ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

America's Weapon Idea Has The Force Of A Nuclear Weapon Without The Fallout

America's Weapon Idea Has The Force Of A Nuclear Weapon Without The Fallout

Project Thor aka the 'Rods from God' is stunningly simplistic yet devastatingly deadly.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A treaty signed in 1967 by more than a hundred countries prevents any nation from putting nuclear weapons in space for obvious reasons.

While it seems people are content with the idea of the devastating missiles being housed in bunkers and in submarines all on the surface of the planet, the thought of space nukes was enough to terrify the world.

However, the United States Air Force came up with an idea that is so simple that it should be just as terrifying.

Project Thor is a theoretical weapons system that would deploy a tungsten rod from thousands of kilometres above earth and it would be sent to its intended target.

Kerbal Space Program Forums

While some might scoff at that thought, the math behind the idea shows it would have the same impact as an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The telephone-pole-sized 'Rods from God' would be launched from space and by the time it landed on earth, it could be flying 10 times the speed of sound at around 7,000mph.

Not only would a weapon that fast penetrate deep into the ground, but it could cause the same amount of devastation as a nuclear weapon but without the nuclear fallout that usually causes equally horrifying consequences for neighbouring friendly countries.

According to Insider, the idea came from the Vietnam War when the US military dropped hundreds of Lazy Dog projectiles from the air.

These were simply just metal projectiles with no explosives inside that would fall at speeds of up to 500mph when launched from 3,000 feet in the air.

It was called 'kinetic bombardment' and would simply allow gravity to take these weapons down onto the ground hard.

Ikessurplus (Creative Commons)

But Project Thor doesn't come cheap.

Because space travel is one hell of an expensive operation, it was estimated that a single 20-foot tungsten rod would weigh around 24,000 pounds.

There are rough estimates that state it costs around $10,000 per pound to take something into space. That means a single 'rod from God' would set the US military back around $240 million.

That's one hefty weapon.

But considering the US military spends more than three quarters of a trillion dollars every year, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that they would make financial room for Project Thor.

The Bush Administration reportedly explored implementing this weapons system after 9/11 as the military wanted something to penetrate deep into the ground.

Whether it gets created any time in the future will be anyone's guess.

Featured Image Credit: History Channel

Topics: News, Interesting