Topic Actions

Topic Search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?

Aliens? Invading aliens? What will Earth do? Well...we may have a few more resources than we first thought. Come join a friendly discussion about David Weber's newest Tor series - "Out of the Dark."
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals? spoi
Post by Lord Skimper   » Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:25 pm

Lord Skimper
Vice Admiral

Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:49 am
Location: Calgary, Nova, Gryphon.

One could hitch a ride on a shuttle, I personally would prefer to be inside but...

One. Wonders if an automated gun on the moon might not be able to shoot an orbiting platform. No air to deflect shells and while gravities could be planned for. Would they ever think of looking behind them?
________________________________________
Just don't ask what is in the protein bars.
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals? spoi
Post by 7thsealord   » Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:01 am

7thsealord
Commander

Posts: 213
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:59 pm
Location: Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Lord Skimper wrote:One. Wonders if an automated gun on the moon might not be able to shoot an orbiting platform. No air to deflect shells and while gravities could be planned for. Would they ever think of looking behind them?


8-) The endgame in James P Hogan's 'Voyage From Yesteryear'* comes immediately to mind. When misdirecting someone just so you can shoot them in the back, always be sure to use a frackin' B-I-G gun.

(* - Good book, written well before JPH went all weird.)
*
----------------------------------------------------

“I want my epitaph to be ‘Doggone If He Wasn’t Trying His Best’.”
“I want mine to be ‘We Buried What Pieces We Could Find’.”

Wondermark
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by goglen   » Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:35 pm

goglen
Ensign

Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2013 1:59 pm

jvilnis wrote:How do yoou defeat a race of Aliens who control high orbit and can throw rocks at you down the gravity well?


I do believe Will Smith showed us how back in the 90s... :lol:
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by Lord Skimper   » Sun Oct 06, 2013 11:09 pm

Lord Skimper
Vice Admiral

Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:49 am
Location: Calgary, Nova, Gryphon.

A mine field might work.
________________________________________
Just don't ask what is in the protein bars.
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by rmsgrey   » Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:12 pm

rmsgrey
Commander

Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:09 am
Location: Tyneside, UK

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's novel Footfall offers one solution - send your own battleship up there to reclaim the orbitals.

Remember, they may have the height advantage, but we have the shorter supply chain...
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by 7thsealord   » Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:11 am

7thsealord
Commander

Posts: 213
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:59 pm
Location: Sydney, AUSTRALIA

rmsgrey wrote:Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's novel Footfall offers one solution - send your own battleship up there to reclaim the orbitals.

Remember, they may have the height advantage, but we have the shorter supply chain...


.... And a chronic inability to surrender.

Noting that this seems to be at least one thing that 'Footfall' and 'Out Of The Dark' had in common. From the point of view of the aliens in both books, Humans were crazy b##t##ds who simply wouldn't surrender or submit, no matter how logical it might be to do so.
*
----------------------------------------------------

“I want my epitaph to be ‘Doggone If He Wasn’t Trying His Best’.”
“I want mine to be ‘We Buried What Pieces We Could Find’.”

Wondermark
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by Lord Skimper   » Sat Nov 02, 2013 3:06 am

Lord Skimper
Vice Admiral

Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:49 am
Location: Calgary, Nova, Gryphon.

In reality you don't unless you already control the orbitals, and keep them from getting control of them.
________________________________________
Just don't ask what is in the protein bars.
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by Atrox   » Wed Nov 27, 2013 6:27 pm

Atrox
Midshipman

Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:46 pm

Lord Skimper wrote:In reality you don't unless you already control the orbitals, and keep them from getting control of them.


Yeah, this.

If I'm controlling the orbitals and am not terribly concerned with collateral damage, I can fire from a lunar or translunar orbit. That'll put me between 360,000 and 400,000 km from Earth's surface.
That's beyond range of any currently existing rocket, except (maybe) a modified SS-18 Satan, gives me plenty of lead time for point defence, and I can dodge behind the moon after firing.

If need be, I can park my fleet even further out, say at the LaGrange point between Earth and the Sun (SEL-1), about 1.5 million km, or about 5 light-seconds from Earth. Bonus: all that solar radiation will make target acquisition much harder for anything coming from Earth.

Sure, pinpoint precision won't happen, but we've already settled that I'm willing to kill a few million sentients to make the point that they should wise up and cooperate.
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by Spacekiwi   » Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:12 pm

Spacekiwi
Admiral

Posts: 2634
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:08 am
Location: New Zealand

Welcome to the forums atrox.

And an important thing to remember, is that if your enemy is able to fly between the stars, their weapons are probably quite powerful, so when mixed with a speed advantage from firing downwell and increased power, misses wont matter as much. Close counts in nukes and hand grenades after all.....

Atrox wrote:
Lord Skimper wrote:In reality you don't unless you already control the orbitals, and keep them from getting control of them.


Yeah, this.

If I'm controlling the orbitals and am not terribly concerned with collateral damage, I can fire from a lunar or translunar orbit. That'll put me between 360,000 and 400,000 km from Earth's surface.
That's beyond range of any currently existing rocket, except (maybe) a modified SS-18 Satan, gives me plenty of lead time for point defence, and I can dodge behind the moon after firing.

If need be, I can park my fleet even further out, say at the LaGrange point between Earth and the Sun (SEL-1), about 1.5 million km, or about 5 light-seconds from Earth. Bonus: all that solar radiation will make target acquisition much harder for anything coming from Earth.

Sure, pinpoint precision won't happen, but we've already settled that I'm willing to kill a few million sentients to make the point that they should wise up and cooperate.
`
Image


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
its not paranoia if its justified... :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top
Re: How do you Defeat Aliens who control the Orbitals?
Post by Browne   » Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:17 pm

Browne
Lieutenant (Senior Grade)

Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:18 pm
Location: Austin Tx

Use a weaponized Thunder Well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VonfewfNNfI

Got to love nukes!!! :D
Top

Return to Out of the Dark