en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
4 corrections found
Micheal Treshow, physicist
This entry misidentifies both the spelling and role of Orion team member Michael Treshow. Sources describe him as Michael Treshow, a design specialist/mechanical engineer, not “Micheal Treshow, physicist.”
Full reasoning
This personnel entry appears to be incorrect in two ways:
- Name spelling: historical records and patent documents use Michael Treshow, not Micheal Treshow.
- Occupation/role: sources on Project Orion describe Treshow as a design specialist and mechanical engineer who specialized in bomb-delivery and detailed spacecraft drafting, not as a physicist.
A Project Orion historical source quoted in search results describes him as "Michael Treshow, a Danish mechanical engineer" and specifically as Orion’s bomb delivery specialist. Separate patent records also identify the inventor as Michael Treshow, confirming the spelling of his name.
2 sources
- Project Orion (George Dyson PDF mirror)
Orion’s specialist in bomb delivery was Michael Treshow, a Danish mechanical engineer who had been trained in shipbuilding in Copenhagen before visiting the United States in 1920 and becoming a permanent resident in 1929.
- U.S. Patent 2,999,059 — Nuclear Reactor
Michael Treshow, Downers Grove, Ill., assignor to the United States of America...
This limitation would affect only the US, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
This is incorrect because the Partial Test Ban Treaty is a multilateral treaty with many participating states, not a restriction that applies only to the U.S., Russia, and the U.K.
Full reasoning
The sentence is inaccurate as written. The Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT/LTBT) is not limited to just three countries.
The United Nations Treaty Collection lists the treaty as a multilateral agreement and shows a long participant list that includes many countries beyond the United States, the Soviet Union/Russia, and the United Kingdom. The treaty page names those three as the original depositary governments, but also lists numerous other states that signed, ratified, acceded, or succeeded to the treaty.
So while the U.S., USSR, and U.K. were the original parties that negotiated and brought the treaty into force in 1963, the legal limitation did not affect only those three countries. As written, the article confuses the original parties/depositaries with the broader set of states bound by the treaty.
2 sources
- UN Treaty Collection — Treaty banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water
Title: Treaty banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water ... Agreement type: Multilateral ... [the page then lists numerous participants such as Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and many others, in addition to the United States, United Kingdom, and USSR].
- U.S. Department of State — 2021 Adherence to and Compliance With Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments
The Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) is a multilateral agreement that opened for signature and entered into force in 1963. It prohibits nuclear weapon tests or any other nuclear explosion in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water.
from 19 to 31 km/s (19 mi/s)
The miles-per-second conversion is wrong. 19–31 km/s is about 11.8–19.3 mi/s, not simply “19 mi/s.”
Full reasoning
This parenthetical conversion is incorrect.
NIST's metric conversion table gives 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile (approximately). Using that conversion:
- 19 km/s ≈ 11.8 mi/s
- 31 km/s ≈ 19.3 mi/s
So the range 19 to 31 km/s corresponds to roughly 12 to 19 miles per second, not "19 mi/s". The current wording mismatches the stated kilometer-per-second range and its mile-per-second conversion.
2 sources
- Approximate Conversions from Metric to U.S. Customary Measures | NIST
Length ... km | kilometer | 0.62 | mile | mi
- Unit Conversion | NIST
NIST SP 365 ... approximate unit conversion factors for length ... HB 44 – Appendix C ... provides several convenient conversion factor tables for length ... using SI (metric system) and U.S. customary units.
a 26-inch-tall (66 cm) wooden model of the craft
The model’s size is misstated. The Smithsonian lists the Orion model’s overall dimensions as 1 ft 10 in (55.88 cm) by 1 ft 7¼ in by 8 in by 4 in, not 26 inches (66 cm) tall.
Full reasoning
The Smithsonian’s object record for this exact Project Orion model contradicts the dimensions given here.
The article says the model was 26 inches (66 cm) tall, but the National Air and Space Museum lists its overall dimensions as 1 ft 10 in. × 1 ft 7 1/4 in. × 8 in. × 4 in. and gives the metric dimensions as 55.88 × 48.9 × 20.32 × 10.16 cm. That means the largest listed dimension is 22 inches / 55.88 cm, not 26 inches / 66 cm.
So the article’s stated size for the donated wooden model does not match the Smithsonian’s catalog record.
1 source
- Model, Spacecraft, Orion Nuclear Pulse | National Air and Space Museum
Object Details ... Dimensions Overall: 1ft 10in. x 1ft 7 1/4in. x 8in. x 4in., 1.3lb. (55.88 x 48.9 x 20.32 x 10.16cm, 0.6kg) ... This object was donated to the Smithsonian in 1979 by the General Dynamics Corp.