1) The US military has many weapon systems that are GPS-guided. Every fighter, bomber, tanker, tank, helicopter, and ship has GPS on board, as well as other guidance systems. All of them are considered "weapon systems".
2) The JDAM adaptor for the Mk-82, Mk-83, and Mk-84 general purpose bombs is GPS-guided. The JDAM relies primarily on it's inertial nav system, however.
3) While it is possible to jam the GPS signals, in practice it's extremely hard to do. A) The "jammer" stands out like a sore thumb and is an easy target. B) Military planners have been anticipating such attempts and have multiple guidance systems and methods to deliver the munitions/guide the troops.
That the scientific and pro-evolution groups realize that the vast majority of the population believes in God, and controls the purse strings. So, as long as the science community continues to allow an extremely vocal miniscule minority to bash Christianity and Christians themselves, there will be repercussions. Funds for science will continue to dry up and hostility to pro-evolutionists will keep climbing until the science community comes up with a compromise solution. If you don't believe me, just keep it up, I and my majority of Christians will be happy to revoke every last cent of spending for any scientific pursuit that attempts to thrash our beliefs or undo our morals.
You want more money for science? You catch more flys with honey than vinegar. A couple of suggestions: A) Science is not divorced from morality, so don't pretend that any scientific pursuit is O.K. just because it's "science". B) There is more than one way to skin a cat, and if y'all are so smart, prove it by coming up with ways to explore space, cure diseases, and discover the history of our planet without biting the hand that feeds you.
Actually, titanium holds an edge very well. I've used my diver's knife with a titanium blade for 7 years and have not had to sharpen it once. It's still just as sharp as the day I bought it. I dive several times a year and use it to dig for shark's teeth, as a tool, and for protection. Not a scratch, a mar to the edge, nor any rust to the blade.
The sonic boom is why this will never fly as a commercial entity, only as a "get there right freakin' now" military asset, or possibly a launch platform for small satellites. The restrictions on Concorde going supersonic over land was enough to kill off the business model and eventually doom the enterprise. Interestingly enough, there is research on how to shape aircraft to minimize (not eliminate) sonic booms. I don't know if it's panning out or not.
A number of fighters have Mach limits well above 1.6. The F-111 was rated at 2.4 (albeit in a shallow dive from 40,000ft). The F-15 and F-16 are both rated at Mach 2+, and the F-22 is rated at Mach 1.72 (and supercruise of just over Mach 1.5 at altitude)
First, the Revolutionary Guard is not a terrorist organization, it is a military organ. It has been involved in terror attacks, but so have the militaries of America, France, Britain, and Russia.
I disagree, violently. While I cannot vouch for other nations, I can definitely say we do not, have not, and are not engaging in terroristic acts. We operate in uniform, on orders from a government, as required by international law. To say otherwise is a lie. The Revolutionary Guards have no such compunctions about operating illegally by wearing civilian clothing, using civilians as shields, and resorting to murder of civilians. They are cowards, but unfortunately have the backing of the Iranian government.
It is just as absurd to suggest that Iran would give their nukes to Hezbollah as it is to suggest that we would have given nukes to the Mujahadeen.
Get your facts straight. Hezbollah is supplied, trained, and directed by the Iranian government. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Iran. Of course they'll give Hezbollah access to nukes. That's how Iran will avoid direct involvement in the destruction of Israel. The sole question is how long after the bombs are finished will Hezbollah get them? The Mujahedeen were allies in the fight against the invasion of Afghanistan, receiving some limited supplies and funds to continue operations. The sole weapon we gave them of any use was the Stinger missile that negated the Soviet control of the tactical air above the battlefield. In any case, the Muhahedeen were fighting as a military unit against an armed invasion force, not against the Afghanistan population.
We face the same risk from Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands. But the nuclear non-proliferation treaty gives nations the right to nuclear power, and that is unavoidable.
