Posted on 11/03/2010 11:38:08 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
A project to give the U.S. Air Force enhanced space surveillance capability for detecting and tracking space objects has passed its system design review.
The Raytheon Co. said the system design review of its "Space Fence" program included the prototyping of critical system elements to demonstrate increased technical and manufacturing readiness levels.
"As our nation's defense becomes increasingly more dependent on the space domain, a system like Space Fence will be a critical component in the space surveillance network, tracking tens of thousands of objects daily," said David Gulla, vice president, National & Theater Security Programs for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "This successful SDR and prototyping clearly demonstrates the readiness of our design to support the Air Force's needs with an affordable solution."
The Space Fence program is a multiphase acquisition leading to the delivery of up to three globally positioned S-band radars capable of inter-operation with the space surveillance network. The system will ensure there are no gaps in capability as current systems in the network reach the end of their life spans, the company said.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
Skynet incoming...
All an enemy would need to do is explode a few missiles each loaded with 3 tons of metal ball bearings. In a week, not one satellite would be functional.
I agree. Its called “Brilliant Pebbles”.Brilliant Pebbles was a non-nuclear system of satellite-based, watermelon-sized mini-missiles designed to use a high-velocity kinetic warhead. It was designed to operate in conjunction with the Brilliant Eyes sensor system and would have detected and destroyed missiles without any external guidance. In the early 1980s, scientists Edward Teller, Lowell Wood, and Gregory Canavan began gaming out a new missile defense concept known as “Smart Rocks” at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Rods from Godhttp://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-06/rods-godThis technology is very far out—in miles and years. A pair of satellites orbiting several hundred miles above the Earth would serve as a weapons system. One functions as the targeting and communications platform while the other carries numerous tungsten rods—up to 20 feet in length and a foot in diameter—that it can drop on targets with less than 15 minutes’ notice. When instructed from the ground, the targeting satellite commands its partner to drop one of its darts. The guided rods enter the atmosphere, protected by a thermal coating, traveling at 36,000 feet per second—comparable to the speed of a meteor. The result: complete devastation of the target, even if it’s buried deep underground. (The two-platform configuration permits the weapon to be “reloaded” by just launching a new set of rods, rather than replacing the entire system.)
The concept of kinetic-energy weapons has been around ever since the RAND Corporation proposed placing rods on the tips of ICBMs in the 1950s; the satellite twist was popularized by sci-fi writer Jerry Pournelle. Though the Pentagon won’t say how far along the research is, or even confirm that any efforts are underway, the concept persists. The “U.S. Air Force Transformation Flight Plan,” published by the Air Force in November 2003, references “hypervelocity rod bundles” in its outline of future space-based weapons, and in 2002, another report from RAND, “Space Weapons, Earth Wars,” dedicated entire sections to the technology’s usefulness.
If so-called “Rods from God”—an informal nickname of untraceable origin—ever do materialize, it won’t be for at least 15 years. Launching heavy tungsten rods into space will require substantially cheaper rocket technology than we have today. But there are numerous other obstacles to making such a system work. Pike, of GlobalSecurity.org, argues that the rods’ speed would be so high that they would vaporize on impact, before the rods could penetrate the surface. Furthermore, the “absentee ratio”—the fact that orbiting satellites circle the Earth every 100 minutes and so at any given time might be far from the desired target—would be prohibitive. A better solution, Pike argues, is to pursue the original concept: Place the rods atop intercontinental ballistic missiles, which would slow down enough during the downward part of their trajectory to avoid vaporizing on impact. ICBMs would also be less expensive and, since they’re stationed on Earth, would take less time to reach their targets. “The space-basing people seem to understand the downside of space weapons,” Pike says—among them, high costs and the difficulty of maintaining weapon platforms in orbit. “But I’ll still bet you there’s a lot of classified work on this going on right now.”
br> This is what the Rods from God would look like.Project Thor is an idea for a weapons system that launches kinetic projectiles from Earth orbit to damage targets on the ground. Jerry Pournelle originated the concept while working in operations research at Boeing in the 1950s before becoming a science-fiction writer.The good thing is The system is not prohibited by either the Outer Space Treaty nor the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
Thanks, I remember reading about some of the systems you mention. Reagan was brilliant to initiate ‘Star Wars’. Scared the crap of the Russians.
When China shot down a target the resulting junk was and remains a menace to satellites.
Hey, this ain’t rocket science!
;~)
One wonders how many we have in orbit.
I liked the “Brilliant Pebbles”concept. The Brilliant Pebbles concept envisioned smaller, individual space-based interceptors in greater numbers, which would be mass-produced to achieve lower costs
That is so above top secret probably a few individuals know.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.