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RE: Re: Re: starship-design: build it now...



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu
> [mailto:owner-starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu]On Behalf Of Paul
> Anderson
> Sent: Thursday, April 15, 1999 12:05 AM
> To: KellySt@aol.com
> Cc: starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu
> Subject: Re: Re: Re: starship-design: build it now...

> IMHO, I don't think that LEO-capable missiles are all that important,
> anyways.  They're complex, difficult to guide, hard to build, and a
> nuisance to launch.  How many missiles has NATO used against the Serbs
> that went up 60km, waited a half-hour then dropped back down on the
> enemy's head?  Why do that, with the difficulties of aiming, when you can
> just fly in a high-speed jet, and very quickly drop a bomb on your target.
> When you think about it, what tactical use would such a device have?  On
> it's way down, if the enemy has jets(who doesn't these days?), they would
> have plenty of time to shoot the sucker down.  I admit I'm not an expert
> in military tactics, so explain to me how a missile capable of LEO would
> be more useful, cheaper and more effective than just flying in a jet, and
> dropping a bomb?

Paul,

I would suggest reading the US Air Force's Space Forecast report. Or search
for Project Black Horse. The US Air Force apparently not only sees the value
of low Earth orbit capable missiles, they think a manned vehicle capable of
delivery payloads from low Earth orbit would be even better.

As for tactical use, Albania can not dispatch a jet as you suggest to drop a
bomb on the US. Their MiGs don't have the range and they don't have tankers.
So such a system would definitely be of tactical value to them. As Kelly
points out, building a nuclear bomb is actually rather easy now that we know
it can be done. Building a biological weapon is even easier, all that is
missing is a delivery vehicle, and we have been building missiles for a long
time.

Lee Parker