On Fri, Feb 11, 2022, at 5:21 PM, Stephen Loosley wrote:
Tom, they’re talking of putting vehicles briefly into orbit, then aiming them down when and where they are needed. Intercepting such trajectories will be **extremely** difficult. ...
Just to get this on topic for Link briefly, Space-X's Starlink may have far more effect on the world, by making the Internet available everywhere. Unfortunately the mass production and delivery of satellites for Starlink could also be applied to space based weapons.
The Space-X Starship itself is much larger than an ICBM, can't maneuver rapidly without injuring the crew, and has to carry fuel for a return trip. Also unlike a missile, the Starship executes a belly flop maneuver to slow down, then a slow vertical landing. As a result the Starship would be much easier than a missile to detect, track and target in flight. While landing, and on the ground, it is vulnerable to small arms fire.
Tom, 200+ well-armed soldiers “on the spot” within an hour will do much to quell problems. ...
Solders, even with sophisticated military equipment, do not necessarily quell problems, as Afghanistan showed the UK, USSR, and most recently the USA. Investing in diplomacy, education and development might be more cost effective.
Where armed intervention is needed, a small party can be effective, but this usually requires local knowledge and stealth. Arriving from the other side of the world in a huge spaceship would make this difficult.
Most countries would need several days to respond ...
Even without a warhead, the Starship carries fuel for a return trip, which could cause a large explosion. A country, or its allies, detecting a military Starship heading for them may conclude they are under attack with a weapon mass destruction, and respond accordingly.
Apart from conventional or nuclear military response, a nation could use social media to call on supporters in the launch country to blockade the manufacturing and launch sites, or take potshots at the thin walled Starships on the ground. What would be easier than weaving the Starships into a global alien conspiracy narrative? ;-)
Compared with the expenses to build, maintain and fly simple single-purpose Stealth Bombers ... absolute bargains.
Compared to a stealth bomber, just about anything is a bargain. If you want a space weapon, there are cheaper, simpler options. Military Starships could encourage more countries developing their own space based weapons under the guise of a commercial civilian space program.
-- Tom Worthington http://www.tomw.net.au _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
