From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">

John Beamish wrote:
> I think you're misreading my point.
>
> As I said, once you've gone to orbit and then returned then there's
> little else that a military would want.  So why continue with a civilian
> program?

Except to put larger & larger lumps of metal into orbit. How do you
think the entire US "information based warfare" works?

GPS - Mil or Civil?
Photos from space - Mil or Civil?
Radar measuring of the exact contours of the earth - Mil or Civil? Relaying
signals round the planet - Mil or Civil? Listening in to every radio signal
generated on earth Mil or Civil?

Most have "dual use" but most were Mil.


> Because it brings propaganda benefits.  The mil benefits as
> you pointed out (and I took for granted so didn't bother mentioning
> them) come from sputnik-like operations (carried out by the mil) and
> clearly mil-focused operations (carried out, as you say, at Vandenberg
> and many other locations).
>

How many shuttle missions carry sensitive satellites?


> As for the heavy-lift vehicles ... so?  There's not a single mil use of
> a Saturn V that I can recall in recent years so Saturn-style heavy-lift
> is nice but is covered by a wide variety of other launch vehicles.
>

How much did Saturn V help with rocket engine design which then lead to
global reach SLBM'es & quick response ICBM'es etc?

Part of the reason for the Shuttle "solid fuel boosters" was that
these were an effect of the minuteman/trident spend.

> The fascination of Brazil, Ukraine and others with civie space efforts
> is interesting but unimportant.

To you. Not to Brazil & the Ukraine. Either than or all deterrence is
interesting but unimportant. Both can create Nukes fast & both are
maintaining an active "space launch capability".


> About 75,000 containers go through US
> ports daily.  A GPS, a nuke and a container are much better.  Total
> deniablilty too since there's no missle track to give yourself away.
>

& that helps you fend off an attack from the US/Russia/China/India etc
how exactly?

Adam

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