Is it plausible for self-destruct button to trigger a countdown?
Inspired by this question, and this article, activating self-destruct mechanism disengage coolant system for the ship's main reactor, which then increases the core temperature and triggers explosion.
However, I find it strange for such sequence to trigger an accurate 10 seconds countdown, especially because destabilizing core does not mean it will explode exactly 10 seconds after the sequence is initiated. It can be on the 8th second, or 12th second.
So, is it plausible to have a fixed (for example, 10 s) countdown for self-destruct mechanism like this? If not, why bother displaying/announcing the countdown (so people will panic)?
Note: For this question, I rule out the possibility of forced destruction, like igniting the core when the countdown reaches zero. You can pick the technology for the core, but it certainly will explode when the sequence is activated.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/93196. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
It is not plausible for a self-destruct to have a count-down by purely mechanical or chemical means, especially one that could be stopped at the last second.
HOWEVER, it makes a great deal of sense to have a settable countdown for a triggered self destruct system; knowing when it will happen gives people time to prepare or escape. There are circumstances in war where intentionally giving your life or using your ship as a bomb is the strategic best option: Say to kill an opponent that otherwise is about to gain enough power to win the war, or to deny an opponent intelligence about your ship that can be used against all your other ships, or deny your opponent the chance of flying your ship as a false flag: For example, making it even more explosive and flying it directly into your headquarters.
In my career I have worked on military equipment that had built in self-destruct mechanisms, to prevent discovery and/or capture of the technology or secrets.
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