LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
Posted Sep 21, 2012 15:16 UTC (Fri) by khim (subscriber, #9252)In reply to: LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space by dlang
Parent article: LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
space offence against ground targets is hard.
offence against satellites is relatively easy (a bucket of bolts in the right orbit)
Well, the rest of the post is pretty pointless, isn't it? All the worthwhile targets (machines and humans, most importantly troops) are on the ground. So we have a weapon which is hard to deploy and use but very easy to stop. This is not something military will be interested in.
As for speed being critical for space based attacks, that depends on the situation. It doesn't matter if an asteroid is redirected in days, weeks, or even months if it's going to take months for anyone to get to it and be ready to redirect it to go elsewhere.
You are planning to use your brand-new, top-of-the-art weapon against low-tech barbarians? There are many other ways to kill low-tech barbarians believe me.
If you think an aircraft flying into a building at a few hundred miles an hour is bad, it pales in comparison with something hitting at even low orbital velocity (remember, energy is M*V^2), at those speeds you don't _need_ a warhead.
Right. But this equation works both ways: to reach this velocity you need a warhead-equivalent, to alter this velocity you need a warhead-equivalent… at the stage where someone can create space-based weapon s/he can create pretty potent non-space-based ones, too… and they are hundred times more practical.
It is well within the capability of the satellite launching nations to build space-based weapons that would be extremely powerful, but all these nations have agreed not to go there, and so far none of them has been pressed enough violate (or at least to admit to violating) that agreement.
Ha. How many other such humanitarian agreements were kept? ABMT? CFE? These are only short-lived (by historical measures) papers. No, space-based weapons are not developed because they make no sense. As you've said: space offence is hard, space defense is [relatively] easy. Everything else follow from these two facts.
Posted Sep 21, 2012 17:48 UTC (Fri)
by dlang (guest, #313)
[Link] (11 responses)
Posted Sep 22, 2012 18:43 UTC (Sat)
by khim (subscriber, #9252)
[Link] (10 responses)
Posted Sep 22, 2012 19:25 UTC (Sat)
by dlang (guest, #313)
[Link] (9 responses)
I've heard of means to destroy satellites, but not ways to prevent their destruction by another space-capable nation.
monitoring is not defence, it may be the first part of a defence, but in and of itself it's not defence.
Posted Sep 23, 2012 17:38 UTC (Sun)
by khim (subscriber, #9252)
[Link] (8 responses)
Nothing—a that's my point. I think you've lost context. Let me remind you what I've already said: All the worthwhile targets (machines and humans, most importantly troops) are on the ground. This is what defines what is offense and what is defense. This is similar to air fights: a fighter aircraft may be air-to-air aggressor, but it's very much part of the defense system, not part of the offense system. Because it's useless if you don't have an air-to-surface aggressor (or surface-to-surface aggressor with on-air helper). Similarly in space: the ability to find and destroy satellite is part of defense system because satellite on it's own it's not a worthwhile goal. It only becomes worthwhile goal if someone else uses it to attack your troops! Heck, the most famous space war program was called Strategic Defense Initiative for this very reason! Bingo! And that means exactly what I've said: space offence is hard, space defense is [relatively] easy. Right. The second part of the defense is the ability to destroy satellites (including the ones who employ ion drives to move rocks around). Also a known technology
Posted Sep 24, 2012 19:18 UTC (Mon)
by dlang (guest, #313)
[Link] (7 responses)
Here is a major disagreement. I see the satellites themselves as being major targets. If all satellites were to stop working, most of the first world countries would be in a world of hurt.
Posted Sep 24, 2012 22:03 UTC (Mon)
by khim (subscriber, #9252)
[Link] (6 responses)
Not as much you'd like to think. Yes, some services will be disrupted (like toll collection), but if you compare it with what destruction of just a few large dams can do… no, there are no comparison. Yes, satellites are slowly becoming indispensable in a few rare cases, but their destruction are still not a way to cripple your military power. For that you ultimately still need on-the-ground military operation, even airstrikes can only help them, not replace them.
