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Those of you who have followed the domination thread will know that the possibility of planet devestating weapons being launched has been postulated. My question is therefore: How could a planet be safeguarded against such a threat. If the Rebels were to mount such an assault on the Confeds (or vice-versa) what measures could be taken? Suerly when a ship arrives from hyperspace it is too late to stop it launching, especially if it was disguised as a freighter? And without manipulation of gravity (and I have yet to see any even vaguely plausible scientific theories on this) is there any way to stop a ship repeatedly jumping 'till it reaches it's destination?
Any ideas, Napoleons of the 23rd century?
------------------ Non est ad astra mollis e terris via.
I think the most direct method would be simply establishing a net of defensive satellites around the planet to shoot down any incoming missiles. With EV level tech this would probably be very effective, assuming that these "planet devastating weapons" are going to be mounted as warheads on missiles. If the weapon is a large asteroid our problem becomes an entirely different one.
------------------ Out ride the sons of Terra, Far dirves the thundering jet, Up leaps the race of Earthmen, Out, far, and onward yet - Robert A. Heinlein, The Green Hills of Earth "Saddam Hussein foregoes weapons of mass destruction (and) values human life." George W. Bush
(This message has been edited by Vice Admiral Ipvicus (edited 11-22-2002).)
Devestation weapons even asteroids can be stopped by a satellite system if it is armed with heavy missle weapons as well as beam variants. However what would happen if the planet destroying weapon was a beam?
------------------ "Paranoia is Life"
If energy sources were powerful enough to generate a beam-type (in other words, something that was highly cohesive, whether in radiation or particles, and fired as a continuous stream) weapon capable of destroying (or otherwise devastating) a planet, I'd say it would be possible to make a planetary shield.
Earth already has a planetary shield -- our magnetosphere. An intensification of magnetic fields and particle density, put together with some type of management system and perhaps a satellite network, could probably make defense from such a thing possible.
I prefer sticking to talking about weapons that aren't quite at the level of planet-destruction, simply because that kind of thing would only be invented if humanity didn't wipe itself out with something lesser than that first.
------------------ Mike Lee (Firebird) Visit Cymltaneous Solutions: (url="http://"http://cs.paching.com/")http://cs.paching.com/(/url) (hosted by (url="http://"http://www.evula.org")evula.org(/url))
The best defense is another fleet ready to meet the incomming fleet in battle and to destroy it.
Otherwise, I suppose the next line of defense would be any orbital stations or planetary installations capable of firing upon an object that is in space near the planet. Afterwords, planetary installations are the last line of defense, and as I have posted in the other topic I doubt the power of those, at least to the extent GWG claims.
If we must draw modern parellels, I would point to Iraq, both durring the Gulf War and durring the upcomming war, unless, of course, Hussien finds some common sense and fully gives in to US/UN demands. Durring the former it can be said that his defense fleet was destroyed and his "planetary installations" failed. Durring the second, he will have neither. It is a grim existance without them; while his land power is uneffected, he is no longer capable of stopping Coalition bomardment and, indeed, air superiority makes land invasion much easier.
In my opinion, nothing beats a defense fleet.
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