And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Inertial Guidance Module of a Peacekeeper (MX) inter-continental ballistic missile,
I worked at the Anaheim plant where Boeing made most of the Inertial Navigation Units (INU) that the US has used in missiles, submarines, etc. The plant was first a Rockwell operation before merging with North American Aviation and then being purchased by Boeing. There was a fair bit of damage to a couple of the buildings in the 1994 Northridge quake, so they started tearing buildings down in the late 90s. The first set of GPS satellites were also produced there.
I did not personally work on the INU line, but they had a cutaway model of an INU from a Minuteman III era missile in the company library along with some other technical trinkets. That was all very cool. -Rob Muir
Phenomenal engineering but it's been replaced by laser-ring Inertial Navigation Units in cruise missiles. Lighter, smaller, less current draw and the only moving parts are photons and electrons. Al_in_Ottawa
Yeah, it seemed ring-laser gyros were a coming thing in commercial inertial systems when I was leaving the Navy in '93. The best I ever flew with was twin Litton 72's.
Just a few steps beyond your childhood gyroscope balancing on a string…
ReplyDeleteand somewhere in between, stabilizes firing of tank's main gun. And perhaps sooner than later, concept will be applied to rifles.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Anaheim plant where Boeing made most of the Inertial Navigation Units (INU) that the US has used in missiles, submarines, etc. The plant was first a Rockwell operation before merging with North American Aviation and then being purchased by Boeing. There was a fair bit of damage to a couple of the buildings in the 1994 Northridge quake, so they started tearing buildings down in the late 90s. The first set of GPS satellites were also produced there.
ReplyDeleteI did not personally work on the INU line, but they had a cutaway model of an INU from a Minuteman III era missile in the company library along with some other technical trinkets. That was all very cool.
-Rob Muir
Phenomenal engineering but it's been replaced by laser-ring Inertial Navigation Units in cruise missiles. Lighter, smaller, less current draw and the only moving parts are photons and electrons.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
Yeah, it seemed ring-laser gyros were a coming thing in commercial inertial systems when I was leaving the Navy in '93.
DeleteThe best I ever flew with was twin Litton 72's.