this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 10 points 22 hours ago

Because Elrond cut the the budget of Revendell NASA to spend more money on some project to make elves self-deport.

[–] Kauhuhu@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

There was a gif or a video montage of Boromir trying to catapult the ring to Mordor. Im on the move and cant search properly. But would be ideal for this discussion.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 17 hours ago

The ring is still embedded on the mountainside

[–] Lioffproxy@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

This is what I was waiting for. You know the theory of the eagles and Tom bombadil having the power to save everyone and not using it? What if the reason they didn't is because they can't. As in when they enter mordor they lose their power. Whereas the hobbits were removed from the magical doings of the world and therefore somewhat immune. Even galaxriel was temtpted by the ring. Bobmbadil probably only has power in his forest and the eagles only showed up after sauron's defeat but the eagles were on the spot right quick. Meaning they had to be close by. Which means they probably intended to be there and were waiting for wards to drop so they could help. Maybe.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 3 points 21 hours ago

My theory about Bombadil is that he was Tolkien's avatar in Middle Earth. Like, "I'm the one writing this story, I created this world, I'm more powerful than the gods of this realm, but if I solve all your problems right now then there wouldn't be a story so I'm not going to do that."

[–] Piemanding@sh.itjust.works 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

There's also the issue of anti-air defense in general. You can see those eagles from miles away.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 2 points 21 hours ago

Yeah, and the AA capabilities of Saruman would mean that even a highly manoeuvrable hypersonic cruise missile would have pretty low chances to get past, while the Sauron's eye seems like it could mess with onboard electronics.

[–] applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Really it was a time issue. Even if you assume the hobbits of the Shire had both the technological capacity to create a functional guided rocket and the industrial capacity to manufacture it ready to go, it takes around about a decade to bring a rocket development program from conception through to completion, even optimistically. Factor in the fact that there's a single unique and irreplaceable payload and if you fail to hit the target you've basically delivered the ring to Sauron, given it's apparent indestructibility, the reliability requirements would push the development time back a lot. It might take 20 or 30 years for the rocket to truly be ready for that mission. They were only able to confirm that what they've found actually is the one ring less than a couple years from when Sauron would have invaded everyone, so even with the most optimistic possible appraisal of the military industrial complex of the free peoples of Middle Earth there simply wasn't time. It's one of those projects where throwing more bodies at it just slows things down.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, but what if you're working with dwarves? And using elvish technology for a guidance system?

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 1 points 21 hours ago (8 children)

Perhaps need more lore information before we can understand how well the Elvish guidance systems would work under the full effects of Sauron's eye, which, considering the perceived threat and opportunity (in case destabilisation of the rocket is successful), on top of the ease of application (it would be in-air, easier to pick, as compared to little ground targets moving among other landscape objects), I'd say Sauron would put full attention onto the missile.

Much easier to just find a way to build a better furnace.

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[–] sniggleboots@europe.pub 7 points 1 day ago

And my Δv!

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 22 hours ago

Well for one, if they missed then they would basically be express shipping the ring back to Sauron...

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 51 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Hobbit rockets never leave the ground. They use pipe-weed as fuel and, by T plus 60 of any launch, the engineers are all giggling on the launch pad eating funions as a quick post-elevenses snack.

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 21 points 1 day ago

That would explain why Gandalf likes visiting the Shire so much

[–] rem26_art@fedia.io 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

when Gandalf said "Fly! You Fools!" This is what he meant

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Silly me! I thought he miscasted a levitation spell.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago (11 children)

Counterpoint.

What if they buried it, like real deep, like 50m+ deep.

It was at the bottom of a river for 2500 years, it’s honestly more effective than taking the ring right into enemy land.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"I mean it's not rocket science, guys." - Boromir on using a catapult to launch the ring into Mt. Doom

[–] saltnotsugar@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

This is more of an orbital nuclear defense question since Mordor has a pretty in depth strategy against this sort of threat. Frodo probably didn’t consider this option because of the Pan-Middle Earth nuclear deescalation agreement of the second age, sub section 2, page five, which if violated could have big international downstream effects.

[–] Liz@midwest.social 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

What in the heck is that graph? Abundance as a function of time?? What? But the data looks a lot more like some kind of EMR spectrum?

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[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Legit question. Can the ring influence targeting computers over long distances? Or modern LLMs?

[–] Rooster326@programming.dev 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

No but I'm sure it lt would literally (read: narratively) affect any mortal programming the computer, or setting the LLM out with such a purpose.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (3 children)

one does not simply ICBM into Mordor.

Also. we can easily create temperatures far exiding mount Doom's lava.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I think it's not about the temperature of mount doom, but the magical effects of the ring being forged there. But I could be way off...

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

it's more about a plot device, so any attempt at destroying it anywhere else is bound to fail. alternative, launch it into space like the Voyager,

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 1 points 18 hours ago

Do you want space nazis? Cause that's how you get space nazis.

[–] Kowowow@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago

Maybe even ye olde thermite could do something

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (10 children)

Question, if I have an unbreakable ring, what cool things could an engineer do with that?

[–] LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Well it's interesting that it makes regular ringing/metallic sounds when it's dropped(at least in the movies), so it is not inelastic. Which means it could be deformed if placed under extreme force but it would always spring back into shape. So I think it might be the world's most powerful spring.

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[–] canadian_commie@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I mean, it all looks so simple.

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