[TML] Guns in Space!

[shadow at shadowgard.com]

On 5 Sep 2007 at 3:09, Jerry W Barrington wrote:

> On 8/31/07 10:35 PM, "Michael Jenkins" wrote:
> 
> > However, it occurs to me that the use of such a weapon could
> > potentially cause a big increase in the amount of fast-moving debris
> > in orbits intersecting that of the vessel with the cannon - you
> > wouldn't want to be hit by your own shells or resulting debris from
> > any hits one or more orbits of the shells/debris later.
> 
> Actually, this has been one of the better arguments against militarizing
> space.  After an all-out orbital war, with everybody destroying each others
> spy sats & weapon platforms, there  could be so much debris in orbit, and
> particularly in the most popular/useful orbits, that space could become
> useless for decades or even centuries.  Of course, if we nuked ourselves
> back the stone age in the process, it might be a moot point.

There was a story back in the 70s or 80s that had space travel being 
impossible for the next century or so because of Canada using a 
secret anti-ICBM defense against a Soviet attack on the US. 

Basically a bunch of nuclear "shaped charges" built into 
mountainsides facing in the "right" directions. Acting rather like 
nuclear claymores and sweeping the blasts of debris through low and 
medium orbits. 

There was enough junk that stayed in orbit to make manned spacecraft 
impossible and trying to orbit satellites a real crapshoot.


--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com