[harry]

This still amazes me. Being able to detect, aim at and strike something flying at the speed of a rocket - with another rocket - in outer freaking space.

Even the patriot missiles back in the early 90's always awed me. I have trouble hitting a target in a consistent spot with a bullet from 100 yards.

[leviathant]

If you had trouble consistently hitting targets, you would probably fit right in with Patriot missiles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot#Success_rate_vs...

[harry]

Hitting still targets is easy. Consistently hitting the same spot on a still target is difficult. What I'm saying is I'm impressed we can hit anything!

Think about the margins of error involved - how precisely do you have to know the Patriot rocket's position, vector and speed to intercept something falling from space? How do you take into account the fragmentation issues of a device like a MIRV? How do you account for any differences in the target projectile's path?

It's just an astounding problem to me. I very much dig the thought that I'm the same species as those that figured it out.

[rdtsc]

> Being able to detect, aim at and strike something flying at the speed of a rocket - with another rocket - in outer freaking space.

First and foremost, it is being able to convince your opponent that you can do that.

[SkyMarshal]

Same. I've heard someone in the military describe it as trying to hit a bullet with another bullet.

[arethuza]

Here is a video of a Sprint ABM (from the 70s) being launched and passing close to a RV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZZV464z9g8

[btilly]

RV here is Reentry Vehicle. (I saw it looking for something people could drive and got puzzled.)

[bch]

Don't be confused: http://impawards.com/1987/posters/spaceballs_ver1.jpg

[dholowiski]

Somewhat less amazing, because it doesn't really work other than in very controlled test conditions.

[GHFigs]

You obviously didn't play enough Missile Command as a kid.