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Re:SpaceX moves Starship to launch site, and liftoff could b... by hirundo on Saturday April 01, 2023 @08:05PM (#35405578)
Because additional grams in orbit are equivalent to additional joules of energy released as weaponry, e.g. dropping rocks. I fear that our ability to use space to destroy ourselves will come before we can use it to launch a diaspora.
Re:SpaceX moves Starship to launch site, and liftoff could b... by ericd on Saturday April 01, 2023 @10:11PM (#35406418)
Doesn’t rock dropping as a weapon seem a bit redundant when we already have the ability to make lots of 20+ megaton fusion bombs? I guess non-proliferation is harder.
Re:SpaceX moves Starship to launch site, and liftoff could b... by krisoft on Saturday April 01, 2023 @11:49PM (#35406990)
> I fear that our ability to use space to destroy ourselves will come before we can use it to launch a diaspora.

Will come? It is here. Have you not heard about intercontinental ballistic missiles?

In that case I have this bad news for you. Multiple actors around the globe maintain the capability to fling warheads at others (through space).

Not sure what you mean by “destroy ourselves”, but our capability of destruction is not constrained by cost/mass in orbit.