Once again you've avoided the facts. All the nations you list subscribe to the IAEA's open door policy for review of operations and procedures of nuclear power stations. Iran does not, and continues to stall the IAEA, masking their work. Any statement of where the Iranian nuclear program is going is sheer speculation until independent inspectors can verify the Iranian claims. So, if we take their claims at face value, they have 3,000 centrifuges currently operating and are working towards a total of 50,000, which will give them enough enriched uranium to make a warhead in about a year. A nuclear power plant only requires 3 to 4% purified uranium, weapons grade is 90% pure. You don't need 50,000 or even 3,000 centrifuges to make fuel for power generation. You do for making nuclear weapons.
I see no reason to believe that this is a goal of Iran. The US and Israel serve as valuable propaganda tools against their people. Not only that, but Iran is dependant on the outside world for nearly everything except for oil, and a nuclear attack would devastate the world economy. In the end, I see just as much risk from Iran as I do from Pakistan.
Surely you jest. The Iranians are Muslim, and Shi'as at that, who see the world differently than the West. If it takes another decade or so to lull the West to sleep again, they will do so and then strike at the heart. If they succeed, Allah was with them, if not, then they weren't good enough for Allah's support and will wait until the next opportunity to strike. As for oil, now I'm sure you don't know your facts. Iran even imports refined oil products--they don't have the refinery capability to provide for their own nation. But that's beside the point of nuking Israel or the U.S., the Iranian leadership is quite willing to take the risk of a world-wide recession, after all, if you're near the bottom to start with, you won't fall far. As for risk assessments, I hope you're not in that business because Pakistan is far less a threat than Iran to the world economy and stability in the Middle East. The Saudis don't fear Pakist
Ahh, the old "we can only do one thing at a time" argument. What problems should we solve before doing anything else? How about let's solve poverty first, no wait, let's solve health care and give everyone indefinite lives first, no wait, let's solve the energy crisis and all live at high altitude first. C'mon, the exploration of space has provided many times in return the investments made. Health, technology, safety, weather, archeology, forestry, aviation, farming, and industry have all made tremendous gains because of the space program. People like you thought the Wright brothers should've stopped fooling around with that useless contraption called an airplane over a hundred years ago and look what benefits we've reaped from the aerospace industry. The exact same phenomenon will occur with the Mars mission. There will be breakthroughs in power, communication, reliability, software, propulsion, and health-related areas all because we set ourselves a goal, that while hard, is not unachievable if we but set our minds to it.
Besides, we're not going to Mars tomorrow or the day after. We're going back to somewhere we've been before, the Moon. We'll learn from those trips how to work and live long term in space away from mother Earth. The Moon will be our stepping stone to exploring and exploiting the natural resources in the solar system. Right now, we are in the best position to plan and prepare for the next phase of manned missions. The assembly of the ISS is winding down, the Shuttle is retiring, no better time than the present to start the next phase.
Spending bills are only good for one or two years at at time. It's not like we have to fund the entire trip to the Moon (or Mars) in one budget.
And since when is attempting to stop progress trying to please everybody? Sounds like the bill was intentionally designed to make a very lot of people very angry...
As mentioned in another reply, the ACs are still around to take care of the big hardware, but this could work well as a tactical "angel", to provide point defense against SAMs, mortar rounds, and possibly RPGs (if fired vs helicopters/aircraft). The acft would have to have one heck of a targeting/tracking system to hit a mortar in flight, but it might link into the LAIRCM/DIRCM systems already installed on many SOF C-130s. I'm not sure what damage the laser could do to the mortar or missile launchers, but it could seriously cook those standing next to one...
The House of Representatives version of HR 3093, the bill that determines NASA's funding for 2008, effectively bans the study of an entire planet:
Provided, That none of the funds under this heading shall be used for any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.
The House committee report mentions the proposed prohibition: Finally, bill language is included prohibiting funding of any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.
Now, this leaves a loophole large enough to drive an M-1 Abrams through, but it's still just plain stupidity.
Bush has never promised (or promissed) to invade Iran. He did swear to protect and defend our own country, which apparently has the Democrats' panties all twisted up.
