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From: parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Definition of 'Ballistic' in relation to SCUD
Message-ID: <1991Jan24.032438.18214@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 24 Jan 91 03:24:38 GMT
References: <1991Jan23.042117.6385@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa
Lines: 21
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu
In article <1991Jan23.042117.6385@cbnews.att.com>, maton@herald.usask.ca (Terry Maton) writes:
> 
> 
> From: maton@herald.usask.ca (Terry Maton)
> 
> Please could someone post, or email to me the definition of 'ballistic'.
> 
	'Ballisitic' means that the path of the missile is not guided during
flight.  There aren't any control vanes to change it's direction.  The word
goes with the medieval ballista and ballistic flight is the flight of any-
thing which is fired and not controlable afterwords, such as arrows, bullets,
rocks, etc.  I believe that in reference to missiles, 'ballistic' is the
opposite of 'guided'.

-- 
___ Gregg Parmentier ____ parmentier@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu ___

       If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer.