The Growing Risk of a War in Space
▻http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/weaponizing-the-sky/488024
... the tech itself exists—and, in many cases, is ready to be deployed.
The Growing Risk of a War in Space
▻http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/06/weaponizing-the-sky/488024
... the tech itself exists—and, in many cases, is ready to be deployed.
One of the most widely discussed celestial weapons systems is known as the “rod from God.” This is a non-explosive tungsten cylinder launched downward from orbit and capable of obtaining speeds of up to Mach 10 as it descends. The force of the rod’s impact alone would be equivalent to a small nuclear explosion, causing devastating, earthquake-like shockwaves around the target. At such speeds, these “hypervelocity rod bundles,” as the U.S. Air Force technically described them in a 2003 strategic document (PDF), could also penetrate deep underground into heavily fortified enemy caves and bunkers.