Re: Real Space Combat Help:

Darren Douglas writes:

@:) > As to missiles, blast effect is reduced in vacuum so direct
@:) > contact is necessary. I'm talking about blast, not
@:) > fragmentation, which is much more destructive. A cloud of
@:) > peanut-sized balls exploded into the path of a ship will,
@:) > depending on the relative velocities, probably rip it to shreds.

  As you mentioned, it depends on their relative velocities but it
certainly could hurt.  The only research I know of on this topic has
been done on or in the Space Shuttle (has Mir done anything like
this?).  I know once they were hit by something pretty small, small
ball-bearing sized or less and it put a hole in (almost through) their
windshield.  But the Space Shuttle isn't an armored space combat
vehicle.  It might be that with dedicated combat spaceships, you'd
need a larger projectile to cause significant damage.

@:) ... a missle with a modern HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) war
@:) head, could the weapon of choice. On contasting ship the war head
@:) would burn through the ships hull and into the inside causing alot
@:) of damage.

  This would work but you still have to hit the target.  If we assume
we're able to hit the target, given the kinds of velocities we're
probably talking about, you don't really need any kind of warhead.
Your typical AP shell hits a tank at (somebody help here), I'm
guessing in the low 1000's of miles per hour.  Mach 2 or 3 or so.
Anyway in space we're probably talking about velocities easily ten
times that.  Even if you're approaching the target from behind it
should be possible to put a rocket booster engine on your missile
that'll bounce its speed up by 10,000 mph before it impacts, given the
large distances which the missile will have to manouver in.

@:) If not then nuclear weapons in space would not be that good,
@:) little fragmentation and not much/no heat. What is left is blast
@:) and radition and the electronic impluse. Shielding for space
@:) travel would probably make the last two not that effective. ( i've
@:) seen star trek.)

  Yup.	Although you have to figure out how much the shielding costs
and weighs.  It's possible it could be more than armor.  Or it's
possible that a sandcaster-type weapon could make kinetic-kill weapons
useless.

-joachim