1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 2: Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. My 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 2: name is Robert Lamb. Joe's out today, so I'm going 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 2: to present an interview here with Paul Samansky, co author 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 2: with Jerry Drew of the new book The Battle Beyond 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: Fighting and Winning the Coming War in Space. Paul Smansky 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 2: has forty nine years of experience in all fields related 8 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: to space control, policy, strategy, simulation, surveillance, survivability, threat assessment, 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 2: long range strategic planning, and command and control. I do 10 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: want to advise listeners that this one gets a little 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 2: more into topics of contemporary and near future warfare. I 12 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 2: realize that is not everyone's cup of tea, so just 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 2: fair warning about that. But without further ado, let's get 14 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 2: right into this fascinating chat. Well, Paul, welcome to the show. 15 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 2: The new book is The Battle Beyond Fighting and Winning 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: the Coming War in Space, co authored with Jerry Drew. 17 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: It's a detailed breakdown of the emerging technologies and ideas 18 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 2: that are going to define war and warfare in space. 19 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 2: And you've certainly a great deal of expertise in this field. 20 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 2: How did you become interested in outer space and how 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: did your career end up moving into this domain of 22 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 2: space systems and space warfare. 23 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 3: Well, first of all, I actually have six books out. 24 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 3: They all begin with the title you know that you mentioned, 25 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 3: and then there's various details. One is about how to 26 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 3: fight and win space wars. Another one is on sun Zoo, 27 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 3: the ancient Chinese philosopher translated from two thousand years ago 28 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 3: to space. I always liked the bigger picture thought, and 29 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 3: so I've always worked at think tanks, you know, not 30 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 3: for fit semi government kinds of things. And the first 31 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 3: thing tank I worked at decades ago, I had the 32 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 3: option of either working nuclear war or space war. And 33 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 3: for a space war, you know, sounds like the what 34 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 3: do you call it? Star wars and sort of thing 35 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 3: you know from when I was growing up. So is 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 3: that sounds cooler? I guess I'll go that way. So 37 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 3: it was almost a random sequence of events. 38 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: Let's say the book does a great job of breaking 39 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 2: down a lot of the core concepts, you know, forcing 40 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 2: the reader to re examine basics that a lot of us, 41 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 2: especially general science faders like myself, probably take for granted. 42 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,679 Speaker 2: So getting down to brass tax as they say, could 43 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 2: you remind the listeners what we're talking about when we're 44 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 2: talking about the space domain from a military perspective. 45 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 3: Well, one thing, and you know, I'm on I've been 46 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 3: on the board of directors of Air Force Research Lab 47 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 3: with you know, retired general officers and vice admirals, and 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 3: one was an astronaut who has been up in space 49 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 3: five times, you know, and none of them understand how 50 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,399 Speaker 3: to fight space wars. Really comes down to it when 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,279 Speaker 3: you really think about it, You're not attacking a satellite, 52 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 3: You're attacking the mission. Oh, this satellite's providing imagery for 53 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 3: the battlefield. We're about to do a sneak attack. We 54 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 3: better take out the guy's imagery, you know, So you 55 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 3: need to take out the mission. Oh, by the way, 56 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 3: the commander in the particular theater is going to say, 57 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 3: deny the adversary imagery of the battlefield over these latitude 58 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 3: launch coronets and resolution over the next seventy two hours. 59 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 3: You know, you figure out how to do it within 60 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 3: the laws of armed conflict. So you not only have 61 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 3: to take out that satellite, you have to take out 62 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 3: the drones you know, doing the same mission, or the 63 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 3: guy on a camel with binoculars, So you have to 64 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 3: think that bigger picture. And you know, the guys I've 65 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 3: worked with, they love the technology. We love the technology 66 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 3: in this country. But the whole point of war, and 67 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 3: even the ancient Greeks understood this two thousand years ago. 68 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 3: The whole point of war is make the other side 69 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 3: change their mind, you know. So getting back to you're 70 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 3: not attacking the satelle attacking the mission, and you're not 71 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 3: even really attacking the mission. You're attacking the mind of 72 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 3: the adversary commander who's using that imagery information. So you know, 73 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 3: it's kind of information warfare, whatever you want to call it. 74 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 3: And that's kind of hard to figure. Like, you know, 75 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 3: how do you model human mind? Did he get this 76 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 3: information or not? Did he attack left or right? You know, 77 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 3: if you had like an extra one hundred million dollars 78 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 3: some fiscal year and he said, well, gee, should I 79 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 3: buy one of these fancy new space weapons that we've 80 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 3: never tried before? Or should I re equip an army 81 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 3: brigade with newer tanks or something like that. Now, Okay, 82 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 3: there's politics and this and that, but really, what is 83 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 3: going to make the war end sooner? With fewer casualties, 84 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 