What's so bad? How about the Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, and Hammas all getting access to nukes? It doesn't have to be the "official" government to achieve the goals of vaporizing Israel, or Washington D.C. That they've slowed production efforts is of little comfort as the Iranians continue to enrich uranium. They have plenty of time to finish the work on the warhead design before enough material can be successfully enriched and hidden as "waste" in the process and then used for a warhead. There is no time-line or specific goal for vaporizing Israel or defeating the Great Satan, so if it takes another decade or so, they'll wait for our patience to wear thin and our guard to drop once more...
As for "allowing" Pakistan or India to get nukes, do you really think we can just walk in and order other countries to stop? Frankly, that's why we have such a bad rep around the world, because people think we can just go around ordering countries to do whatever we want them to do. I'm amazed that you have such faith in the ability of our government to penetrate and control the entire world...
As for sanctions not working, duh, last I knew North Korea has now abandoned their nuclear program in response to years of sanctions and determined pressure from the U.S. and surrounding nations, so sanctions can, and do work.
The only people worrying about war with Iran seem to be those least likely to fight it. Although plans for every contingency exist, it's many years away and still highly unlikely for any kind of overt military action in Iran. Frankly, the US military is stretched too thin just working our normal commitments as well as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to even begin to think of operations in Iran. No, I think it will take a nuke going off in some American city to once again spur us to action. Too bad so many Americans will have to lose their lives when it could've been prevented with sanctions and continued international pressure. But, that would take another Republican president and it seems like we'll get another Democrat this time around, so we'll just have to suffer once more...
Caveat: I am an American, who has had the privilege of living in England for 6 years, Germany for 2.5 years, Japan for 6 months, and Indonesia for 3 years in addition to several decades in the U.S. Trust me, there are LOTS of stupid people all over the world, take for instance, the latest idiocy from Britain: A British scientist was fed up with the way his hard drive was squeaking, so he drilled a hole through the casing and poured oil into the mechanics. The squeaking stopped, and so did the hard drive. Or, how about the Brit who wondered how the flies got out of American homes if we kept screens on the windows? (true story).
As for military competency, after 22yrs and military exercises in Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Turkey, I can say the Brits came closest, but sorry, no where near the U.S. in ability to kick ass and take names. Turks and Spanish were bottom of the lot, Belgium and Germany in the middle, and Canucks/Brits the best, but still nowhere close. The problems are 1) nowhere near enough training; and 2) not enough realistic training to compete with the U.S. The Brits were the best at beer drinking games, I'll grant you, at the squadron dinners. Belgians came a close second...
That would suppose the U.S. Government is only working on one project at a time, fairly linear thinking. The military was/is criticized for fighting the current war with the last war's technology, so when we do try to get ahead of the game, we get criticized for working on non-existent threats or not enough work on someone else' pet project. Ever consider that by taking the war to the enemy we haven't had anymore hijackings or car bombs in the U.S.? No, I suppose not, that would require actually considering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are succeeding in their goals to combat the terrorist threat from Islamic fanatics. Ever consider that developing new methods of delivery help keep us ahead in the Air Dominance requirement? No, of course not, that would require knowledge that NO U.S. soldier, sailor, or marine has died from enemy air forces since the Korean War, primarily because the USAF has dominated the skies over the battlefield. While the USAF can't stop RPGs or snipers, we can keep the average soldier from having to look up and wonder if the noise above him is friend or foe...
One "nit" on the article: The Mk-82 is a basic 500lb class of munitions, though it can be dropped as a "dumb" bomb. The GBU-30 is the JDAM version designed to be extremely accurate and not have to use lasers or other targeting techniques that could expose aircrews to longer periods of hostile fire.
Actually, yes, pilots have been complaining for many years that they've had to slow down to deliver munitions, increasing their time over target and hence, vulnerability. As Ground to Air missiles get better, it becomes more important to be able to move fast enough to keep such times to a minimum. While supersonic bombing may not be important over Iraq and Afghanistan, the military has to plan/prepare for encounters with much more sophisticated defenses in other countries. Otherwise, when our jets start getting knocked out of the sky in the theoretical next war, some wisenhammer will wonder why we didn't do the work between wars to avoid just that...
