ARPAVAX:C70:arms-d (10/22/82)
>From HGA@MIT-MC Thu Oct 21 23:18:51 1982
Arms-Discussion Digest Volume 0 : Issue 165
Today's Topics:
Nuclear Weapons in Space
MX in orbit
Nightmare directed energy weapons
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 19-Oct-82 22:05:59-PDT (Tue)
From: UCBVAX.ihnss!houxj!wapd@Berkeley
Subject: Nuclear Weapons in Space
Weapons in space would be radio-controlled as far as the
"launch" signal was concerned, but such things as reprogramming of
targets could be carried out by a human in a space shuttle. How often
do these things get reprogrammed, anyway ?
I think that we will never see such weapons in space because
of security problems. What is to stop some bright undergraduate from
launching one of them (by cracking the control codes) ? Someone could
buy a few thousand dollars worth of equipment and start sending random
signals to one of the satellites, hoping to eventually do something to
it. Unlikely that they would ever succeed, but is it unlikely enough
for our comfort ?
What about physical security ? In twenty years there might be
50 countries with the bucks and know-how to send up a killer satellite
or to send up a team to take over one of the satellites. As activity
increase in space (colonies, manufacturing, etc) the job of guarding
the satellites will be harder.
It might be feasible to establish the space equivalent of
missile submarines. That is, a "colony" whose sole purpose is the
maintenance and operation of a stable of nuclear weapons. It would be
able to defend itself from local threats.
Not a pleasant subject.
Bill Dietrich
houxj!wapd
------------------------------
Date: 19 Oct 82 21:14:23-EDT (Tue)
From: J C Pistritto <jcp@BRL>
Subject: Re: Arms-Discussion Digest V0 #164
MX in orbit:
The problem with the orbiting MX being on a fixed trajectory
could be solved by giving the warhead some intelligence, and a minimal
control surface area. You should be able to achieve at least 100
miles of cross- range with farily minimal modifications, (the Space
Shuttle can achieve much more than that (about 700 I believe),
although it flies a much longer path). That would give you at least
some retargeting options.
-JCP-
------------------------------
Date: 20 Oct 1982 9:22-PDT
From: dietz at usc-cse
Subject: Nightmare directed energy weapons
There's been a lot of talk recently about directed energy weapons
(lasers, particle beams) for knocking out ICBM's. All these proposals
are pretty marginal; the energy required for the beam is huge. If you
use conventional power sources (chemical fuels, nuclear reactor) the
DEW is dwarfed by the power plant. And countermeasures are feasible
if the energy in the beam is only just enough to kill unprotected
missiles.
So that's why Edward Teller, the father of the H-bomb (actually, Ulam
should be the father, Teller the mother) is pushing for the
developement of the nuclear pumped x-ray laser. There are persistent
rumours about a test of this laser circulating. If correct, it is
easy to see why Teller wants it. The laser would involve exciting the
lasing material by a nuclear explosion. An x-ray pulse would travel
down the laser medium, which is arranged in a spike pointing away from
the bomb. Accuracy can be obtained by making the spike narrow and
long. Of course, the laser is destroyed in use, but what a pulse you
get!
The technology involved in this laser is basically the same as in the
H-bomb. In the bomb, a nuclear trigger ionizes a plastic imploder,
impregnated with alumina to absorb the X-rays from the trigger in a
uniform manner. This imploder compresses the Li6-D to fusion
conditions. The fuel is arranged in a rod pointing away from the
trigger. Replacing the fusion fuel ("fussile" material?) and/or the
imploder with the laser medium seems like a natural thing for a bomb
designer to want to do.
The implications of this weapon are interesting. It now becomes
possible to deliver a fraction of the energy of a nuclear bomb at
great distance from the bomb itself. There is no limit, in principle,
on how big a laser you could make. How about building a huge X-ray
laser in space? You wouldn't have to worry about fallout (it stays in
space). Just direct a beam of X-rays onto the soviet union. If
there'e enough energy and your focussing is good it should generate a
big explosion. Perhaps this requires too much energy; perhaps not.
Unlike ICBMs and other current weapons this one acts at the speed of
light. Talk about destabilizing!
Even better would be a gamma-ray laser. This is hard; you'd need to
generate a population inversion in nuclei, not atoms. A fraction of
the beam could reach the ground (1E-3 ?), if the beam is strong enough
and the energy of the gamma's is picked carefully. Result: instant
lethal radiation dose over a wide area. No blast, no fallout, little
atmospheric NOx.
I hope these things aren't feasible.
------------------------------
End of Arms-D Digest
********************