Orbital Insertion

You wrote: 

I know that's not the subject the message I'm answering to was, but 
this is a re-send due to problems reconnecting to list, and I don't 
recall the subject heading.  This seemed to fit--at least better than 
an error message.

>    Landing could be a problem, provided, of course, you found an 
adequately >strong area to support the MASS 500 starship. This is a 
starship the size of >small skyscraper! Look how long it takes to make 
the foundation of a >skyscraper!

A starship twice the size of the largest dreadnought. . . What's an 
Iowa weigh?  Take a cruise ship twice it's size, and use it as a 
landing craft. 

Not in my universe.  I generally drop Power-Armored infantry from orbit 
(RAH!), in conjunction with SOF forces infiltrarted in a variety of 
ways (including booking passage like any other business traveller).  I 
bought a couple of small, very nice walkers, but I havn't decided 
whether I want to make that a standard part of my assault forces.  As 
soon as I've got a spacehead, expand it with rough-field capable 
assault landers.  I don't start landing the heavy freighters full of 
supplies until a spaceport is secure.  Wars are expensive.  Desert 
Storm required 6,000 aircraft sorties and 500 ship-loads to move the 
troops and supplies in.

>    And, of course, if I were the defenders, I would be lobbing in 
Nuclear >artillery shells, or Nuke tipped GMS/cruise missiles. I sure I 

Heck w/ that.  I'd be using even bigger warheads.  That's a bloomin' 
expensive target.

John M. "I'm Back, what did I miss?" Atkinson