# What would happen to someone strapped to an ICBM? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638 "2013-05-17T23:45:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/21 "2013-05-19T20:35:43Z")
Wait just a minute, here. Was it John Storm who was attached to the missile? As a cyborg he could withstand a lot more damage and malevolent atmospheric forces than if it were, say, Stiletto or Griffin. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/22 "2013-05-19T20:39:25Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Anyway, thanks for the answers everyone! If I ever turn evil and descend into cartoonish supervillianary I’ll have to remember this particular method of hero disposal. 😉 Just keep **Stranger** ’s last few comments in mind: if you use this method, your missile will probably go way off course. So be sure that you have a spare. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/23 "2013-05-19T20:42:03Z")
Ah, I see. Now I’m kind of sad I was wrong. Never heard of Storm Force… ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/24 "2013-05-19T21:19:56Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Shredded. Remember that someone in free fall- 120-140 mph- is experiencing their weight in wind resistance, and it goes up as the square of the velocity. By 300 mph you’re confetti. > [@Mangetout](#): > > [This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_5390)article describes an incident where the captain of an airliner was blown halfway out of the side window of the cockpit and survived (albeit with frostbite and injuries) exposure to \*\*500mph \*\*winds. (the other crew in the cabin held onto his legs until the plane was able to land) And according to the wikipedia article on ejection seats: "Six pilots have ejected at speeds exceeding 700 knots (1,300 km/h; 810 mph). The highest altitude at which a Martin-Baker seat was deployed was 57,000 ft (from a Canberra bomber in 1958). Following an accident on 30 July 1966 in the attempted launch of a D-21 drone, two Lockheed M-21[6] crew members ejected at Mach 3.25 at an altitude of 80,000 ft (24,000 m) The pilot was recovered successfully, but the launch control officer drowned after a water landing. " > **[Ejection seat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejection_seat)** > > In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an ejectable escape crew capsule has also been tried (see B-58 Hustler). Once clear of the aircraft, the ejection seat deploys a parachute. Ejection seats are common on certain types of military aircraft. > A... But thats a good question, what airspeed can the human body survive before Bad Things happen. > [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Wait just a minute, here. Was it John Storm who was attached to the missile? As a cyborg he could withstand a lot more damage and malevolent atmospheric forces than if it were, say, Stiletto or Griffin. Yeah, it was John Storm, if I recall correctly though the only cyborg part of him was his detachable arm, the rest of him was 100% human. I do remember thinking how insanely cool it was when he was shown flying the teams fighter-jet by direct thought-control. They never really used that ability much in the comic though. > [@MikeS](#): > > Just keep **Stranger** ’s last few comments in mind: if you use this method, your missile will probably go way off course. So be sure that you have a spare. Yes, good point, I have to practice my monologues and maniacal laughter as well. “So, Mr Storm, its time for lunch!” _presses button_ Hmmm…do launch/lunch sound similar enough? _strokes chin thoughtfully_ > [@jayjay](#): > > Ah, I see. Now I’m kind of sad I was wrong. Never heard of Storm Force… It was a comic strip in the British comics Battle and then Eagle _(which Battle merged with)_ and ran from mid to late 1980’s. It was actually pretty good, at least I thought so at the time, but was a lot better when they kept things to more ‘real world’ storylines. > **[Storm Force](http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/storforc.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/25 "2013-05-19T23:27:29Z")
The missile would not reach its target. The guidance system wasn’t designed for Super-villain Shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/26 "2013-05-20T12:06:32Z")
I swear to God, I’ll pistol whip the next guy that says shenanigans! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/27 "2013-05-20T12:48:45Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > [This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_5390)article describes an incident where the captain of an airliner was blown halfway out of the side window of the cockpit and survived (albeit with frostbite and injuries) exposure to \*\*500mph \*\*winds. (the other crew in the cabin held onto his legs until the plane was able to land) Wow, that story is crazy! Can’t believe the pilot not only survived that, but came back to work not too long afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/28 "2013-05-20T14:20:03Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Barring all that, the presence of such an offset weight and drag would very likely exceed the thrust vector system duty cycle in order to maintain guidance and contol, resulting in an expendature of injectant fluid, gas, or battery power (depending on the type of system) and loss of useful axial thrust such that the vehicle would miss its targeting objective if it didn’t become completely uncontrollable. If this were a test flight equipped with a flight termination system it would be destructed by the range safety officer once it flew outside the destruct lines. > > In general, this would not be a good day for anyone involved. > > Stranger So you are saying that they will have a bad problem and will not go to space today. