Professor
Kevin W. Bowyer
Homework Five – Analysis of realism of ballistic
missile defense tests.
The government web site http://www.acq.osd.mil/mda/ is probably a good
starting place for background information for this assignment. But feel free to use whatever other sources
you want, as long as you document where you get your facts and figures.
In one short paragraph,
summarize the currently envisioned purpose of a ballistic missile defense
system. What part(s) of the
In one paragraph, summarize
what you think would be a convincing test of the envisioned ballistic missile
defense system. What would be the sets
of “input data,” the observed “output data,” and how would you measure the
quality of the results?
In one paragraph, review
the three or so most recent tests conducted by the Missile Defense Agency. What was the test? In what sense was it successful or not? In what sense was it a convincing test or not
by the standard you set in the previous paragraph? Based on these tests, do you personally have
confidence that the missile defense system will work at the same level that you
have confidence that your car will start in the morning?
In one short paragraph,
what seems to be a reasonable estimate of the amount of money spent on
ballistic missile defense in the last ten years?
Your response for this
homework should be about two pages in length.