The U-2 and Global Hawk both routinely fly at or above 65,000ft. The SR-71 flew above 80kft until it's retirement in the 90's. Interestingly, U-2 pilots have to log time above 60,000ft separately, to keep track of exposure to higher levels of radiation.
Regarding (b); It should be possible to make a profit on colonization. Just as people were willing to charter ships in the 17th and 18th centuries with no guarantee of living beyond the first year, let alone establishing a successful colony, others will be willing to raise funds to build spaceships to take them--wherever they wish to go. Any possible economic return on investment, however, would be one of the longest shots in the history of financing, and I seriously doubt any business plan would be acceptable, without one of the breakthroughs currently out of reach.
Slashdot Mirror
2) The JDAM adaptor for the Mk-82, Mk-83, and Mk-84 general purpose bombs is GPS-guided. The JDAM relies primarily on it's inertial nav system, however.
3) While it is possible to jam the GPS signals, in practice it's extremely hard to do. A) The "jammer" stands out like a sore thumb and is an easy target. B) Military planners have been anticipating such attempts and have multiple guidance systems and methods to deliver the munitions/guide the troops.
That the scientific and pro-evolution groups realize that the vast majority of the population believes in God, and controls the purse strings. So, as long as the science community continues to allow an extremely vocal miniscule minority to bash Christianity and Christians themselves, there will be repercussions. Funds for science will continue to dry up and hostility to pro-evolutionists will keep climbing until the science community comes up with a compromise solution. If you don't believe me, just keep it up, I and my majority of Christians will be happy to revoke every last cent of spending for any scientific pursuit that attempts to thrash our beliefs or undo our morals. You want more money for science? You catch more flys with honey than vinegar. A couple of suggestions: A) Science is not divorced from morality, so don't pretend that any scientific pursuit is O.K. just because it's "science". B) There is more than one way to skin a cat, and if y'all are so smart, prove it by coming up with ways to explore space, cure diseases, and discover the history of our planet without biting the hand that feeds you.
That we get serious about national identity cards. Well done for the Bush Administration, I only wish we could vote him into office again
Actually, titanium holds an edge very well. I've used my diver's knife with a titanium blade for 7 years and have not had to sharpen it once. It's still just as sharp as the day I bought it. I dive several times a year and use it to dig for shark's teeth, as a tool, and for protection. Not a scratch, a mar to the edge, nor any rust to the blade.
Maybe we could trade time credits for carbon dioxide credits...
I want to know how they "lost" the first target comet...and where that sucker is.
The sonic boom is why this will never fly as a commercial entity, only as a "get there right freakin' now" military asset, or possibly a launch platform for small satellites. The restrictions on Concorde going supersonic over land was enough to kill off the business model and eventually doom the enterprise. Interestingly enough, there is research on how to shape aircraft to minimize (not eliminate) sonic booms. I don't know if it's panning out or not.
A number of fighters have Mach limits well above 1.6. The F-111 was rated at 2.4 (albeit in a shallow dive from 40,000ft). The F-15 and F-16 are both rated at Mach 2+, and the F-22 is rated at Mach 1.72 (and supercruise of just over Mach 1.5 at altitude)
I disagree, violently. While I cannot vouch for other nations, I can definitely say we do not, have not, and are not engaging in terroristic acts. We operate in uniform, on orders from a government, as required by international law. To say otherwise is a lie. The Revolutionary Guards have no such compunctions about operating illegally by wearing civilian clothing, using civilians as shields, and resorting to murder of civilians. They are cowards, but unfortunately have the backing of the Iranian government.