3: I guess, or get your point across, you know. And 85 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 3: so the army they're very used to, you know, they 86 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 3: invented what's called operations research, so they're very used to 87 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 3: figuring that out, Like, well, if we take out this bridge, 88 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 3: it'll take them twelve hours to get bridge laying equipment, 89 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 3: and so we delay the forces, you know, maybe fourteen hours, 90 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 3: and we can calculate in general the war ends two 91 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 3: days early and there's you know, three percent fewer casually 92 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 3: something like that. I mean, something you could kind of say, 93 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 3: is that worth a hundred million maybe? You know, but 94 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 3: if you could say, oh, this crusty old general in 95 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,679 Speaker 3: I don't know, North Korea or something like that, who 96 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 3: doesn't really believe in space, and you know, even if 97 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 3: he gets information from it, he's going to do what 98 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,359 Speaker 3: he's going to do. He's mind to set. And so 99 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 3: is it worth one hundred million dollars for that space 100 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 3: weapon program to deny something he doesn't care about anyway? 101 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 3: You know, I'm being a wise guy here at this, 102 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 3: of course. You know. Let me tell you something a 103 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 3: very wise guy, and that is what is the biggest 104 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 3: threat from space, and that is something called fobs fractional 105 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 3: orbital bombardment system and that's something that the Russians invented 106 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 3: in the nineteen sixties. And you know, instead of sending 107 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 3: nuclear icbm's north you know, North Pole, they sent they 108 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 3: put it into space, the rocket and it comes from 109 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 3: the south and avoids American radars and all that stuff, 110 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 3: you know. And it was like two three years ago 111 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 3: the State Department or military I forget who said, well, 112 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 3: you know, China has fobs now the fractional orbital bombardments system, 113 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 3: And I'm thinking, okay, you have to again think the 114 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 3: bigger picture. 115 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 2: So we. 116 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 3: If I don't know if any of our listeners have 117 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 3: heard of Mayhan the control of the sea. You know, 118 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 3: several hundred years ago you're saying about you know, great 119 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 3: Britain and controlling say, well, no one's that. I've been 120 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 3: able to control really the seas, you know, great Britain, Oh, 121 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 3: the English Channel, maybe the Mediterranean, maybe around Hong Kong 122 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 3: and India. I've been and all that. But let's theorize 123 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 3: and going back to Mayhean, the US is a sea power, 124 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 3: it is not a land power. Good luck marching one 125 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 3: hundred thousand soldiers across the Atlantic ocean to defend Europe, 126 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 3: and we've gotten kind of arrogant that, oh, we're just 127 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 3: going to do all these wars around the world and 128 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 3: they'll never affect us because we got these oceans, the barriers, 129 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 3: and no one could send landing craft that far, you know, 130 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 3: and all that, and so we you know, we can 131 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 3: get away with a lot. Let's say, now, let's theorize. 132 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 3: Let's say you take you know, I'm being facetious here, 133 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 3: but two tons of concrete in space and you drop 134 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 3: an all eleven American aircraft carriers around the world within 135 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 3: forty minutes it comes down mock, I think twenty four 136 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 3: Anything coming from space comes that fast, three times hotter 137 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,319 Speaker 3: than the surface of the Sun. It holds the carrier. 138 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 3: There's gonna be you know, gleaming orange, jagged metal. It's 139 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 3: gonna hit the ocean, the cold ocean, and a huge 140 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 3: steam explosion. The think sinks in a matter of minutes. 141 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 3: Now I'm talking about nineteen sixties technology in order to 142 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 3: achieve this. And oh, by the way, some reason we 143 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 3: screwed up and we don't have hypersonic weapons, but the 144 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 3: Russian have been merrily using them in Ukraine, taking out 145 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 3: command centers four hundred feet underground, and China the only 146 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 3: reason they develop their own hypersonic weapons is, oh, guess what, 147 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 3: take out American aircraft carriers. Because it's a point target thing. 148 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 3: You know, if you use it on the ground and 149 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 3: forces attacking on the ground, oh maybe kill fifty hundred 150 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 3: people whatever, But you know, take out command centers aircraft carriers. 151 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 3: So I guess what I'm emphasizing is you better control 152 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 3: space or you suddenly become a second rate power. What 153 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 3: can we do if we no longer have our aircraft carriers, 154 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 3: we no longer control the sea. Let's say China controls 155 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 3: the sea. They you know, all that oil in the 156 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 3: Middle East is worthless if you can't ship it out, 157 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 3: And so China starts charging transit fees, you know, anti 158 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 3: piracy fees or something. If you don't pay it, we'll 159 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 3: sink your ship too. You know, it's real easy nineteen 160 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 3: sixties technology. You know, we're not actually talking about the future. 