But then, in the 1980s, we saw Reagan’s SDI/Star Wars proposal: Space-based weapons to serve a (purportedly) purely defensive function against enemy ground-launched or submarine-launched missiles. The SDI program might have played a role in encouraging the Soviet Union to spend itself bankrupt, but it never produced any practical weapons, AFAIK.
But then, in the current Administration, we have seen the withdrawal of the U.S. from the ABM Treaty; promulgation of a new National Space Policy that rules out arms control; the idea of “Rods from God” satellites floated; and plans by NASA,Russia and China for permanent bases on the Moon, in all cases for ostensibly peaceful purposes, which you are free to believe as much as you want to. And the Space Preservation Treaty – fuggeddaboudit!
Has somebody decided space-based offensive (to Earth’s surface) weapons might be practical after all? Might they be?
I remember when I was in the final years of college one of my professors was looking into all the Star Wars funding things. He was discussing a system called (IIRC) Thor which was essentially a space based weapon system that used guided kinetic energy weapons (something like smart BB’s or guided crowbars) for taking out tanks and such. I think that there is a modern prototype system for this (that isn’t space based btw) that can be used to guide smart sub-munitions to things like armored vehicles and forge the warhead on impact essentially.
What does this mean? No idea…it was just an interesting concept. But as you said in your OP you can do the same job with conventional air craft and cruise missile technology…which is a lot less costly and less vulnerable. So…I seriously doubt we will see space based weapons until we have a much greater presence permanently in space.
As you state that, you seem to be assuming the weapons would be intended, not to strike at Earth’s surface, but to protect the other, non-military installations (scientific, industrial, tourism, etc.) we’ve already got in space by that time, and/or to threaten the non-military space installations of other powers. Is that right?
You’re making me want to play that old, crappy PC game “Call to Power”
Space Bombers sucked there, too. All that matters when it comes to new weapons are “is it more accurate/easy to use?”, “does it make a bigger boom?”, or “is it cheaper?”. Space based weapons systems fail at all three, so until we have a cheap(er than launching a missile) way to get into space we can assume that we won’t be dropping death-rocks from orbit.
**Has somebody decided space-based offensive (to Earth’s surface) weapons might be practical after all?
**
At least partially what I believe you are seeing is what we saw with the “Psychic Warfare Gap” in the Cold War. About 1970 the CIA confirmed that the USSR was spending millions upon millions of rubles on “psychic research”. This is mainly why the U.S. began to fund this stuff, not because of academic research or “breakthroughs” – but because the USSR was doing it and they were afraid of being left behind on the short chance there was something to it.
So, China’s Space program is what has changed in the past 10-15 years and the (BushCheney)U.S. is not going to sit on their hands while the PRC do heaven knows what in space…even if Engineers-who-know tell them nothing has changed technologically or is even likely to in the near term
The U.S’s Moonbase is in response to China’s, Russia in response to ours…I will say though that to me space-based weapons are different than moonbases which could be military useful reconnaissance and communication (not necessarily weapons) hubs.
Not exactly, though I’m sure that will happen as well. My assumption is that until its much easier and more cost effect to GET to space, and until there is a major human presence IN space (at least in and around Earth orbit) there is really no point in spending the money to have spaced based systems that could be done cheaper with conventional Earth based systems (ground/sea launched missiles and cruise missiles, conventional air craft, artillery, etc etc).