Possible Space Wars In The Near Future

RIA Novosti/Space War ^ | 1/18/2010 | by Ilya Kramnik

[muawiyah]

You could pretty well cut a country off from space through the simple expedient of launching a large barrel of finishing nails into orbit then exploding it.

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.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Although the exact name of the missile is not known, sources mentioned a KT-1/SC-19 system described as being based on a modified DF-21 medium-range ballistic missile or its commercial derivative, the KT-2, with a kinetic kill vehicle mounted. The 11-meter DF-21 missile weighs 15 metric tons.

[ColdOne]

The U.S. media suspects// How am I supposed to believe THE U.S. MEDIA??????I'm just sayin'

[dodger]

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.

[oneolcop]

Sooner or later it’ll happen. I say sooner.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I would include South Korea and Taiwan in that list.

[skinkinthegrass]

thanks, for the information / thread / post.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

You are welcome

:)

[Lancey Howard]

I thought all this was rendered moot by particle beams?

[TChris]

I thought all this was rendered moot by particle beams?

Do you know of working, deployable particle beam weapons?

[dodger]

I would include South Korea and Taiwan in that list.

Indeed!

[dr_lew]

Sooner or later it’ll happen.

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.

[null and void]

At orbital speeds styrofoam prills would be just as lethal, but would eventually evaporate in sunlight.

[spetznaz]

The issue with such a space war would be that the moment several satellites were destroyed there would be so much debris whizzing about that the satellites of the aggressor (and since for now it is only the US, Russia, China and - soon - India that have the ASAT weapons they do have satellites of their own) would also be damaged. It is a form of limited MAD. However, in the event of a conventional (or other) war where the weaker state knows it is about to lose anyways, it may decide sacrificing its satellite core is a justifiable cost if it means taking out the satellite capability of the stronger foe. Thus, future space wars will most likely either be extremely limited (if at that even ....just demonstrating you have the capacity if sufficient, just as nuclear weapons simply require demonstrated capacity) whereby maybe one or two satellites are removed, or if it happens full bore then it will be in a situation where the weaker state believes it has crossed a certain loss-point and it doesn't matter any more.

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.

[Lancey Howard]

Do you know of working, deployable particle beam weapons?

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.

[Lancey Howard]

We used atomic bombs in war nearly 60 years ago

Oops. That was supposed to be nearly 65 years ago...

[TChris]

That's what I thought: Pure speculation.

But thanks for playing.

[Lancey Howard]

LOL, tell that to Clancey!
You’re a real font of imagination, aren’t you?
Do yourself a favor - - keep your day job.

[dr_lew]

You’re a real font of imagination, aren’t you?

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