Word: booster
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...months to come. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold and ex--Virginia Governor Mark Warner have already visited--and will probably be there in the fall. Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who hasn't totally ruled out a White House run, heads to Iowa in September. And Hillary Clinton's biggest booster--husband and former President Bill--will speak to Iowa Democrats in October. Then there's the hopeful who is pretty much always there--Democrat Tom Vilsack is Iowa's Governor. But all candidates should keep in mind that a politician doesn't win by Iowa alone--Gephardt, with Mom's help...
...could be conducted. "Surgical strike" is a much abused term, but destroying a test missile as it is being readied for launch qualifies for this category because only one U.S. cruise missile or precision bomb with an ordinary high-explosive warhead could easily puncture and ignite the multistory test booster. As with space-shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral, all personnel would normally be a safe distance away from the rocket at the time, so there should be no collateral damage...
...When intelligence reports first surfaced in late June that North Korea had begun fueling booster rockets capable of launching various types of its missiles, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned that a test would prompt a "very vehement" reaction from Japan. He said his government would consider immediate economic sanctions, and would recommend that the U.N. Security Council take action. Since then, various Japanese leaders, including Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, have reiterated that threat...
...Shooting down a missile is no walk in the park. As the interceptor and target approach each other at six miles a second, the smallest problem means failure. A 2002 test bombed after the interceptor didn't separate from its booster. The reason: A single pin on a tiny integrated circuit broke after being violently shaken during the flight. Foam that had been there to protect the pin on prior flights had been removed, supposedly to improve the system's reliability. A 2004 test failed because an error in one line of computer code kept the interceptor grounded. The most...
...that will unleash a dozen or more mini-interceptors to destroy all potential warheads. "This reduces the burden on sensors and algorithms, which no longer need to be programmed to select one, best target," the Pentagon says. Of course, a better interceptor won't be worth much if the booster designed to hurl it into space stays stuck in its silo because of rusty parts or sloppy software...