This is a personal favorite in the annals of missile and nuclear testing oopsies.

Yes, these sorts of things COULD have started a nuclear war or incident, but they didn’t!

That time.

1/n https://twitter.com/atomicanalyst/status/1305276640902213634">https://twitter.com/atomicana...

2/n

One motivation for US to...”acquire”...long range missile testing ranges was safety, geo, & other restrictions imposed by continental test sites.

Like when the Nazis we brought over as part of Paperclip launched a V-2 into Juarez, Mexico. https://elpasotimes.typepad.com/morgue/2009/01/v2-rocket-off-course-falls-near-juarez.html">https://elpasotimes.typepad.com/morgue/20...

3/n

In 1956 an unarmed Snark inter-continental nuclear tipped cruise missile ignored range safety detonation commands during a test.

Somebody found it in Brazil in 1982.

https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/icbm/sm-62.htm">https://fas.org/nuke/guid...

4/n

Still entertained by kerfuffle when 2016 UK Trident missile test went wrong and involved the missile veering toward the US.

May’s spokesperson referred to that part as “minutia and specifics” of a test that was declared “successful.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-nuclear-test-error-trident-mps-vote-refuses-confirm-a7541481.html?amp">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p...

5/n

Thanks to @wildsaltyDog for teaching me about 1989 incident involving a pilotless MiG-23 flying around Europe for an hour before crashing in Belgium.

Seems like “pilot ejects but plane keeps flying” is something one would want to design against?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Belgium_MiG-23_crash">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989...

6/n

North Korea and China both have a nasty history of dropping missile stages and missiles on and near populated areas during tests. https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/when-a-north-korean-missile-accidentally-hit-a-north-korean-city/">https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/w...