The Rainbow Bomb

November 28, 2008 1:25 PM

Nukes In Space: The Rainbow Bomb (52 minutes Google Video)

Narrated by William Shatner, "Nukes in Space" provides an interesting overview of the development of the military space program of missiles and space-based nuclear weapons testing with spectacular, never-before-seen images. Starting with the V-1 and V-2, this film takes you through missile development of ICBM's with nuclear warheads, the Cuban Missile Crisis through anti-ballistic missile systems and what implications the they hold for the future of our nation's security. During the heart of the Cold War, the United States and the former Soviet Union launched and detonated a combined total of over 20 thermo nuclear weapons in the upper atmosphere and near space region of earth in an effort to test the effects of launching an offense as well as countering an offense. Even during the Cuban Missile Crisis!

Starting with the V-1 and V-2, this film takes you through missile development of ICBM's with nuclear warheads, the Cuban Missile Crisis through anti-ballistic missile systems and what implications the they hold for the future of our nation's security.

posted by acro (13 comments total)

The worst effects of a Russian high altitude test occurred on 22 October 1962 (during the Cuban missile crisis), in ‘Operation K’ (ABM System A proof tests) when a 300-kt missile-warhead detonated near Dzhezkazgan at 290-km altitude. The EMP fused 570 km of overhead telephone line with a measured current of 2,500 A, started a fire that burned down the Karaganda power plant, and shut down 1,000-km of shallow-buried power cables between Aqmola and Almaty.

Take that, decadent capitalists!
posted by Kirth Gerson at 2:11 PM on November 28, 2008

Surely they meant "Nukes in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!"
posted by kcds at 2:52 PM on November 28, 2008 [3 favorites]

It was an interesting film, but did I miss the part detailing the implications of ICBMs and the future of our nation's security?
posted by Brocktoon at 3:00 PM on November 28, 2008

Well thats 5 or 6 of my interests in one neat package, well done!
posted by Artw at 3:04 PM on November 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm a big fan of creepy oscilloscope guy.
posted by LordSludge at 3:32 PM on November 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I for one would love to see a collection of footage of just missile and satellite tests exploding. That would be awesome.
posted by Mcable at 3:40 PM on November 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

This video contains so many explosions that by the first commercial break I had already splooged myself and I had to take a Viagra to watch the rest of it.
posted by localroger at 4:26 PM on November 28, 2008

"Music performed by: The Moscow Symphony Orchestra"

Also, now I am strangely convinced the US should reopen development of ABM. But if this was an advertisement, it's quite lengthy and it will cost the US military a lot to have it aired in prime-time...
posted by Laotic at 4:40 PM on November 28, 2008

@Broockton re. implications - Towards the end, Kirk Shatner says ABM technology don't work and is a big waste of money.
posted by acro at 4:52 PM on November 28, 2008

Interesting documentary. I didn't know that the USA and the USSR were actively involved in ICBM testing during the Cuban missile crisis. Must have been even scarier than I remember.

An update to this film would certainly emphasize what this documentary discovered as an unexpected side-effect of high altitude nuke testing: its disrupting of satellite and ground-based communications systems. As we know, this would involve - in violation of the Treaty, of course - the deliberate destruction of a country's electronic infrastructure through space nukes.
posted by kozad at 5:05 PM on November 28, 2008

Yep. Great film. I was born and raised as a "cold-war nuke-freak" baby. That was some of the best footage I have ever seen of "testing."

Even better, was that after viewing, I came into this thread. That WAS Bill Shatner, hee-hee.

*Sighs*

Now I am going to go curl up into a little ball and shake uncontrollably in my bed for the night.
posted by peewinkle at 6:38 PM on November 28, 2008

Funny how we chose between 'balls crazy' and 'species development' way back when and decided to sort of stop doing this.
Not so funny we have to keep choosing over and over.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:12 PM on November 28, 2008

In 1989 I toured the Titan Missile Museum just outside of Tuscon.
The tour leader explained to my tourist group all of the protocols and procedures involved in a successful launch. The missile takes off and when it attains a certain altitude, the first stage drops off and the second proceeds along its way to the target blowing the shit out of that part of the world.
After his talk the tour leader asked the very impressed group of tourists if they had any questions. One nice lady asked how they managed to keep the first stage from falling on people and hurting them. I was impressed by the naivite of her question. If the shit ever did hit the fan and one of of those bad boys in the silo ever did get launched, I would say that getting hit by falling space junk should be about the last of her worries. Game over.
posted by dougzilla at 11:36 PM on November 28, 2008 [2 favorites]