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To: dead
Yes, they can lift things heavy things very well, but can they build the cutting edge, technologically advanced satellites really worth lifting? Or are they going to chuck a bunch of 2002-caliber satellites up there?

The state of technology has little to do with it. The Russian philosophy has always been "good enough to get the job done, and not much more."

If you want to talk about re-creating a satellite capability, the Russians are probably in the best position to do so.

The Russians built their massive spacelift capability precisely because they didn't have the same technology as us -- they made up for their technological shortcomings by being able to build and launch more, less-capable satellites instead.

In the process, they essentially wrote the book on space station operations, unmanned rendezvous, quick-turnaround low-cost launch, satellite mass-production, and many other impressive achievements.

59 posted on 02/12/2009 7:52:20 AM PST by r9etb
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To: r9etb
The state of technology has little to do with it. The Russian philosophy has always been "good enough to get the job done, and not much more."

That'll work for chucking stuff into orbit. It still won't give them a state-of-the-art, secure, redundant, efficient space-based military communications system, for example.

Or maybe they could do it, what do I know? I still don't think this was intentional on the part of the Russians. A chain reaction of space debris collisions would be a disaster for them and us and everybody else who has equipment up there.

They are not our bestest buddies, but neither are the suicidal psychos like the muzzies.

64 posted on 02/12/2009 8:06:57 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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