[CNN Tech] Space will be battlefield for World War III?

[CNN Tech]

Space will be battlefield for World War III?




http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_techno...index.html

[edcoolio]

It already is.

The specific mission of the X-37B is to launch temporary orbit military prototypes, test command and control on long duration missions, and return the equipment back to earth so that said designs may be modified for permanent orbit. This, of course, is much more efficient than simply shooting up your best design only to discover a critical flaw.

Truthfully, there is little reason at this point for the SLS Block 2 or Long March 9 (both slated at 130 metric tons+ of lift capacity), other than to use the guise of "exploration" as an excuse to design a machine capable of launching whatever the United States or China sees fit to place in orbit. China has yet to produce any hardware, but someday they will get it out of development while the United States is already in the testing stages with real hardware. This doesn't even take into account private companies like SpaceX and others. Now THAT is a scary thought. Is Elon Musk Dr. Evil instead of Iron Man?

I am reminded that in 2011, NASA was contacted by the NRO about some spare equipment. The NRO wanted to donate 2 bright shiny new space telescopes, each of which was essentially the equivalent of the Hubble.

This information begs the question: How could the NRO have a couple of very expensive Hubble space telescope equivalents just lying around doing nothing? Obviously, they were designed for very high resolution imaging - pointing straight down of course - but yet had no value to the NRO. This means that these devices were so completely obsolete that in a mid-level NRO meeting at some point around 2009-10 it was decided to simply get rid of them by giving them away to the poor "civilian" space agency. NASA.

That was a half-decade ago. What else does the military have "lying around"?

Look up and smile!