What do you think Space Warfare will actually be like? Thread

We've all seen Star Wars and Battlestar Gallactica, but is that how its really going to turn out when politics turn south among the stars? How do you think Space Warfare will really go about?

Personally I think that it will all mostly be electronic. Its too risky, wasteful and inaccurate to shoot bullets or lasers in space, I think the weapons on intergalactic battle-cruisers will be more along the lines of Microwave Emitters and huge Computer Powerhouses for hacking opposing ship defenses and critical systems (such as life support). And maybe some nuclear warheads and tactical satellites for planetary bombardment and support. But I'm up for debate =D

I agree, but I think it largley depends on what power source we would be using to arm these weapons and what kind of defences would be available. As to what these would be, I have no idea lol

Hmmm... Nuclear power Maybe? There's quite a few possibilities, maybe cold fusion

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check out this guy: Youtube.com

basically breaks down how real space battles would most likely work in a series of videos.

Well I think it will be rather long and arduous. Since the distances involved will be very vast.

Well, I think we just don't know how space battles are going to be like. I mean, without considering Giulio Douhet and a few other strategists no one expected such an impressive use of aircraft during WWII. IMHO, we need to forget about the space battles we've always seen in the past years... I think factions would attempt to carry out hit and run strikes with fast and maneuverable spacecraft instead of engaging enemy fleets in riskful battles. An atomic missile (or something more powerful) may have catastrophic effects, so behaving in a way that reduces the risks to a bare minimum would be the most appropriate choice.

first of all to make space fighters work like earth fighers there would need to be some sort of propellent all aroud the space fighter because there is no gravity and it would be very quiet cuz there is no air/ atomosphere to make a sound

i saw star wars teck on the history channel and i had to watch it cuz it was starwars

yeah but that video is about planetary extermination, as a nation we won't be into complete extermination, we'll just want to conquer
But that's still a good video

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i stopped watching after they started talking about potential energy ...

Personally, if i wanted to exterminate a planet and i had space travelling technology ... id go out to the asteroid belt and then attach some ion thrusters or something onto a adequately sized asteroid and link them all to a computer with navigational capabilities ...

Then id tell the computer "Hey, go crash into that big ball over thar!" and volia! exterminated planet ...

...Ooor you can examine those asteroids for possible life, then terraform Mars (or another suitable planet) and start new life on a new planet

Here's are some random questions: How-come gas "planets" aren't so condensed? Is it because they have a low center of over-all gravity? Or have they already been so condensed that their current size is actually much smaller than it's true size? Is it possible that there can be solid mass hidden under the gas of these gas planets (Mass Effect hints at some of these )?

Edited by: Toyoka

ive never heard of a planet made of gas ... its kinda contradictory don't you think?

the gas would have to cohere like a solid, and thats pretty much the opposite of what gas does ... the properties of a gas is that it expands into an empty space ...

i would think that it would be more likely to turn whatever material into a solid state in which it would gather in clumps .... but then its no longer a gas ...

infact, i'll make a hypothesis stating that a planet made of pure gas cannot exist ...

Weapons in space, I believe, will be merely objects of significant mass released to collide with enemy vessels. Simple propulsion with simple navigation for an elegant but devastating impact.

Toyoka wrote: How-come gas "planets" aren't so condensed?

The gas giants should possess a solid inner core with gradually less dense layers, though with some variation due to temperature and composition. While massive, the exertion of gravity is proportional to the mass while inversely proportional to distance from the center (R^2). To note, while Jupiter possesses 31500% the mass of Earth, the exertion of gravity on the surface of Jupiter is 250% compared to Earth because Jupiter is 1100% of the diameter of Earth.

Don't think of gas as "pure" gas - Jupiter's dense gravity field compresses the planet, thus creating solid/liquid hybrids.

Vangor wrote: While massive, the exertion of gravity is proportional to the mass while inversely proportional to distance from the center (R^2). To note, while Jupiter possesses 31500% the mass of Earth, the exertion of gravity on the surface of Jupiter is 250% compared to Earth because Jupiter is 1100% of the diameter of Earth.

at what time will the last train arrive

My guess is it will be one part similar to current submarine combat (except instead of underwater, its in space), and one part similar to current arial combat (more unmanned perhaps). Don't worry about lasers in space being risky or expensive, that kind of technology will probably be well cemented by the time we're fighting in space (cooling may not be as much of an issue up there either?)

Heat-seeking weapons may make the difference, because considering the average temperature on space even the most "stealth" asset may risk to fall under heat-seeking missiles or guided lasers.

Mobius89 wrote: Don't think of gas as "pure" gas - Jupiter's dense gravity field compresses the planet, thus creating solid/liquid hybrids.

But "gas" is a physical state ... any element in the universe can be expressed as a solid, liquid or gas ... (well, sort of ... theoretically ...)

Cryrid wrote: ... Don't worry about lasers in space being risky or expensive, that kind of technology will probably be well cemented by the time we're fighting in space (cooling may not be as much of an issue up there either?)

Lasers are the perfect weapon for space if the power/effectiveness issues are fixed ... this is because their energy would not be refracted or reflected by the atmosphere meaning that almost 100% of the energy coming out of the laser will hit the target rather than being dissipated through an atmo ...

Gas is a physical state, of course, but it can be compressed. Boyle's law anyone?

The most devious weapon would certainly be an EMP weapon, possible in the shape of a rocket. I guess systems would be shielded against EMP use, but after cracking the hull with some high energy projectiles, one EMP shock could take down every system of the ship and render it defenseless.

you all forget plasma which is the next propulsion after ion, then fuslon

Well you can still have rocket propelled vehicles like the X15 was. However you would need some protection against the heat of the rockets. Also to turn a rocket propelled vehicle in space you would need to have jets that can be adjusted to create thrust in a direction. You must also know that there is no lift and gravity or really any force in space except around large objects. Rocket propulsion is a possibility.

Of course there are other sorts of energy that could be used. Cold fusion or nuclear energy is possible. Also I imagine that the fighting would be over very considerable range so say bye bye to infantry. Missiles are possible but you have to think again of the range, is it practical?

Plus such vehicles would have very high speed so it would need to have high speed counters. This brings about the thought of lasers, as lasers will travel at the speed of light. Though how do we get the lasers lethal? I don't know.

As for electronic warfare, quite likely as technology advances. Why fight a war with lives when you can fight it with computers?

Have you ever looked at the tether ships that were being researched?
They were a pretty neat idea, don't remember the link but I'm sure you could google it.
also don't you think it would be possible to use dark energy for a propulsion source somehow?
I don't think I (or humanity for that matter... wow pun) knows much of anything about it,
but I'm just speculating

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men in suits, floating around , slapping eachother's space helmets until a crack appears

Mr.Kadish wrote: men in suits, floating around , slapping eachother's space helmets until a crack appears

I don't think that is possible, unless you are REALLY strong x)

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~Toyoka's Gaming Channel~

lasers n shit

pew pew