Get your facts straight. Hezbollah is supplied, trained, and directed by the Iranian government. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Iran. Of course they'll give Hezbollah access to nukes. That's how Iran will avoid direct involvement in the destruction of Israel. The sole question is how long after the bombs are finished will Hezbollah get them? The Mujahedeen were allies in the fight against the invasion of Afghanistan, receiving some limited supplies and funds to continue operations. The sole weapon we gave them of any use was the Stinger missile that negated the Soviet control of the tactical air above the battlefield. In any case, the Muhahedeen were fighting as a military unit against an armed invasion force, not against the Afghanistan population.
Once again you've avoided the facts. All the nations you list subscribe to the IAEA's open door policy for review of operations and procedures of nuclear power stations. Iran does not, and continues to stall the IAEA, masking their work. Any statement of where the Iranian nuclear program is going is sheer speculation until independent inspectors can verify the Iranian claims. So, if we take their claims at face value, they have 3,000 centrifuges currently operating and are working towards a total of 50,000, which will give them enough enriched uranium to make a warhead in about a year. A nuclear power plant only requires 3 to 4% purified uranium, weapons grade is 90% pure. You don't need 50,000 or even 3,000 centrifuges to make fuel for power generation. You do for making nuclear weapons.
Surely you jest. The Iranians are Muslim, and Shi'as at that, who see the world differently than the West. If it takes another decade or so to lull the West to sleep again, they will do so and then strike at the heart. If they succeed, Allah was with them, if not, then they weren't good enough for Allah's support and will wait until the next opportunity to strike. As for oil, now I'm sure you don't know your facts. Iran even imports refined oil products--they don't have the refinery capability to provide for their own nation. But that's beside the point of nuking Israel or the U.S., the Iranian leadership is quite willing to take the risk of a world-wide recession, after all, if you're near the bottom to start with, you won't fall far. As for risk assessments, I hope you're not in that business because Pakistan is far less a threat than Iran to the world economy and stability in the Middle East. The Saudis don't fear Pakist
Besides, we're not going to Mars tomorrow or the day after. We're going back to somewhere we've been before, the Moon. We'll learn from those trips how to work and live long term in space away from mother Earth. The Moon will be our stepping stone to exploring and exploiting the natural resources in the solar system. Right now, we are in the best position to plan and prepare for the next phase of manned missions. The assembly of the ISS is winding down, the Shuttle is retiring, no better time than the present to start the next phase.
Spending bills are only good for one or two years at at time. It's not like we have to fund the entire trip to the Moon (or Mars) in one budget.
And since when is attempting to stop progress trying to please everybody? Sounds like the bill was intentionally designed to make a very lot of people very angry...
You Anonymous Coward? For you, no Soup! no light! no light in soup! Now go away.
As mentioned in another reply, the ACs are still around to take care of the big hardware, but this could work well as a tactical "angel", to provide point defense against SAMs, mortar rounds, and possibly RPGs (if fired vs helicopters/aircraft). The acft would have to have one heck of a targeting/tracking system to hit a mortar in flight, but it might link into the LAIRCM/DIRCM systems already installed on many SOF C-130s. I'm not sure what damage the laser could do to the mortar or missile launchers, but it could seriously cook those standing next to one...
The House of Representatives version of HR 3093, the bill that determines NASA's funding for 2008, effectively bans the study of an entire planet:
Provided, That none of the funds under this heading shall be used for any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.
The House committee report mentions the proposed prohibition: Finally, bill language is included prohibiting funding of any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.
Now, this leaves a loophole large enough to drive an M-1 Abrams through, but it's still just plain stupidity.
Bush has never promised (or promissed) to invade Iran. He did swear to protect and defend our own country, which apparently has the Democrats' panties all twisted up.
As for "allowing" Pakistan or India to get nukes, do you really think we can just walk in and order other countries to stop? Frankly, that's why we have such a bad rep around the world, because people think we can just go around ordering countries to do whatever we want them to do. I'm amazed that you have such faith in the ability of our government to penetrate and control the entire world...
As for sanctions not working, duh, last I knew North Korea has now abandoned their nuclear program in response to years of sanctions and determined pressure from the U.S. and surrounding nations, so sanctions can, and do work.
