I’m sure it’s just a funny coincidence that the vehicle’s test range operating from the continental US would put the Russian capitol in reach.
Uh oh.
After reaching an undisclosed altitude, the aircraft jettisoned from its protective cover atop the rocket, then nose-dived back toward Earth, leveled out and glided above the Pacific at 20 times the speed of sound, or Mach 20. The plan was for the Falcon to speed westward for about 30 minutes before plunging into the ocean near Kwajalein Atoll, about 4,000 miles from Vandenberg.
So, the idea is to build something like an ICBM MIRV, but with control surfaces so you can change its persistent re-entry vector through the thinnest edges of the earth’s atmosphere. The vehicle might actually resemble a stone skipping across the surface of the earth’s atmosphere. Or, a cigarette racing boat leaping across the water. The rudder does no good when it’s not in the water.
via latimes.com.