Posted Sep 25, 2012 11:50 UTC (Tue)
by nix (subscriber, #2304)
[Link] (5 responses)
Posted Sep 26, 2012 4:27 UTC (Wed)
by khim (subscriber, #9252)
[Link] (4 responses)
Military jams GPS regularly when they do military exercises. There are some inconveniences and people complain, yes, but nothing life-threatening.
You right is pointing out that people are using unreliable and fragile GPS significantly more often then it's feasible, but GPS is far from being security critical infrastructure. Well, it is sometimes critical for military offense, but this different problem altogether (it falls under "space-technology assisted offence and as I've pointed out this is not all that reliable") - and military have replacements (may be not as efficient, but they work).
Posted Sep 26, 2012 18:58 UTC (Wed)
by dlang (guest, #313)
[Link] (1 responses)
the vast majority of the 'smart' bombs that are in use rely on GPS, without GPS we are back to Korea war era targeting precision.
communications would in some ways be in worse shape (while the military keeps some of the old stuff around, just in case, the difference between what they are trained to expect to have available, and what they would have available would cause problems in itself)
space-based assets are a drastic force multiplier (both for offense and defense). I would say that they are well over a 10x multiplier, and I could see arguments putting them in the 100x range.
If being able to weaken your opponent by 10x or 100x doesn't make something a militarily significant target, I don't know what would.
Posted Sep 26, 2012 20:41 UTC (Wed)
by khim (subscriber, #9252)
[Link]
On your own turf? Only if you've did something stupid and replaced reliable land-based communications with a sattelite-based ones. Sure, but this an aggression, not defence. You may say that sometimes you actually need to attack someone and I may even agree with you but this does not change the fact that when you sent your 'smart' bombs to some other country you are an agressor. Again: not on your home turf. They are potent multiplier in a case of aggression, but for defence? Not so much. You don't need to use sattelites if you can just connect two military pieces with an optical canble (or just plan old radio). Yes, you can use sattelites to notice enemy earlier, but radars on ground work just fine, too. Only when you move to another, hostile country you need to rely on sattelites - and this move is act of aggression by defnition (when you move to friendly country you can bring the same on-ground network with you).
Posted Sep 26, 2012 22:00 UTC (Wed)
by nix (subscriber, #2304)
[Link]
Posted Oct 7, 2012 19:16 UTC (Sun)
by oak (guest, #2786)
[Link]
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
All the stuff in the near space is monitored by quite a few countries. And there are means to stop you attack and was shown by China and US. If this is not "space defense", then what is it?
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
what means have any countries shown that would prevent satellites from being destroyed?
I've heard of means to destroy satellites, but not ways to prevent their destruction by another space-capable nation.
Monitoring is not defence, it may be the first part of a defence, but in and of itself it's not defence.
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
Here is a major disagreement. I see the satellites themselves as being major targets. If all satellites were to stop working, most of the first world countries would be in a world of hurt.
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
Without Satellites, military communications and targeting will suffer drastically.
the vast majority of the 'smart' bombs that are in use rely on GPS, without GPS we are back to Korea war era targeting precision.
communications would in some ways be in worse shape (while the military keeps some of the old stuff around, just in case, the difference between what they are trained to expect to have available, and what they would have available would cause problems in itself)
space-based assets are a drastic force multiplier (both for offense and defense). I would say that they are well over a 10x multiplier, and I could see arguments putting them in the 100x range.
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space
Military jams GPS regularly when they do military exercises. There are some inconveniences and people complain, yes, but nothing life-threatening.
This has long ceased to be true. You might note that the military do not jam GPS in major civil centres and especially not near e.g. airports. (What GPS jamming goes on is people trying to fake their tachographs. This is causing increasing trouble and concern at fairly high levels.)
LinuxCon: Dragons and penguins in space