Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!REM@MIT-MC From: REM%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: space station Message-ID: <17648@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sat, 17-Mar-84 18:05:00 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.17648 Posted: Sat Mar 17 18:05:00 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 20-Mar-84 01:05:23 EST Lines: 33 From: Robert Elton MaasDate: 13 Mar 84 16:46:46-PST (Tue) From:ihnp4!houxm!hogpc!houti!ariel!vax135!floyd!cmcl2!lanl-a!jlg@Ucb-Vax Why would the pentagon regard a space station as vulnerable? It really isn't. There aren't weapon systems designed to attack deep space objects (even satellite killers only operate in LEO). The initial space statin WOULD be in LEO, so I don't understand the relevance between your statement about deep space objects and the point you're making. Remember, we're not talking about L-5 colonies here, or even geosynchronous orbit. We're talking about a station that is built by people on STS flights and regularily serviced by STS. Remember STS is restricted to LEO, a few hundred miles from the surface of the Earth. The other points you raise about the space station being physically more robust, are valid. Many methods of knocking out ICBMs depend on the very thin skin of the ICBM, so thin if you drop a wrench from a hundred feet above it and it hits the ICBM just right the ICBM promptly gets a fuel leak followed by explosion. A high speed projectile (bullet, meteor, fragment of anything at orbigal speeds) or small explosive would surely kill an ICBM (if the ICBM didn't explode directly, it'd burn up on reenty due to the pucture in its skin). By comparison, a solid metal space-station shell might puncture from such a projectile but not undergo an explosion, and since it doesn't plan to reenter the atmosphere the puncture would not be fatal. As for heavy radiation shielding, I think that applies only to later space stations/colonies such as L-5 et al based on massive amounts of lunar materials available at low cost. The first space station would be much more robust than an ICBM, but still somewhat vulnerable if somebody really wanted to commit an act of war. (At last that's my personal assessment.)