired on Sunday, whose first-stage booster fell into the East Sea. A search would be a "vicious espionage, interference in internal affairs, and an unbearable military provocation that infringes upon the sovereign right of our republic," the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army... Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224897/posts#comment Wed, 8 Apr 2009 16:12:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224020/posts For video, click the following link and scroll down until you see a video frame and click it: http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/04/07/2009040702404.html Chosun Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224020/posts#comment Tue, 7 Apr 2009 13:15:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223923/posts /begin my excerpts N. Korea: U.S. Searching for 82 Pieces of Payload Debris near Hawaii Munhwa Ilbo 04/07/09 U.S. and Japan are set out to recover N. Korean rocket (debris) that fell on Pacific. Koo Sang-chan, a lawmaker from (ruling) Hannara Party and a member of Diplomatic and Trade Affairs Committee at National Assembly, said during Apr. 7 question session to government, "(N. Korea's rocket payload) fell into sea 1,500 miles to the east of Hawaii in 82 pieces of debris, and U.S. Navy ships are now searching for them." Japanese Defense Ministry is also searching for first level booster... Munhwa Ilbo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223923/posts#comment Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:55:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223913/posts Satellite image shows N. rocket flying northeast while emitting flame By Sam Kim SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- The North Korean rocket that apparently failed to put a satellite in orbit initially flew northeast after blasting off from its launch pad, emitting a long trail of fumes and generating a massive flame, a satellite image showed Tuesday. North Korea on Sunday launched a three-stage rocket that it claimed successfully orbited a communication satellite after being launched from the Musudan-ri base on its east coast. South Korea and the United States dispute the claim, suspecting the launch was a banned test... Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223913/posts#comment Tue, 7 Apr 2009 05:52:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223301/posts U.N. Ambassador Rice: Korean missile launch no 'goofy stunt' @ 10:04 am by Michael O'Brien The North Koreans' missile launch was not a "goofy stunt," United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice said Monday. "It was something serious and we need to take it seriously," Rice said this morning during an appearance on CBS, asserting that the missile launch was a clear provocation despite some evidence that it had been a failure. "It wasn't a goofy stunt." Rice called the U.N. Security Council to be pass a binding resolution in order to force the Koreans to reenter six-party talks aimed at denuclearization.... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223301/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 14:51:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222808/posts The ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is introducing legislation that "conditions diplomatic relations" with North Korea on its abandoning its nuclear weapons program -- one of several congressional responses to news of the communist nation's defiant missile launch on Sunday. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., expressed grave concern over North Korea's continued missile tests, calling the country "a direct threat to U.S. forces stationed in the Pacific, to our South Korean and Japanese allies and to Americans living in the states of Alaska and Hawaii." "Today's actions not only show North Korea's advancing military capabilities but also the... FOX NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222808/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 17:40:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222763/posts BEIJING – China, North Korea's chief ally, offered a muted response to its launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday, calling on all sides to maintain calm and exercise restraint. The low-key reaction indicated that Beijing, a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, will likely oppose anything but a mild rebuke of Pyongyang during an emergency council session scheduled later Sunday in New York. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had telephone conversations Sunday with his counterparts in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Russia, participants in stalled six-nation talks on halting North Korea's nuclear programs. Yang exchanged views... gmanews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222763/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 15:53:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222768/posts Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told “Fox News Sunday” that he would have disabled the long-range missile before North Korea launched it, saying too many people “do not appreciate the scale of the threat that is evolving on the planet.” “One morning, just like 9/11, there’s going to be a disaster,” Gingrich said. “I have yet to see the United Nations do anything effective with either Iran or North Korea.” Reacting to President Barack Obama’s speech in Prague, Gingrich called the plan for a Global Summit on Nuclear Security a “wonderful fantasy idea,” saying Russia and other nations can’t be... politico.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222768/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 16:04:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222765/posts SEOUL — South Korea and Japan scrambled to interpret the fallout from a North Korean rocket launch Sunday that the regime said placed a satellite into orbit – a claim contradicted by both Washington and Seoul. National security officials met in separate meetings in Tokyo and Seoul, where anti-Pyongyang demonstrators clashed with police for the second time in three days – this time burning a missile replica and a photograph of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Within hours after the three-stage rocket lifted off from North Korea's Musudan-ri launch facility at 11:20 a.m., the state-run North Korean press agency... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222765/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 15:57:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222719/posts The video above shows President Barack Obama reacting to the North Korean Launch of a multi-stage rocket that took place late last night U.S. time. Obama said the launch violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. The video below shows Obama condemning North Korea's launch in a speech he gave to a massive crowd in Prague. He said North Korea broke the rules and breaking the rules "must be punished." He did not say what that punishment should be. . . . . . (Watch Videos) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222719/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 13:33:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222692/posts Here is video of CNN's Chris Lawerence using their magic wall and satellite technology to "map" the path of the multi-stage rocket launched by North Korea late last night U.S. time. . . . . . (Watch Video) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2222692/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 12:26:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222561/posts TOKYO – Japanese broadcaster NHK says North Korea has launched a rocket, citing the Japanese government. The report came Sunday morning amid heightened tensions in the region. North Korea had informed international authorities that it planned to launch a rocket sometime between Saturday and Wednesday in order to put a satellite into orbit. AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222561/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 02:50:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222029/posts Nothing follows yet...just breaking news banner. reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222029/posts#comment Sat, 4 Apr 2009 03:23:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221814/posts South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak said he expects North Korea to try to press on with its rocket launch on Saturday, despite mounting international calls for the regime to abandon the plan. The United States and its allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, have condemned the proposed launch as a threat to regional stability and urged the reclusive communist state to call it off at the eleventh hour. Pyongyang previously said the launch will be between Saturday and Wednesday, but speaking to a group of reporters in London, including AFP, Lee said he believed the North would press ahead Saturday,... NST Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221814/posts#comment Fri, 3 Apr 2009 21:15:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220519/posts Japan's north prepares for North Korea rocket AKITA, Japan (AP) -- Crisis control officials opened an emergency center in northern Japan on Thursday to prepare for the launch of a North Korean rocket expected to fly over Japanese territory. Gov. Sukeshiro Terata, who heads the crisis control headquarters in Akita Prefecture, urged officials and residents to stay calm. He said the possibility of a launch failure that would send debris or fragments falling toward Japan was "one in a million." "We believe a flying object from North Korea is unlikely to land in our territory. Yet, we must be prepared... AP (via Mainichi Daily News) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220519/posts#comment Thu, 2 Apr 2009 08:53:40 GMT