Re: SPACE: Lunar Warfare

The Low Willow (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Thu, 16 Jan 1997 14:25:22 -0800 (PST)

More problems: when you shoot rocks at Earth, how long will it take them
to get there? If you rely on Earth's gravity to supply most of the
energy, but are launching from very far away, I'd think it will take a
while, as most of the acceleration happens close to Earth. More time
for Earth to defend (against big rocks... the bigger it is, the slower
and easier the target) or to launch a crushing counterattack.

Whereas if Earth wanted to attack first, I've already argued that they
could hit Luna in 8 hours, by putting missiles and their fuel in Earth
orbit first. Actually I was wrong; using a better mean distance (384400
km) the time is more like 9.7 hours.

Merry part,
-xx- Damien R. Sullivan X-) <*> http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix

For no cage was ever made to hold a creature such as he,
No chain was ever forged to bind the wind.
And when I think upon all the scars he left on me,
The cruelest are the ones I bear within.