--- On Sat, 5/28/11, Geoffrey Reed <geoffr at zipcon.net> wrote:
Liquid fueled ICBM, it could strike a
target 6300 miles away from launchsite
in 30 minutes. Topped with a 1 or 5 megaton warhead IIRC.
The Minuteman was actually solid fueled, which allowed it to
be easily stored in its silo in launch-ready status. It is
for this reason that it's had such a long lifetime.
Eariler ICBMs such as the Atlas and Titan I had to be fueled
immediately prior to launch. The Titan II used storable liquid
propellants, but they were highly corrosive, which led to problems.
The Titan IIs had a reasonably long lifetime, into the 80s, but
the others were only briefly.
--Bill