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/29 "2013-05-20T14:26:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > (the other crew in the cabin held onto his legs until the plane was able to land) _I’ve got you, Jim!_ ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/30 "2013-05-20T15:25:37Z")
What about 6 ICBMs? In Space Cowboys, Hawk rides the Russian missile pack to the moon, crash lands, and crawls over to do some stargazing. He was a pretty tough old goat! ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/31 "2013-05-20T15:34:56Z")
How fast does a space shuttle take off? Wasn’t there a bat that clung to one of the launches for a good while? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/32 "2013-05-21T03:03:51Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > What about 6 ICBMs? > > In Space Cowboys, Hawk rides the Russian missile pack to the moon, crash lands, and crawls over to do some stargazing. > > He was a pretty tough old goat! If I recall correctly, the astronauts actually attach “Payload Assist Modules” (although they look nothing like actual [PAM](http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_stage/pam-d.htm)s, no would a shuttle just happen to be keeping several spare ones on board). This is about the least absurd thing about that movie, though. As for being on the exterior of a rocket in space, obviously the atmospheric effects go away, as does any reflected plume. Depending on how well expanded the plume is (typically it is underexpanded because there just isn’t enough to merit extending the nozzle out far enough to capture all of the energy from expansion versus the extra weight) you may get some radiation off of the plume, but provided you are far enough forward the view factor (aspect of the plume you are exposed to) should be minimal, and of course without ambient pressure the plume cannot possible turn back upward the way it can at ground level. However, the acceleration and offset mass effects remain; the vehicle is going to have to work extra hard to maintain control. Also, if you are on the sunward side of the vehicle, prepare to roast; even the best suits can only maintain a habitable temperature for a relatively short period of direct sunlight. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/33 "2013-05-21T03:27:05Z")
Well if it were a North Korean ICBM you would ultimately drown. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/34 "2013-05-21T04:54:49Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I swear to God, I’ll pistol whip the next guy that says shenanigans! Uh…how about hijinks, then? Are we good with hijinks? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/35 "2013-05-21T08:56:10Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I swear to God, I’ll pistol whip the next guy that says shenanigans! Can we compromise? Will you, instead, use say…Cool Whip? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/36 "2013-05-21T12:13:25Z")
What if they placed him in the warhead bus? ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/37 "2013-05-21T12:24:08Z")
This kid seems to have no issue with it… Around the 2:30 mark. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vVn9frjhQ0) ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/38 "2013-05-21T15:42:09Z")
> [@Orionizer](#): > > This kid seems to have no issue with it… Around the 2:30 mark. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vVn9frjhQ0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vVn9frjhQ0) That’s clearly a cruise missile, not an ICBM, he’s riding. 😉 > [@AK84](#): > > What if they placed him in the warhead bus? Might prevent aerodynamic instablity but the extra weight in the nosecone _(if he could even fit in there)_ might still throw the missile off track. He’d probably suffocate in the upper atmosphere in that case and not even have the consolation of getting a really neat perspective on the world before his inevitable demise. > [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Oh, don’t worry, he first got riddled by a sub-machine gun then the teams ubiquitous Yorkshire ninja threw a sword through his briefcase computer…no, seriously. Apparently, so I’ve reliably been informed, it was team leader John Storm who threw Griffin’s ninja sword through the briefcase computer, not Griffin himself. I apologise for presenting incorrect information in General Questions, although it was an honest mistake, for penance I shall now go and ritually flagellate myself. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638/39 "2013-05-21T21:02:29Z")
Please forgive me… :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-to-someone-strapped-to-an-icbm/658638.md?page=1)