Come meet a Midgetman

[Orionblamblam]

If you're near the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska (and really, who isn't?) they have a Martin Marietta Small ICBM (aka "Midgetman") sitting out back, presumably awaiting refurbishment.

More photos: http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=17744

 

[Jemiba]

...and really, who isn't?...

Indeed ! Come on folks, you're at most just about 4.23 e-11 parsec away .... ;D

 

[sferrin]

Most likely the owner of the "Last ICBM designed by the United States" title.

 

[JFC Fuller]

Most likely the owner of the "Last ICBM designed by the United States" title.

Indeed, it looks like this time round the socialists will do away with ICBMs and guns (but in both cases the bad guys will get to keep theirs).

 

[bobbymike]

Most likely the owner of the "Last ICBM designed by the United States" title.

Indeed, it looks like this time round the socialists will do away with ICBMs and guns.

Was this posted anywhere near it?

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".
------------------------------

 

[sferrin]

Was this posted anywhere near it?

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Obama, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".
------------------------------

 

[Arjen]

Ozymandias is an Anglicized a Greek form of part of Pharaoh Ramses the Great's throne name.
Sferrin, you are identifying Obama with a ruler remembered more than three thousand years after his death.

I didn't know you were a fan.

 

[JFC Fuller]

Ozymandias is an Anglicized form of part of Pharaoh Ramses the Great's throne name.
Sferrin, you are identifying Obama with a ruler remembered more than three thousand years after his death.

I didn't know you were a fan.

One can be remembered for infamy as well...

 

[sferrin]

Ozymandias is an Anglicized form of part of Pharaoh Ramses the Great's throne name.
Sferrin, you are identifying Obama with a ruler remembered more than three thousand years after his death.

I didn't know you were a fan.

One can be remembered for infamy as well...

Yep. People still remember Judas. I expect time will not be kind to his Highness.

 

[Arjen]

Ramses is remembered as an exceptionally successful ruler. *You* chose to make the connection. Closet Democrat?

@OBB: good to see the USA keeping its heritage. I hope it'll get a proper display of its own.

 

[bobbymike]

Ramses is remembered as an exceptionally successful ruler. *You* chose to make the connection. Closet Democrat?

@OBB: good to see the USA keeping its heritage. I hope it'll get a proper display of its own.

I made the comparison but my mistake in thinking people would, other than sferrin, see what I meant.

The traveler was relaying what he saw and it was the wreckage of former greatness. That's what I think of when I see these magnificant technologies on display or lying in partial ruin, hopefully, to be restored but alas only for display. :'(

And as some of my other posts have clearly read it all started with Bush 41 at the end of the Cold War when all systems in development or in the research stage were cancelled because utopia was breaking out all over the world, haha!

 

[sferrin]

Ramses is remembered as an exceptionally successful ruler. *You* chose to make the connection. Closet Democrat?

@OBB: good to see the USA keeping its heritage. I hope it'll get a proper display of its own.

I made the comparison but my mistake in thinking people would, other than sferrin, see what I meant.

I took it as a comment on former greatness reduced to ancient ruins and the arrogance of thinking it would last forever. Hell, there are ALREADY technologies that may as well be forgotten since nobody in the US knows how to make them work anymore. No way in hell could any of the major contractors successfully fly an UpSTAGE analog today. And successfully TEST an honest to god nuclear ramjet? BWAH, HA, HA!

 

[bobbymike]

Ramses is remembered as an exceptionally successful ruler. *You* chose to make the connection. Closet Democrat?

@OBB: good to see the USA keeping its heritage. I hope it'll get a proper display of its own.

I made the comparison but my mistake in thinking people would, other than sferrin, see what I meant.

I took it as a comment on former greatness reduced to ancient ruins and the arrogance of thinking it would last forever. Hell, there are ALREADY technologies that may as well be forgotten since nobody in the US knows how to make them work anymore. No way in hell could any of the major contractors successfully fly an UpSTAGE analog today. And successfully TEST an honest to god nuclear ramjet? BWAH, HA, HA!

You and I are on the same page on this issue.

 

[Arjen]

Sferrin, if you're going to alter a classic 19th century poem to get a political message across, you could ask yourself 'who is this Ozymandias/Ramses fella I'm assuming is a villain' before comparing him to your pet hate - in case you didn't remember it from school. Or Watchmen :-\

Ozymandias the poem is perfectly suited to remind us that eternal existence is not the natural condition of even the biggest of powers.

 

[bobbymike]

Sferrin, if you're going to alter a classic 19th century poem to get a political message across, you could ask yourself 'who is this Ozymandias/Ramses fella I'm assuming is a villain' before comparing him to your pet hate - in case you didn't remember it from school. Or Watchmen :-\

Ozymandias the poem is perfectly suited to remind us that eternal existence is not the natural condition of even the biggest of powers.

I think this is exactly the point that is being made, no?

Also I often hear historians discuss whether these civilizations understood or were ignorant witnesses to their own downfall. So it is like we are in the middle of it and there are some saying we have time to reverse the decline and there are some who would accelerate it. An anti-war arms control advocate might look at the Midgetman and say good riddance while I look at it in sorrow to the lost expertise and intellect that created it.

 

[Arjen]

I think this is exactly the point that is being made, no?

That came through loud and clear.

 

[2IDSGT]

Most likely the owner of the "Last ICBM designed by the United States" title.

Funny thing is, if money wasn't such an issue right now, it might not be that hard to convince Obama to revive this program along with a new warhead. All you'd have to do is couch it in terms of enabling a further reductions in nuclear arms by having a smaller, more-survivable deterrent. It combines the command/control advantages of a land-based ICBM with the mobility/concealability of an SLBM. Another possible advantage is that it could allow the Minuteman IIIs to be re-purposed as conventional, global-strike weapons. That way, if the Russians/Chinese see IR plumes jumping out of known silos, they won't freak out and start WWIII. Then again, their early warning assets might not be good enough for that to work....... just spitballing here

 

[Orionblamblam]

Gentlemen: much as I empathize with the sense of despair arising from the US's self-imposed decline, a bit of perspective is appropriate here. The SAC SICBM is sitting outside... next to an Avro Vulcan.

(I typed considerable more, but deleted before posting in the interests of not offending the easily offended.)

 

[circle-5]

(I typed considerable more, but deleted before posting in the interests of not offending the easily offended.)

The implication that somebody might easily be offended is in itself potentially offensive. Please be very careful when trying not to offend.

 

[Jemiba]

The implication that somebody might easily be offended is in itself potentially offensive. Please be very careful when trying not to offend.

Nevertheless, I would like to thank Scott for his thoughtfulness and hope for the same prudence for all other members!
This thread was quite correctly started in the Aerospace section, but already started drifting a little bit.
It's interesting to read a classic poem and to get to know the anglicized name of Ramses, but please restrain with
political debates here, or at least start them in "The Bar" only !

 

[Orionblamblam]

I would like to thank Scott for his thoughtfulness...

That's me, baby. My thoughtfulness in the area of not offending people with politics is fricken' legendary.

[/quote]

 

[bobbymike]

I would like to thank Scott for his thoughtfulness...

That's me, baby. My thoughtfulness in the area of not offending people with politics is fricken' legendary.

[/quote]

Never offend me, however, that is based on my 100% agreement ;D