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Possible space weapons of the future 'Rods from God' and beyond
post-gazette.com ^
| Monday, July 28, 2003
| Jack Kelly
Posted on 08/30/2003 4:26:50 PM PDT by Destro
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:35:18 AM PDT by Jim Robinson.
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Jerry Pournelle's "Janissary" trilogy is one of my all time favorite reads.
1
posted on
08/30/2003 4:26:52 PM PDT
by
Destro
To: Destro
I give humanity (well... at least modern living hominids) about 100 years.
At near 6,400,000,000 carrying capacity, we're due for a massive die-off. And for the grandchildren of those that survive, it'll be "spring".
To: Destro
12,000 ft/s?
Hmm...
12,000 x 60 (seconds per minute) = 720,000 ft/m.
720,000 x 60 (minutes per hour) = 43,200,000 ft/h.
43,200,000 / 5,280 (feet per mile) = 8,181.8 mi/h.
8,181.8 / 761.2 (mach 1 in mph at sea level) = Mach 10.74.
*whistles*
3
posted on
08/30/2003 4:38:35 PM PDT
by
Pyrion
To: Pyrion
The technical term is "SPLAT"
4
posted on
08/30/2003 4:39:43 PM PDT
by
Coyoteman
To: *miltech
To: Destro
"Rods from God," was technically "Project Thor" back in the 60s and I believe it was one of the programs Pournelle was involved in. The idea was to drop tens of thousands of smaller steel rods unguided into the Fulda Gap as the Soviet tanks came through.
So9
6
posted on
08/30/2003 4:59:10 PM PDT
by
Servant of the Nine
(Real Texicans; we're grizzled, we're grumpy and we're armed)
To: Servant of the Nine
A tungsten rod bouncing around a hundreds of miles per hour inside a tank or bunker would be like a giant blender.
To: Coyoteman
I'm curious as to why they would splat. If they can maintain their integrity to make it through the atmosphere, why wouldn't they simply make a hole in the target about the diameter of the rod itself?
I am sure some Freeper physicist can answer this.
8
posted on
08/30/2003 5:14:20 PM PDT
by
EBITDA
(Errors are most easilly found in the instant immediately after hitting the send button.)
To: EBITDA
The rod isn't drilling a hole through the tank, it's impacting the tank. The tank's metal that wounld be in the hole caused by the rod would be turned into supersonic projectiles that will continue the destruction started by the rod.
The exit wound could be the size of the tank.
9
posted on
08/30/2003 5:32:47 PM PDT
by
UNGN
(I've been here since '98 but had nothing to say until now)
To: Destro
This idea was written up under the name 'crowbar' in the book "David's Sling" back in the seventies along with a version of the World Wide Web.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
10
posted on
08/30/2003 5:37:26 PM PDT
by
LonePalm
(Commander and Chef)
To: LonePalm
DON'T FORGET:
11
posted on
08/30/2003 5:43:13 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(Socialism is slavery)
To: EBITDA
Even if the rods remained intact on impact--which would take quite a leap of faith--the kinetic energy dissipated would be gi-normous, meaning you'd have a veritable fountain of earth, masonry, Saddam-McNuggets, etc. flying around at huge speeds, plus a shock wave from the thing's passage that would probably flatten a fair area all by itself, plus the tungsten rod would probably be white-hot from the atmospheric entry. Tungsten is dense hard stuff. I would not want to be within a mile of one of these puppies' points-of-entry.
Pournelle (with Larry Niven) conjectured a similar kinetic-energy weapon--space rocks--as the Earth-pacifying weapon used by the aliens in A Mote In God's Eye.
To: StatesEnemy
That number is only correct if you believe the limits-to-growth crowd.
If we attend to being free, humanity will reach 10 billion, be well-fed, have light and heat, be well housed, be healthy, and prosper.
As Africa has amply demonstrated, the only thing that can kill lots of people is political corruption.
13
posted on
08/30/2003 5:51:54 PM PDT
by
eno_
(Freedom Lite - it's almost worth defending)
To: Destro
How much mass does a 1 X 25 foot tungston rod possess and how many can a Saturn V put into orbit (if any)?
To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
From orbit they make a nice hole.
From farther out, like halfway across the solar system, they'd make a h-bomb sized hole.
"There was SUPPOSED to be an Earth-shattering 'Kaboom!'"
15
posted on
08/30/2003 5:55:52 PM PDT
by
eno_
(Freedom Lite - it's almost worth defending)
To: Destro
I may be wrong, but I believe the whole "tungsten rod" idea is just an upscaled version of the current antiarmor rounds referred to as APFSDS - Armor Piercing Fin stabilized Discarding Sabot fired by the M1A1 and M1A2 tanks...they look like giant lawn darts.
16
posted on
08/30/2003 5:57:40 PM PDT
by
ahadams2
(never show up for a gunfight with a knife, or any gun whose caliber doesn't start with at least .45)
To: Destro; longshadow; RadioAstronomer
A key advantage of a space plane, the writers said, is its weapons could enter the atmosphere over a target, so there would be no need to seek overflight permission from other countries. Okay, somebody help me out with this. A true space plane would be one that leaves the atmosphere, which means that there are no aerodynamics to keep it up there. So in order to stay up, it's essentially going to be assuming a low-earth orbit. But in order to maintain a stable orbit, it's going to have to be moving along at a serious rate of speed, which means that anything it releases to drop down to earth is probably going to have a hell of a long glide path before reaching the ground. So how can you possibly guarantee that a bomb will "enter the atmosphere over a target"? Strap an engine on it and bring it to a dead stop, so you can drop it straight down?
17
posted on
08/30/2003 5:59:49 PM PDT
by
general_re
(Today is a day for firm decisions! Or is it?)
To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
Another good one!
18
posted on
08/30/2003 6:03:24 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(Socialism is slavery)
To: general_re
Before the Un types, lawyers, and assorted socialist scums can bring a case, there must be hard evidence that such a territorial "invasion" took place. Due to national security, we certainly will not be producing any such evidence for such a "trial".
The second or third world plaintiff will have to bear the burden of proving their case. Poor Dears.
19
posted on
08/30/2003 6:12:53 PM PDT
by
GladesGuru
(In a society predicated upon liberty, it is essential to examine principles - -)
To: ahadams2
Basically, a flechette round from hell? (or from heaven in this case)
20
posted on
08/30/2003 6:25:23 PM PDT
by
Destro
(Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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