Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/multiple-independently-targetable-reentry-vehicle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the designation?Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV)
2. What is the initial deployment?United States, Minuteman III ICBM, first tested in 1968, operational in 1970
3. What is a MIRV?A MIRV is a missile that can carry many small bombs, each aiming for a different spot. It lets one launch hit several places at once. This makes the missile more powerful and harder to stop.
4. How does a MIRV work?The missile first shoots up high, then a special box splits open and drops each bomb. Each bomb has its own tiny computer that helps it steer to the right place. This way each bomb can go to a different target.

Exoatmospheric: Operating or occurring outside of the Earth's atmosphere.
Thermonuclear: Relating to a nuclear weapon that uses fusion reactions to produce a very large explosion.
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): A doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM): A long-range missile designed to be launched from the ground and capable of traveling thousands of miles to deliver a payload.