Posted on 01/17/2010 8:42:29 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The U.S. media suspects China and India of developing anti-satellite weapons. An article to this effect has been published the New Scientist magazine. Until recently, only the Soviet Union, its legal successor Russia and the United States were capable of developing anti-satellite weapons. U.S. analysts now think that China and India are acquiring similar capabilities. To what extent are such fears justified?
It is hard to overestimate the role played by military satellite systems. Since the 1970s, an increasingly greater number of troop-control, telecommunications, target-acquisition, navigation and other processes depend on spacecraft which are therefore becoming more important.
At this point, it is impossible to imagine the armed forces of most industrial states, including Russia, without combat-ready satellite clusters comprising spacecraft of various types. The space echelon's role is directly proportional to the development level of any given nation and its armed forces.
However, satellite clusters are hardly invulnerable. Ever since the U.S.S.R. and the United States launched their first military satellites, efforts have been made to develop anti-satellite systems. Such efforts were intensified after the creation of initial missile defense systems comprising the highly important space echelon.
Orbital satellite interceptors, surface-to-space and air-to-space missiles were eventually developed.
Research aiming to develop orbital and ground-based anti-satellite laser guns making it possible to either destroy spacecraft or knock out their electronics and optical devices deserves special mention. However, few results have been achieved in this area.
China, which claims the right to be a global power, prioritizes the development of anti-satellite weapons.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacewar.com ...
Those nails whizzing around at 15,000 MPH (or thereabouts ~ whatever it takes) would have a very high probability of ELIMINATING any more space launches until someone figured out how to build "space armor" or a tactical "space take out" laser of some kind.
No doubt everybody is ready to launch a barrel or two of nails on warning.
Our current level of penetration into space is going to be shortlived.
The main objective of American foreign policy in the early third millenium ought to be to build an alliance with India, Japan, the UK (and any others truly willing) to build a coalition for civilization.
Sooner or later it’ll happen. I say sooner.
I would include South Korea and Taiwan in that list.
You are welcome
:)
I thought all this was rendered moot by particle beams?
Do you know of working, deployable particle beam weapons?
Indeed!
As I understand it, there's serious concern that this could happen spontaneously from a runaway cascade of collisions. This came up when the Chinese did their "test" and pushed us that much closer to it.
At orbital speeds styrofoam prills would be just as lethal, but would eventually evaporate in sunlight.
Obviously, if 'softer' kill methods bear fruit (e.g. like the dazzling lasers and other methods being worked on that do not require a hard kill vehicle) then it changes the situation, since satellites can then be taken out without necessarily compromising your own satellites with thousands upon thousands of whizzing hyper-sonic bullets.
Do I need to?
We used atomic bombs in war nearly 60 years ago... People have been playing their music at home and in their cars with laser beams for over 20 years. I also remember reading about submarines using ultra-low radio frequencies over 20 years ago.
How smart do you have to be to figure out that new weapons systems have been developed during the past 65 years, and that using particle beams to blow things out of the sky or space is a likely design?
Of course, by now even those things might be considered antiques to the black ops people.
Oops. That was supposed to be nearly 65 years ago...
But thanks for playing.
LOL, tell that to Clancey!
You’re a real font of imagination, aren’t you?
Do yourself a favor - - keep your day job.
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