U.S. Space Force Discussion Thread

[DDE]

7 hours ago, insert_name said:

Yes, the two types of spacecraft, radar observation and space based weapons.

I do find the focus on radar fascinating, although I suspect it's a product of sensor limitations. Telling that the object isn't tumbling (is stabilized) and doesn't have major antennae sounds like the totality of what radar observations would yield.

[DDE]

Having taken a better look at the study, it's more of a fetish on "maneuver".

[DDE]

An interesting, if hawkish article. Belongs in this thread due to a pronounced viewpoint.

https://thespacereview.com/article/4336/1

[SunlitZelkova]

14 hours ago, DDE said:

An interesting, if hawkish article. Belongs in this thread due to a pronounced viewpoint.

https://thespacereview.com/article/4336/1

Regardless of its points on ASAT arms control as a whole, something like a Partial Anti-Satellite Test Ban Treaty (along the lines of nuclear test ban treaties), banning kinetic ASAT tests, would be in everyone's interest and be helpful.

On the other hand, the proposal for "norms" is pretty silly. Unless you announce in your Nuclear Posture Review you are going to respond to ASAT attacks with the use of low yield nuclear weapons (glances at Trident II with W76-2s), I can't see anyone agreeing to "norms" or taking them seriously.

I say this because unlike "smaller" conflicts, which international rules have supposedly been good at regulating conduct on, the only instance in which ASAT weapons will be used in anger is in a "great power conflict", and if the situation has deteriorated to a great power conflict, there will likely be no holds barred by one side or the other sooner or later.

In any case though, I wonder what these norms are intended to prevent outside of kinetic ASAT tests. Loitering? Close passes? These already happen on Earth completely unregulated when aircraft and/or ships intercept each other, so I fail to see how such things happening in space are so egregious. If anything, it should be even more acceptable in space, because unlike an aircraft breaching the restricted airspace around a carrier battle group, apart from the objects themselves, orbit belongs to "everyone", and thus can't be violated in any manner apart from an actual collision.

[SunlitZelkova]

In Space Force with Steve Carrell, there is a mural at the Space Force base in Colorado featuring astronauts raising the American flag on the Moon in a manner basically identical to that of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. This was likely meant as a comedic take on the militarization of space- humanity’s bloody battles but in (what was) an ostensibly peaceful locale. Astronauts with guns still feels very meme-like. The Space Force itself does have many meme-worthy elements.

Thus this was rather surprising to see-

I can’t help but see this with the same meaning the original has- one group triumphing over another. Hardly a good image of “cooperation”.

Now I want to see a cosmonaut raising the Roscosmos flag over Shackleton Crater in a manner similar to the famous Reichstag photo.

[DDE]

4 hours ago, SunlitZelkova said:

I can’t help but see this with the same meaning the original has- one group triumphing over another. Hardly a good image of “cooperation”.

Posted on April 12, no less.

[kerbiloid]

https://spacenews.com/space-force-briefing-on-military-space-race-catches-jeff-bezos-attention/

[SunlitZelkova]

https://x.com/planet4589/status/1734272637226856878?s=46&t=Jd73T2beq0JLNtwTy1uR5A
 

A little interesting tidbit- a GBI interceptor test conducted two days ago was against an IRBM class target dropped from a C-17. This was probably intended to test the ability to detect and intercept air launched ballistic missiles, given China has now put them into limited service.

[kerbiloid]

They should test the airship missile launch first.

[DDE]

On 4/13/2022 at 6:15 AM, SunlitZelkova said:

The Space Force itself does have many meme-worthy elements.

https://spacenews.com/space-force-inks-deal-with-microsoft-for-mixed-reality-training/

AFAIK Microsoft was divesting from AR...

[StrandedonEarth]

Galactic Defender in the background, lol

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

On 1/14/2024 at 10:15 AM, StrandedonEarth said:

Galactic Defender in the background, lol

They gotta have somewhere to train.