Why It's So Difficult to Build a Ballistic Missile

What is a key characteristic of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)?

• They are unguided weapons.

• They are the longest-range missiles.

• They travel at slow speeds.

• They only carry chemical warheads.

What is the main challenge in designing an ICBM that can travel very far while carrying a heavy warhead?

• Heavy warheads make the missile too slow to launch.

• More fuel is needed to propel heavy objects, which adds more weight.

• The missile needs to be lighter to go farther, but warheads are heavy.

• Heavy warheads interfere with the missile's guidance system.

How do multi-stage missiles help extend a missile's range?

• They use less fuel overall.

• They allow for more precise targeting.

• They shed weight as fuel is spent.

• They are designed to travel at lower altitudes.

What is the primary difference between fission and fusion reactions in a thermonuclear weapon?

• Fission combines atoms, while fusion splits them.

• Fission releases energy by splitting atoms, while fusion releases energy by combining them.

• Fission uses chemical energy, while fusion uses nuclear energy.

• Fission produces heat, while fusion produces only radiation.