Chapter 14 Exercise 2

Warhead Transport

Challenge

Design a vehicle to safely transport missiles.

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Step 1

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Nuclear missiles are very dangerous and need to be kept secure at all costs. But they do sometimes need to be moved, especially from their construction site to their silo. What might be some of the dangerous things that could happen while moving warheads from one place to another? Sort the risks that you think of into the following two categories.

Step 2

Consider the basic transport mechanism to be a normal container truck. Start with the risk of an accident. Select three factors from the list on the next slide that should be altered from the container truck to reduce the risk of an accident. Add one more of your own.

Step 2 (ct’d)

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(Choose three from the below + one of your own)

1. Type of vehicle used for transport
2. Assembly of nuclear warhead in the vehicle
3. Route of vehicle
4. Type of container placed in (this will be inside the vehicle used for transport)
5. Time of day of transport
6. Truck bumpers and airbags

For each of the four features that you chose, make one or more changes to the truck.

Step 3

Now consider the risk of theft or terrorism. Using the specific risks you came up with in Step 1, design security measures that would prevent as many dangers as possible. Think of at least six security measures. Make a diagram of your redesigned transport mechanism.

Step 4

Make a 2-3 minute presentation sharing the changes that you made to the basic container truck and why. Include any risks that might remain.