# Trump wants a US space force **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341 "2018-06-18T21:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/162 "2018-06-28T17:54:15Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Contrary to what you may have seen on CSI (“enhance!”), even the latest spysats are still governed by the laws of physics. Even assuming the plate is mounted on the roof of the vehicle, at visible light frequencies, the resolution needed to resolve individual license plate characters (say 2cm) from a LEO distance of 200 miles would require a minimum mirror diameter of 11 meters. Good luck fitting that inside a payload fairing. YamatoTwinkie, Well how good is google earth? Can’t you make out something say the size of a car easily? You have to know the military spysat’s are much greater, so there is a quick answer for you as to how well they can see things. To my point whatever they have if armed with a powerful laser could probably strike a target from up in space. [https://techdigg.com/2017/02/21/how-powerful-are-cameras-on-modern-spy-satellites/](https://techdigg.com/2017/02/21/how-powerful-are-cameras-on-modern-spy-satellites/) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/163 "2018-06-28T19:19:01Z")
Google Earth is limited by the laws of physics, too. And the highest-resolution imagery they have is from aircraft or even cars, not from satellites. And, in fact, a lot of their database does in fact come from spy satellites. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/164 "2018-06-29T15:59:45Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > On a long term basis, the moon has a lot of helium-3 , which could be used for a energy fuel, and rare minerals to be mined. There are no minerals on the moon that are so rare on earth that it would be economical to get them from the moon. As for helium3, first solve the problem of hot fusion, and explain why you prefer going all the way to the moon for helium3 rather than the much easier Deuterium tritium reaction, then we can talk. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/165 "2018-06-29T16:13:26Z")
Fill up balloons with helium-3, float them back to Earth! (You didn’t even think of _that_ one, did ya, Mr Wizard!) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/166 "2018-06-29T21:33:49Z")
I think the president guy wants a Space Force so that he can take diplomacy up there, throw it out the window and watch it burn up in the atmosphere. Much easier to immolate it than to try to figure out how to make it work. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/167 "2018-07-02T13:30:46Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > YamatoTwinkie, > > Well how good is google earth? Can’t you make out something say the size of a car easily? > > You have to know the military spysat’s are much greater, so there is a quick answer for you as to how well they can see things. To my point whatever they have if armed with a powerful laser could probably strike a target from up in space. > > [https://techdigg.com/2017/02/21/how-powerful-are-cameras-on-modern-spy-satellites/](https://techdigg.com/2017/02/21/how-powerful-are-cameras-on-modern-spy-satellites/) Article is clickbait nonsense. “How powerful are cameras on modern spy satellites? No-one knows, but here is a misleading photoshopped artist’s conception, and they must be far more powerful than commercial satellites, because reasons!” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/168 "2018-07-02T13:43:02Z")
We need a Space Force to protect us against [Space ISIS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX5r9s93lC4). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/169 "2018-07-02T14:00:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **eschereal** : > > I think the president guy wants a Space Force so that he can take diplomacy up there, throw it out the window and watch it burn up in the atmosphere. Much easier to immolate it than to try to figure out how to make it work. And when he [fails to do that](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2099/if-youre-in-orbit-is-it-possible-to-throw-something-down-to-earth/), he’ll then take it back inside, and try to burn it with a lighter, and claim that that’s the same thing. And then he’ll fail at that, too, because he’s just opened a window and let all the oxygen out. (damn, that was 15 years ago!?) ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/170 "2018-07-13T00:22:54Z")
The Space Force is a concept whose time has come. Realization requires only three things: 1. A demonstrated need. A mission that cannot be accomplished by any organization extant. 2. A brilliant and powerful leader to put it all together. 3. Congressional approval and funding. Trump is planning the founding mission to be the Manned Solar Landing. Trump tweeted that his team will avoid incineration by landing at night. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/171 "2018-07-13T00:53:59Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Trump is planning the founding mission to be the Manned Solar Landing. > Trump tweeted that his team will avoid incineration by landing at night. Brilliant! Is he going with them? ---
**Author:** ![katgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@katgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/172 "2018-07-14T01:22:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Brilliant! > Is he going with them? it’d be nice, might make him brighter ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/173 "2018-07-14T01:30:22Z")
“Why yes, Mr. Trump, this is your seat- right next to the Telephone Sanitation Engineers.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/174 "2018-07-14T02:08:39Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “Why yes, Mr. Trump, this is your seat- right next to the Telephone Sanitation Engineers.” Outstanding! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341.md?page=8)