The only people worrying about war with Iran seem to be those least likely to fight it. Although plans for every contingency exist, it's many years away and still highly unlikely for any kind of overt military action in Iran. Frankly, the US military is stretched too thin just working our normal commitments as well as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to even begin to think of operations in Iran. No, I think it will take a nuke going off in some American city to once again spur us to action. Too bad so many Americans will have to lose their lives when it could've been prevented with sanctions and continued international pressure. But, that would take another Republican president and it seems like we'll get another Democrat this time around, so we'll just have to suffer once more...
And why is it only these two Poles get to have special clouds forming over their heads? What, Czechs, Finns, or Canucks aren't good enough?
Caveat: I am an American, who has had the privilege of living in England for 6 years, Germany for 2.5 years, Japan for 6 months, and Indonesia for 3 years in addition to several decades in the U.S. Trust me, there are LOTS of stupid people all over the world, take for instance, the latest idiocy from Britain: A British scientist was fed up with the way his hard drive was squeaking, so he drilled a hole through the casing and poured oil into the mechanics. The squeaking stopped, and so did the hard drive. Or, how about the Brit who wondered how the flies got out of American homes if we kept screens on the windows? (true story). As for military competency, after 22yrs and military exercises in Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Turkey, I can say the Brits came closest, but sorry, no where near the U.S. in ability to kick ass and take names. Turks and Spanish were bottom of the lot, Belgium and Germany in the middle, and Canucks/Brits the best, but still nowhere close. The problems are 1) nowhere near enough training; and 2) not enough realistic training to compete with the U.S. The Brits were the best at beer drinking games, I'll grant you, at the squadron dinners. Belgians came a close second...
That would suppose the U.S. Government is only working on one project at a time, fairly linear thinking. The military was/is criticized for fighting the current war with the last war's technology, so when we do try to get ahead of the game, we get criticized for working on non-existent threats or not enough work on someone else' pet project. Ever consider that by taking the war to the enemy we haven't had anymore hijackings or car bombs in the U.S.? No, I suppose not, that would require actually considering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are succeeding in their goals to combat the terrorist threat from Islamic fanatics. Ever consider that developing new methods of delivery help keep us ahead in the Air Dominance requirement? No, of course not, that would require knowledge that NO U.S. soldier, sailor, or marine has died from enemy air forces since the Korean War, primarily because the USAF has dominated the skies over the battlefield. While the USAF can't stop RPGs or snipers, we can keep the average soldier from having to look up and wonder if the noise above him is friend or foe...
One "nit" on the article: The Mk-82 is a basic 500lb class of munitions, though it can be dropped as a "dumb" bomb. The GBU-30 is the JDAM version designed to be extremely accurate and not have to use lasers or other targeting techniques that could expose aircrews to longer periods of hostile fire.
Actually, yes, pilots have been complaining for many years that they've had to slow down to deliver munitions, increasing their time over target and hence, vulnerability. As Ground to Air missiles get better, it becomes more important to be able to move fast enough to keep such times to a minimum. While supersonic bombing may not be important over Iraq and Afghanistan, the military has to plan/prepare for encounters with much more sophisticated defenses in other countries. Otherwise, when our jets start getting knocked out of the sky in the theoretical next war, some wisenhammer will wonder why we didn't do the work between wars to avoid just that...
The U-2 and Global Hawk both routinely fly at or above 65,000ft. The SR-71 flew above 80kft until it's retirement in the 90's. Interestingly, U-2 pilots have to log time above 60,000ft separately, to keep track of exposure to higher levels of radiation.
Yes, the U-2 currently flies at that altitude, and so does the Global Hawk. Both use an air-breathing jet engine for propulsion.
Regarding (b); It should be possible to make a profit on colonization. Just as people were willing to charter ships in the 17th and 18th centuries with no guarantee of living beyond the first year, let alone establishing a successful colony, others will be willing to raise funds to build spaceships to take them--wherever they wish to go. Any possible economic return on investment, however, would be one of the longest shots in the history of financing, and I seriously doubt any business plan would be acceptable, without one of the breakthroughs currently out of reach.