In the context of spy satellites, (nuclear) weapons and drone bases in orbit, I honestly can’t wait for the Kessler effect to materialize. Russia has demonstrated it could destroy a defunct Soviet satellite in orbit using a missile, and with tensions rising, alongside the number of objects placed in orbit, it doesn’t seem like a matter of if, but rather a matter of when it unfolds.
zzz…zzz…
“What is the most resource inefficient way we can come up with, to get supplies to the frontline.” I hate theese tech-bros so much…
It’s not the worst idea. The road between your basecamp and the frontline can easily be blocked by enemies, but the line between a satelite and your frontline is not easily blocked. For simplicity I’m assuming our hypthetical enemy doesn’t have an abundance of relatively cheap ground to air missiles, like every military in the world has.
Why would you want this over just airdropping supplies?
Also I’m no military need, but if the road between your basecamp and the frontline can easily be blocked then I don’t think you actually hold that territory and may have over extended yourself and no matter how many supplies you drop/“Enemy” “combatants”/civilians you kill, you’re likely losing the war (see Rhodesia (LOL) or Vietnam)
Well, a suborbital flight is less than an hour to anywhere. That absolutely has its advantages if cost and efficiency aren’t factors, but the payload would still have to be prepared and loaded. At that point, it just sounds like a way to compensate for bad logistics. It could be legitimately useful for emergency/surprise operations, but those also aren’t something you want to build your overall strategy around.
Funnily, it’s not THAT new of an idea:
Sure, lets jump straight to MILITARY and not… oh say, I dunno… space exploration? Typical military industrial complex bullshit.
Sick of this fucking timeline.
Dude, you realize the whole ‘going to the moon’ thing was just a way to convince the public to fund ballistic missile technology? And the whole reason for the shuttle was to steal Russias satellites? One of the biggest use cases for space is war. Space travel won’t feed anyone.
Dude, you realize the whole ‘going to the moon’ thing was just a way to convince the public to fund ballistic missile technology?
And this was true for both sides of the 1960s Space Race.
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Sputnik 1 was carried into space by the Soviet Sputnik rocket (an adaptation of the R-7 Semyorka Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) on October 4, 1957 source
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Yuri Gagarin was carried into space on April 12, 1961, by a Vostok 8K72K rocket. The Vostok 8K72K was a three-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle derived directly from the Soviet Union’s R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) source
There was fierce competition inside the USSR for which rocket technology would be best used for weapons. The whole “exploration” or “civilian use” thing on both sides (USA/USSR) was just window dressing for weapons programs in space.
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We can already feed everyone. We just choose not to. Space travel has nothing to do with it, but we should do it anyway.
I’m for space travel but I think the commercialization of space will benefit a very few.
Not if we have gay space-communism and anyone and their mother can use the skytrain (my colloquial name for a space elevator).
If you like space elevators you’ll love orbital rings. Literal train into the sky!
Love ‘em! I think one of Banks’ Culture books even has a river running through one. I really believe it’s more a matter of when and not if. We probably won’t see one, unless longevity treatments become a thing.
Not Banks Orbitals, which are amazing and a fair way into the future, but orbital rings. They’re another launch system like space elevators, but have some advantages and drawbacks.
Ballistic missile tech already existed.
It was modified for use in the Mercury program.
Hasn’t this clearly been the plan for years, surprised this is a a surprise to anyone. When musk was talking about delivering payloads anywhere in the world in under an hour, he’s wasn’t talking about getting you toilet paper quicker (or solving world hunger)
Ok this is it. Last straw for me. Imma go do something now.
Technology has failed us. Time to build some emps, time to stop paying taxes.
Just as soon as Ketamine Man gets his rockets to stop blowing up or looking like crispy critters when they ditch in the ocean.
