When is a war not a war?

[onetrack]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens when the 99 year leases on the British naval and air bases end in 2039. That could mean a major shift in American domination of foreign regions, if Britain insists on getting them back.

Of course, the U.S. will demand payment for the infrastructure and development of those bases, and Britain may not be able to pay for that. I may or may not not be around to see it, I'll be 90 then, if I can make it that far.

[nomadpete]

Thought this Wall Street article belongs here.

 

Looks like Elon-the-Muskovite might get some serious space contracts. Just think of the possibilities!

 

"Starship will make it possible to use low Earth orbit as a parking lot for a giant space-based arsenal. This would allow the U.S. to pre-position conventional munitions with ablation shields and inertial guidance systems to strike anywhere on Earth within minutes. Putting tens of thousands of small munitions into orbit would become cost effective, by my estimate, at around $100 a kilogram. Munitions could include bunker busters, kinetic weapons, antipersonnel, incendiaries, fuel-air explosives, cluster munitions, and antitank, antiaircraft and antiship capabilities with sophisticated terminal guidance. Starship’s payload capacity promises to be so great that it will enable the deployment of much larger single munitions than today’s biggest airplanes, enabling conventional effects of a greater magnitude against even the most deeply buried targets.

New kinds of strikes would become feasible. Imagine a strike package of a thousand of 200-pound bombs, each landing precisely, at the same time, on electric grid sites, government buildings, railway crossings, border stations and road intersections—without putting planes or military personnel at risk. This wouldn’t be limited by the number of available missile launchers or by the need for multiple sorties by strike aircraft. Such a system would obviate the need to establish air superiority before bringing in bombers and the need for large numbers of expensive cruise missiles."

 

 

On one hand we are developing micro war devices (drones), on the other,........

 

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/elon-musks-starship-heavy-could-revolutionize-warfare-04930487?st=aUntwK

Edited 2 hours ago by nomadpete
Style corrections

[red750]

The Devil speaks.

[nomadpete]

At the end of the day, it is all about money.

Idealism comes next. It is a great way to make money.

The general public comes last. But they are essential to support the idealism.

 

That's how capitalism works.

Edited 1 hour ago by nomadpete
had to refine my grand unified theory

[old man emu]

We don't realise how much stuff we have launched into orbit around the Earth. I often wonder how they manage to get through the active and inactive satelites that are there without colliding with something. Perhaps a furture space business will be to go around collecting the junk and returning it to Earth for recycling.

[nomadpete]

2 minutes ago, old man emu said:

We don't realise how much stuff we have launched into orbit around the Earth.

Elon will have lots of targets waiting for him to practice his aim.

Knowing his development methods, I'd prefer him to practice aiming away from me.

[octave]

There are now guidelines and rules about deorbit or moving to what's called a graveyard orbit

 

• FCC 5-Year Rule: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules requiring satellites licensed by the US—or seeking to access the US market—to deorbit within 5 years of mission completion, a significant reduction from the previous 25-year guideline.
• Enforcement: In 2023, the FCC took its first enforcement action against a company (DISH) for failure to properly deorbit a satellite (EchoStar-7), demonstrating that these regulations are now being legally enforced.
• International Guidelines: Agencies like NASA and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) provide guidelines, often adopting the 25-year maximum rule for LEO, or moving to "graveyard" orbits for satellites in higher orbits.
• Exceptions and Grandfathering: Existing satellites are often "grandfathered" in, meaning they do not have to comply with newer, stricter rules immediately. However, new missions must include plans for disposal.