Zyobot
Fleet admiral
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Posts: 17,352 
Likes: 7,260
|
Post by Zyobot on Jul 15, 2020 22:26:00 GMT
When imagining mankind's path to the stars, people tend to think of the moon landings, rovers and probes, and plans to colonize Mars within the next few decades. But even though displays of it litter our science-fiction with their colorful blasts and fleets of ships big and small, serious speculation as to how real-life space warfare would look seems like a downplayed aspect of that next giant leap into the cosmos that lies beyond our blue-green world.
So this begs the question: whether as small as a planetary dispute or as large as an interstellar conflict, how would space warfare likely look--assuming that modern science is qualified to at least help us sketch a reasonable, well-informed approximation of things?
To get us started, here's what Isaac Arthur speculates could be in store for that facet of humanity's future.
Space Warfare
Thank you in advance, Zyobot
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Posts: 67,964
Likes: 49,365
|
Post by lordroel on Jul 16, 2020 4:12:07 GMT
When imagining mankind's path to the stars, people tend to think of the moon landings, rovers and probes, and plans to colonize Mars within the next few decades. But even though displays of it litter our science-fiction with their colorful blasts and fleets of ships big and small, serious speculation as to how real-life space warfare would look seems like a downplayed aspect of that next giant leap into the cosmos that lies beyond our blue-green world. So this begs the question: whether as small as a planetary dispute or as large as an interstellar conflict, how would space warfare likely look--assuming that modern science is qualified to at least help us sketch a reasonable, well-informed approximation of things? To get us started, here's what Isaac Arthur speculates could be in store for that facet of humanity's future.
Space Warfare
Thank you in advance, Zyobot
Well not with sound that is. |
|
stevep
Fleet admiral
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 13,222
|
Post by stevep on Jul 16, 2020 10:50:27 GMT
Zyobot , Some interesting ideas and points here. I also like his sense of humour with reference to his voice and the 1st rule of warfare. 
Steve
|
|
oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
Posts: 967
Likes: 1,575
|
Post by oscssw on Jul 16, 2020 13:43:32 GMT
Being a big fan of 1950/60 B movie SciFy I must admit Zybot presents a lot of info that invalidates most of those plots.
Fortunately, for me, it does not effect the "Space" beauties, such as Fire Maidens of Outer Space and Amazon Women On the Moon viability. So I'm OK 
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Posts: 67,964
Likes: 49,365
|
Post by lordroel on Jul 16, 2020 14:10:55 GMT
I also like this one, The Truth about Space War.
|
|
gillan1220
Fleet admiral
I've been depressed recently. Slow replies coming in the next few days.
Posts: 12,609
Likes: 11,326
|
Post by gillan1220 on Jul 18, 2020 5:01:34 GMT
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Posts: 67,964
Likes: 49,365
|
Post by lordroel on Jul 18, 2020 8:04:54 GMT
Do not think Space Warfare will Look like this in the future. |
|
gillan1220
Fleet admiral
I've been depressed recently. Slow replies coming in the next few days.
Posts: 12,609
Likes: 11,326
|
Post by gillan1220 on Jul 18, 2020 11:14:57 GMT
Do not think Space Warfare will Look like this in the future. shows us how space warfare looks like: |
|
|
|
Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 19, 2020 14:51:54 GMT
Big question is whether it'll turn into another Cold War ?
|
|
Zyobot
Fleet admiral
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Posts: 17,352
Likes: 7,260
|
Post by Zyobot on Jul 19, 2020 19:50:50 GMT
Here's another one from Isaac Arthur.
Interstellar Warfare
And one dealing with the more terrestrial side of warfare beyond our world, as long as I'm posting here.
Planetary Assaults & Invasions
|
|
Zyobot
Fleet admiral
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Posts: 17,352
Likes: 7,260
|
Post by Zyobot on Jul 21, 2020 23:35:03 GMT
Now here's something more exotic--which, given that this is (once again) Isaac Arthur that we're talking about, is really saying something!
Weaponizing Black Holes
|
|
gillan1220
Fleet admiral
I've been depressed recently. Slow replies coming in the next few days.
Posts: 12,609
Likes: 11,326
|
Post by gillan1220 on Jul 22, 2020 6:42:35 GMT
|
|
Zyobot
Fleet admiral
Just a time-traveling robot stranded on Earth.
Posts: 17,352
Likes: 7,260
|
Post by Zyobot on Jul 27, 2020 21:47:43 GMT
|
|
stevep
Fleet admiral
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 13,222
|
Post by stevep on Jul 28, 2020 10:07:55 GMT
Fairly obvious. Provided humanity gets out into space in a serious manner it will take all its old hobbies and habits out with it. When and in which ways will differ depends on the circumstances but some interesting and worrying mentions in that article about both China and even N Korea. Although whether the latter's two satellites are reliable nukes as I don't think they have anything else that would give the necessary EMP I don't know.
|
|
archibald
Ensign
The PRC was standing on the edge of an abyss. And Mao said "let's make a Great Leap Forward"
Posts: 359
Likes: 364
|
Post by archibald on Aug 5, 2020 12:19:09 GMT
Orion and nuclear pulse... this is how grand scale nuclear WWIII in space was imagined in the early 60's. Completely bonkers, completely 50's insane love affair with the atom, completely insane Curtiss Lemay dream. This is how Strategic Air Command (Curtiss "Strangelove" Lemay and Thomas "Turgidson" Power) intended to use the spaceborne battleships. documents.theblackvault.com/documents/space/CounterforceFromSpace%281961%29.pdfLet's start from Reagan SDI / Star Wars. To kill ICBMs they imagined four systems - chemical lasers, in orbit - nuclear-bomb lasers, in orbit (no kidding: channeling a nuclear explosion into a destructive ray - Edward Teller whacky Excalibur concept) - ground based missiles - kinetic interceptors: Smart Rocks, Brilliant Pebbles. Now, let's return 25 years before SDI and Reagan and 1983. In 1958. ARPA was managing early efforts at a SDI, called Project Defender. It also happened that ARPA was handled Orion and NPP at the same time. Back then, no laser of any kind, it was invented in the 60's. So killing ICBMs boiled to: Nike ground-based missiles vs... Brilliant Pebbles ancestors. At the time, they were called "Random Barrage System" or "Space Patrol". In both case, ARPA and industry calculated 100 000 interceptors would have to be orbited. With chemical, unreliable rockets, cost would instantly get past $100 billion. Ouch. And there, enter Orion and nuclear pulse... and the document I linked. Fasten your seat belts. Basically, they proposed to orbit the fleet of 100 000 kinetic ICBM killers with... Orion spaceborne battleships. A fleet of eighteen monster 10 000 tons space battleships, cut into three squadrons. Squadron 1 would orbit Earth 1000 miles high. Squadron 2 would be in geostationary orbit. Squadron 3 would hide behind the Moon. The Spaceborne Orion battleships would also carry big nukes to wipe out the Soviet Union, and also spysats, and also weapons to destroy satellites. The project was politically cold war madness cranked to 11 or even 18. Technically wise, it would have worked. Nuclear pulse despite looking like a Wile E. Coyote bonker concept, would work. And it was closer from happening that I thought.
With perfect hindsight, we also know that Orion would kill Earth biosphere / human societies,
thrice
- Detonations of nukes at liftoff (ooops !)
- Electromagnetic Pulses ruining electric grids during ascent
- Nuclear fallout trapped into the Van Allen Belts
|
|
