Space weapons!

[nikolaus008]

We should start building Space shuttles with weapons. Space fighter's with gatling guns, and rockets. Nano stealth satellites, and more. The space weapons race has begun. Now it's a game of who can take out who's satellites first. We can use weapons in space to take out any large astroids headed toward Earth. Space weapons that could take out any missile threats from any other rogue nations. Who is in control of Space above Earth? Who will be first to stake a claim and defend it? Is that what China is doing? Anyone ever thought of building a New space shuttle with weapons? Is there a degree for that?

 

[why06]

really?<br /><br />-this Luke needs to turn back on his targeting computer....<img src="/images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div>________________________________________ <br /></div><div><ul><li><font color="#008000"><em>your move...</em></font></li></ul></div> </div>

 

[witgenestone]

I really hope no one does what you are suggesting. Let's keep space weapon-free. If we don't, everything which people hope for in this forum will be shattered. But who can battle with the will of the Universe? Let's clone/create Gandhi's as soon as we can.<br />

 

[enigma10]

Keeping space weapon free is a nice dream, but will be plutonic in its conclusion. It is something that will be inevitable because it will only take one rogue agressive faction to force others to defend themselves. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>

 

[witgenestone]

That is the problem i.e the will of the Universe. But what will it lead to?

 

[ianke]

Even if we don't destroy ourselves over the issue, we would most certainly polute the orbital space to the point it is unusable <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[robnissen]

Dr. Strangelove,<br /><br />Welcome to SDC.

 

[bdewoody]

Realistically speaking, as soon as we are hauling cargo in space to and from distant planets or asteroids there are going to be pirates out there trying to steal said cargo. At that point any treaty banning weapons in space will be thrown in the trash. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">Bob DeWoody</font></em> </div>

 

[nikolaus008]

The Universe is a violent and chaotic place. It a jungle out there. It is essential to our survival to have weapons in space. The Lion is King of the jungle because it has large claws and sharp teeth, and not because it's cute, cuddly and fuzzy. It would be nice if everyone could live in peace and harmony, but it hasn't happend in 4.5 billion years, so I give up. Heck with a gatling gun in space, we could shread any space debris to tinny bits. That takes care of all that space trash. wouldn't you say?

 

[ianke]

the energy of even"tiny bits" at orbital velocity would amount to a lot of impact force. shooting it just adds to it as well (all of those bullets). It would get very untidy indeed <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[nikolaus008]

O.K. a gatling gun is a bit primitive. More realistic weapons, of course, would be Lasers. So, if we turn a solid iron object headed to Earth into tiny bits, it would burn off in the atmosphere, right. Likewise, a giant dirtball head for earth, could be turned into a dirt cloud. <br /><br />Here's a question: How can we turn a solid object into a cloud of particles? That would be a cool weapon. A giant particle smasher gun.

 

[why06]

yes we can its called a BOMB... <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div>________________________________________ <br /></div><div><ul><li><font color="#008000"><em>your move...</em></font></li></ul></div> </div>

 

[fonzerelli]

Yeah we should put a giant laser beam on the moon and hold all of the world for ransom. We could call it the Alan Parson's Project. <br /><br />Oh wait... Dr. Evil already did that!<br /><br />Make love not war

 

[mikeemmert]

Half the Earth is out of sight from the Moon at any given time. The Moon is a very bad place for military bases. What would their mission be? Any mission you could care to name could be done better from closer up. Like, with grunts...

 

[docm]

....or hypersonic cruise missiles. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kdavis007]

Well I like to live in a world with no weapons, but in reality is there is going to be weapons in space and there is no way to stop it..

 

[enigma10]

Actually, with properly timed and planned projectories of simple "rod from god" type weapons, they could hit almost anywhere the moon travels. This would also include delay packages in satellites from there that would be out of range of normal missles to defend against. <br /><br /> And since they're on the moon, they'll have plenty of resources to make those weapons there. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>

 

[bdewoody]

The moon is the ultimate high ground. And besides all you would have to is throw rocks back at the earth. And in a 24 hour cycle a launcher on the moon can hit any target on earth. The first country to have a major pressence on the moon can dictate policy on the earth. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">Bob DeWoody</font></em> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Why can you hit any spot on earth in a 24 hour cycle?<br />The moon takes 28 days to orbit the earth. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[why06]

yes but you see the moon every night don't you <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br /><font color="yellow">-sometime you think too deeply- <font color="white"></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div>________________________________________ <br /></div><div><ul><li><font color="#008000"><em>your move...</em></font></li></ul></div> </div>

 

[enigma10]

its not the moons rotation to be concerned about, but the earths. like i mentioned earlier, moon launched satellites could act as a delay package for deployment of a weapon strike. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>

 

[nikolaus008]

The moon, yeah. No... Stealth satellites is were it's at, or high altitude U.A.V.'s, all being equipped with special weapons packages. Who needs the moon? Has anyone ever thought of Space faring U.A.V.'s patrolling Earth Space? Stamped on the side "United Countries of Earth" ...<br /><br />Space weapons will lead to the unification of a Planet in its defense from it's self.

 

[docm]

Anyone for guided small asteroids?<br /><br />Untraceable if done right, enough power to collapse deep bunkers etc. etc.<br /><br />That or deploy 'Rods from God'.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[control_group]

Some issues of interest on this topic:<br /><br />First, the delay time. Rods from God might be effective, but let's not forget the delay between release and impact. Not to mention, of course, that a rod carried on a weapons satellite shares that satellite's orbital velocity (~7.7km/sec for LEO). If you just "let go" of it, it will stay exactly where it is in relation to the satellite. Accelerating it towards the planet will just give it a more eccentric orbit, so what you need to do is accelerate it back along your orbit enough to de-orbit it. Naturally, this will boost the orbit of the weapons satellite, meaning subsequent firings will need more kick to achieve the same effect.<br /><br />This would be feasible for hitting stationary targets, but not so much for tactical assistance on a battlefield. Rods from God, then, are pretty much strategic weapons only.<br /><br />Using a laser would solve both the delay and the velocity problems, but now you've got beam dispersion in the atmosphere to contend with. Not to mention the fairly large energy requirement to do real damage to something - you'll need an impressive power plant on your weapons platform.<br /><br />So let's talk about moon-based weapons.<br /><br />Well, first up, if you're going to launch something from the moon at the planet, you need to achieve escape velocity from the moon - a little more than 2km/s. Done properly, this will also take care of the moon's orbital velocity (~1km/s). Now you've got a significant delay time to contend with, since you've got to cover more than 350,000km. If I'm solving my motion equations correctly, the object will take more than 140 minutes to hit the planet (and that's assuming that earth's gravity is 9.8N out at lunar orbit, which is false). Now, its terminal velocity will be pretty hot: ~83km/s (for comparison, the Tunguska comet is figured to have entered at ~60km/s), ignoring atmospheric drag. That works out to 3.4E9 joules per kg of mass. A megaton is 4.184E15 joules, so e

 

[enigma10]

You would be correct in assuming a simple rod from god or leo laser would be best for taking out an enemy satellite. Such a process would open up holes in thier defenses for much more damaging instruments. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>