RE: FT: Missiles and Gas Tanks

Joachim Heck - SunSoft <jheck@East.Sun.COM> said;

>   First, don't ICBM's use liquid fuels?  And presumably cruise
> missiles use some kind of jet fuel.  But second, I actually thought
> solid fuels were more efficient than liquid fuels, which would explain
> why they're used, for example, in the Shuttle SRBs.  You can't turn
> them off is (I thought) the biggest problem.

In order; No there are no Liquid ICBM's left in the inventory. Solids 
transport and store better, no re-fuel or top off time and ready in 
an instant fireing was more important.
As for efficiancy, the SRB's are replacing a morre efficiant fully 
reusable, but MUCH larger 1st stage that was planned for the shuttle. 
The LH/Lox engines have a much higher ISP, but you see the size 
diffrence due to Hydrogens volume requirement.	Cruiise  missles and 
some others use liquid jet fuels, but if we could get away with it 
they would all be solids, (and yes they are working hard on solid jet 
fuel, an air breathing rocket actually) they are easier to store and 
have a much longer "shelf life" than any  liquid.
Your riight though about not being able to turn them off, but this is 
not a problem from a military point of view as we don't want them to 
quite short of the target,  and if it's still burning on impact so 
much the better.
Randy
"AMMO: Giiving the Enemy the maximum opertuunity to die for his 
country"