I hope this is a joke...

[cute fuzzy bunny]

"In order to comply with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations, and at a cost of about $5.2 million per ICBM, the rocket motors on 500 Minuteman III missiles will be replaced with new ones. These rockets will emit less toxic chemicals when used. [...] Thus, if the Minuteman III ICBMs have to be used in some future nuclear war, their rocket motors will not pollute the atmosphere."

I hope theres a plan to reduce polution from the warheads...

 

[unclemick]

So we can nuke bad guys and avoid environmental lawsuits from good guys I like to watch JAG on tv - but This is a joke -right?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Apparently the standing EPA rule requires the solid fuel propellant used in the main stage of the minuteman (and any other rocket) to be replaced. That it happens to be pushing a set of 3 warheads in this case is merely the irony.

Also, the new fuel is heavier than the old, reducing the missiles range, so the current 3 warheads will be replaced by a single, smaller, lighter warhead. No news on what we're going to do with 1500 nukes.

I'm betting all in all that 1500 nukes buried somewhere, plus the net result of 500 detonations would most likely render a little carbon monoxide emissions a little irrelevant though...

The good news is that the whole shebang is bargain priced at a little over $2.5B.

Some good spin on this would be appropriate...let the terrorist nations know that we're willing to spend the equivalent of their entire military budget on making sure our nukes blow cleaner air on the way to them.

 

[unclemick]

TH

If you talking solid propellant, we had an extensive go-round with the EPA/lawyers on Space Shuttle SRB's pushing thirty years ago. It got resolved - I chose not to remember how.