Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Did The US Want To Blow Up The Moon To Scare The Red Out Of The Communists?

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

There’s something particularly “Le Voyage dans la lune” about this next story.

According to Asian News International and the Associated Press (AP) , The United States of America had planned a mission to blow up the moon in the 1950s. The intention was, apparently, to spook the Soviet Union and have them believe that we could do much worse to them.

According to these reports, this project was called “A Study of Lunar Research Flights,” or “Project A119” for short. The Soviet Union had just launched their first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into outer space. Blowing up the moon would have been the best in one-upmanship.

While a mission such as this sounds foolish enough already, the US Military was prepared to do some heavy thinking and research before they committed to lobbing a bomb towards the sky.

Astronomer Carl Sagan, a doctoral student at the time, worked out some calculations for the project concerning the way dust would react to a nuclear shock. Sagan also calculated what kinds of gasses would result from the obliteration of the moon. Sagan died in 1996, but according to the Daily Mail and the AP, an author of one of his biographies may have already addressed this project.

As the story goes, in 1959 Sagan made mention of this obviously classified project in an academic fellowship application. The government found out about this security breach and removed him from the project.

A missile was set to launch from an undisclosed location, carrying along with it an atom bomb. It had been decided that a hydrogen bomb, while much more powerful, would have been too heavy to make the 238,000 mile trek to the moon. The A-Bomb was set to ignite upon impact with the moon, destroying it and causing quite the spectacle.

Physicist Leonard Reiffel, who is now 85, took an interview with the AP in 2000. In this interview, Reiffel claims America’s fledgling space program would have been ready to carry out such a mission by 1959, the same year the Air Force began deploying intercontinental ballistic missiles.

This project was obviously scrapped after the scientists crunching numbers for this mission decided it would be too dangerous to lob a nuclear weapon into the sky, especially if Americans had yet to reach the moon. If the mission were successful, the moon and all its pieces could have become radioactive, another potential danger to the citizens of Earth.

The very notion of blowing up the moon sounds laughable and even more so, fodder for conspiracy theorists. At first blush, it would seem as if there might be an issue with the tides should the moon be destroyed. Taking a more mathematical approach to the argument, Christopher Helman posits that it would take upwards of 600 billion King Bombs (with a yield of 50 megatons of TNT) to completely destroy the moon.

Smaller explosions could damage the moon, of course, but some have suggested that damaging the moon or even blowing it into chunks would essentially leave us with the same moon, only disfigured.

Ah, but perhaps the Soviet Union would have been just as impressed with a disfigured moon as an obliterated one?

redOrbit.com
offers Science, Space, Technology, Health news, videos, images and
reference information. For the latest science news, space news,
technology news, health news visit redOrbit.com frequently. Learn
something new every day.\”


Source:


Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


LION'S MANE PRODUCT


Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules


Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.



Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.


Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.