It's been a while since missile tests no longer make headlines, right? It is an artifact capable of reaching I do not know how much altitude here, a device with the power to carry I do not know how many explosives for so many thousand kilometers there ... and one type of missile that has been mentioned frequently lately is the intercontinental ballistic. Especially those being tested by the North Koreans.

If you follow the international news, it should be remembered that in late November the North Koreans announced that they had tested one of these missiles - one that would have reached altitudes 10 times higher than the International Space Station is in orbit, announcement this that made a lot of people nervous! But do you know how these projectiles work? And are they able to fly that far anyway?

Ballistic rockets

According to Laura Geggel of the Live Science website, as their name suggests, they can travel long distances and travel from continent to continent, yes. And while there are several types of intercontinental ballistic missiles, most work similarly: they are usually launched from bases on Earth's surface, reach into space, re-enter the atmosphere, and dive quickly to the target.

It's a rocket! (Business Insider)

According to Laura, intercontinental ballistic missiles can be launched from any angle and travel in parabolic trajectories until they reach the predetermined location. These devices can be fed with liquid or solid propellants and contain up to three stages - which are eliminated as fuel is used, just as space rockets do.

In addition, the missile flights are divided into three stages - known as the start-up phase, intermediate phase and re-entry phase- and the first of these is between two and five minutes long and consists of the interval at which the projectile overcomes the force. gravity and is "pushed" by the motors into space.

Almost there!

In the second phase, the intermediate, the missile travels through space at speeds ranging from 24, 000 to just over 27, 000 kilometers per hour - due to the lack of air resistance it would encounter if it were moving through the earth's atmosphere - and Depending on the technology on board the devices, their trajectory can even be corrected.

Let's hope the thing is just in the tests anyway! (Business Insider / KCNA / Reuters)

Already in the third stage of the flight, known as the reentry phase, the missile dives back to Earth and finally hits the target - in a maneuver that lasts a few minutes. To survive this last part of the flight, it is crucial that projectiles are equipped with panels capable of withstanding the very high temperatures to which they are subjected when they enter the atmosphere so as not to burn or disintegrate before reaching the ground.

In the case of the missile that was tested by the North Koreans, the projectile was launched from a launcher in North Korea, passed over Japan - greatly frightening the population there - traveled about a thousand kilometers and, 54 minutes later, dived into the sea. However, projectiles like this can travel much longer distances, exceeding an impressive 13, 000 kilometers from the launch site!

However, it is worth remembering that several factors can affect both the range and travel time of the projectiles, such as the amount of charge - or explosives - they are carrying and the chosen trajectory, and that used in the exercise was probably "empty". Also, to this day, despite the many tests that have been conducted around the world, one country has never launched intercontinental missiles at another as an act of war, so let's hope this story never changes.