Space Force now hiring.

[ZenOps]

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/06/1...ry-branch.html

An entire new branch of the US military. Conquer martians, pew pew lazors.

[ExtraSlow]

I assume you've already applied to be the commander?

[ZenOps]

Naw, drill sergeant. Instead of making n00bs smash their heads into boards for 8 hours of the day, I'd make them hold their breath for 15 minutes at a time, it *is* space afterall.


I know why they want it, the space station only goes up 250 miles and technically although no one has ever tried - the world ending nuke would be detonated higher than that.

[ExtraSlow]

Will the president now get a "space force one" rocket to escape in case of "world-ending" nuclear war?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[tonytiger55]

Every time I hear this story this music track pops into my head.



It will be interesting. Can you imagine the funding and military space tech that will come..?

[ZenOps]

The perfect launch platform for a nuke is arguably the only satellite the earth has that requires no fuel to say in "space" Its actually totally stupid to keep on spending billions of dollars every 12 years to keep satellites at distances that will all eventually decay to earth.

That is: Moon Base Alpha.

[Gman.45]

Probably one of the smartest military plays would be to setup a nuclear missile launch platform in an extreme outer orbit. It would be out of reach for any opponent to strike before they could detect and launch, and pretty much impossible to counter.

Lots of people thought this in the 60s/etc, which is why there is a specific treaty forbidding putting nuclear weapons in space. Also, don't think that such platforms couldn't be found and held at risk, even the Chinese shot down a satellite in 2007 (thanks Bill Clinton for giving them that tech), and the Russians and USA have done so in the 80s as well. It's easier for SSBNs to hide in the oceans still than it is for even "stealth" satellites to hide in space. Not that it matters, as putting mass destruction warheads in space is prohibited by treaty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

While the cost of lifting the weight is prohibitive still, putting heavy penetrators in orbit, and then accurately dropping/guiding such weapons, ones without explosive warheads, and relying only on the kinetic energy, would hit with the power greater than most of our tactical warheads in SSBNs and ICBM tubes. Don't really need a nuclear warhead with such weapons form orbit, to create mass destruction.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone ever notice that the music from the classic game "moon patrol" sounds a lot like a 54-40 song?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[tonytiger55]

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Anyone ever notice that the music from the classic game "moon patrol" sounds a lot like a 54-40 song?]

[CMW403]

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Naw, drill sergeant. Instead of making n00bs smash their heads into boards for 8 hours of the day, I'd make them hold their breath for 15 minutes at a time, it *is* space afterall.


I know why they want it, the space station only goes up 250 miles and technically although no one has ever tried - the world ending nuke would be detonated higher than that.

The space station goes up? Which way is up?

[16hypen3sp]

Alien spacecraft approaches Earth. First Contact, the most important moment in human history. The American Space Force goes in guns blazing. Interstellar war ensues....

Who do I send this movie idea to????

[J-hop]

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The perfect launch platform for a nuke is arguably the only satellite the earth has that requires no fuel to say in "space" Its actually totally stupid to keep on spending billions of dollars every 12 years to keep satellites at distances that will all eventually decay to earth.

That is: Moon Base Alpha.

Why would the moon be the perfect spot? It’s on average over 380,000 Kms from the earth and the fastest trip from earth to the moon so far has been 8.5hrs. Not to mention you couldn’t practically target from that far away so you’d have to be constantly adjusting trajectory, lots of room for error

[ipeefreely]

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Why would the moon be the perfect spot? It’s on average over 380,000 Kms from the earth and the fastest trip from earth to the moon so far has been 8.5hrs. Not to mention you couldn’t practically target from that far away so you’d have to be constantly adjusting trajectory, lots of room for error

Don't forget the Nazis are on the moon too..


Iron Sky (2012)

The Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018.

[ZenOps]

Moving target is what makes it valuable, if its in a fixed spot - you can use a high energy weapon and focus blast it from the earth like the death star. It also means that you can launch from the other side of the earth, and sneak it around the horizon from every angle.

Extra bonus is that you can use the crust of the moon as a shield (dig a 1 km hole) and put a metal cover on it, just in case anyone sends up a missle to try and take it down. Just like the missles silos of old.



Extra extra bonus, is you never have to worry about a rogue general on your own side trying to steal one, or any damage from accidental detonation.

Time is the only factor that is against it. But assuming that a nuke will never be used pre-emptively, taking half a day will be just fine. This is all beside the fact, that if there are aliens out there, and they orbit the earth - their guns will likely be pointed at earth. Which means you can shoot the nukes from *behind* them. Moon is the ultimate natural defense satellite, might as well use it.

That the moon always has the same facing side to the earth has to be a one a million ocurrance cosmically speaking. Its like god herself said: Use it.

[J-hop]

We were laughing about this the other day. Aliens watching thinking oh crap they’re building space defence weapons....oh wait never mind they’re pointing them at themselves, false alarm