Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!bellcore!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: zimerman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Jacob Ben-david Zimmerman) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Tomahawk launch Message-ID: <1991Jan24.033604.19781@cbnews.att.com> Date: 24 Jan 91 03:36:04 GMT References: <1991Jan23.034017.1996@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey Lines: 26 Approved: military@att.att.com From: zimerman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Jacob Ben-david Zimmerman) In article <1991Jan23.034017.1996@cbnews.att.com> ames!ames!claris!portal!cup.portal.com!Allyn@uunet.UU.NET writes: >I've been watching footage of Tomahawks being launched from the >Wisconsin. I notice that initially when the missile leaves the >launcher it sort of does a "tail slide" towards the vertical. >Anyone know the reason for this behavior? > I would speculate that since the missile is quite heavy, and its wings are not yet deployed at launch, the booster isn't powerful enough to provide acceleration needed to counteract gravity while still at launch angle...I don't know if that made sense, let me try again. It seems that it is done to support the missile during the first few seconds of launch, when it is travelling slowly and the wings aren't out. Maybe the CG of the missile is a little far forward for a flatter launch? >Allyn Lai >allyn@cup.portal.com ___________ |-In Washington, undercover DEA agents trick mayor || | Marion Barry into licking a toad. -Dave Barry || ||acob Zimmerman!+> INTERNET === | BITnet