161 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 3: It could happen tonight. So China, you know, essentially controls 162 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 3: the world. Seems to me, I mean this theoretical, but 163 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 3: I don't I can't think of any holes in that 164 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 3: at the moment, and I actually I'm writing a novel, 165 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:25,959 Speaker 3: a seventh book, and that it will be out in 166 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 3: a few months. So okay, that's something to worry about. Now, 167 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 3: getting back to the the domain of space, everyone I 168 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 3: know keeps in the space force, and you know this 169 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 3: has been true of the Air Force I worked with. See. 170 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 3: The trouble is, can you think of the last time 171 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 3: that the air war was in doubt for the Air Force? 172 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 3: And it's like, well, early World War two, not even 173 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 3: late World War two, Vietnam, no, you know, in the 174 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 3: Middle East. No. So I think there's a certain degree 175 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 3: of lazy thinking that goes on because quite frankly, you 176 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 3: learn more from defeat than from victory. I mean, we're 177 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 3: teaching Russia how to really fight worse nowadays. So probably 178 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,079 Speaker 3: ninety five percent of space for US is Air Force. 179 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 3: So I talked to these generals and you know, lieutenants 180 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 3: or colonels and all that, and they keep thinking, tactically, oh, 181 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 3: we're kind to you know, slowly maneuver to this satellite 182 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 3: and observe it, or maybe shoot it with a pelggon 183 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 3: or the French are telling me they were putting up 184 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,080 Speaker 3: a laser, you know, and all that. But they're not 185 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,959 Speaker 3: thinking this strategic big picture and that is well, a 186 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 3: satellite is strategic. It covers the world. You know, you 187 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 3: think you're doing something tactical. Not only are you doing 188 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 3: something strategic. And oh, by the way, maybe you're fighting 189 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 3: in the Middle of East or Ukraine or something of that, 190 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 3: but you're going to attack that satellite in the South Atlantic, 191 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 3: you know, from a ship or something, you know, with 192 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 3: a laser or direct assent weapon. You have to think 193 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 3: the bigger picture global and then you have to think 194 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 3: political too, I mean wars, you know political. Unfortunately, we're 195 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 3: used to killing people on the ground during war. We're 196 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 3: not used to space war. Now. I've noticed this space 197 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,080 Speaker 3: force the last few years is getting people used to 198 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 3: that concept. You know, they keep their marketing campaign getting 199 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 3: more and more severe or something like that. But if 200 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 3: you take out someone's satellite, you know, it has consequences. 201 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,840 Speaker 3: Now there's a problem and a beauty with space too, 202 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 3: and that is conflict escalation letter and I go over 203 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 3: that in the book too. I've started learned that countries 204 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,839 Speaker 3: are just like children. They'll do anything they want if 205 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 3: they can get away with it from their parents. Parents 206 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 3: being the United Nations, their own people or whatever. And 207 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 3: so you could think you could go to CIA headquarters 208 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 3: in Virginia. There's a wall with all the stars of 209 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 3: the agents who died in the line of duty. You know, 210 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 3: did any of those start a war? Do we even 211 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 3: know who they were? I heard I think it was 212 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 3: two years ago there was an incident between an American 213 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 3: and a Russian submarine in the Sea of Japan. You know, 214 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,439 Speaker 3: I just read in the paper and that's all they say, 215 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 3: an incident because there's no news camera taking it. You know, 216 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 3: they don't know. So what I'm getting at is spy warfare, 217 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 3: undersea warfare, space warfare. You can get away with a lot, 218 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 3: and we have. There's been more intense space war since 219 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 3: the nineteen sixties. I can, you know, show you a 220 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 3: bunch of those. And like I said, this the war 221 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 3: that happened in twenty fourteen Ukraine. I could mathematically prove 222 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 3: that through the orbital dynamics. So you really have to 223 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,439 Speaker 3: thank the bigger picture. You can't think, oh, this satellite 224 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 3: is going to come snuggle up to me and start, 225 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 3: you know, messing with me or something like that, because 226 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 3: that takes days and weeks to accomplish. Well, my simulations 227 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 3: have shown space wars over with in twenty four to 228 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 3: forty eight hours. You know, a real one. Oh, I've 229 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 3: got fifty space weapons going out right now, so you know, 230 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 3: I think in some sense we would self deter You know, 231 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 3: I've heard at least years ago that we wouldn't attack 232 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 3: a satellite that attacked us unless we knew who owned 233 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 3: this satellite, you know, And that's kind of hard to do. 234 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 3: They're kind of arrogant too, and say, oh, we know 235 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 3: what satellites have been launched, and blah blah blah and 236 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 3: all that. And I say, well, you know, every two 237 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 3: weeks I download the official Air Force Satellite Orbital Catalog, 238 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 3: and forty percent of the objects there are considered unknowns. 239 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 3: We don't know who launched them, who owns them, and 240 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 3: what the mission is, so you know, you know of 241 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 3: what's really happening. And so the first step to defeat 242 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 3: in space is over confidence. Oh yeah, you know, we're 243 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 3: Air Force. We've won every single air war we've had, 244 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 3: and we'll win the space war. It doesn't take much. 245 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 3: The most popular method is cyber warfare. Any country on 246 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 3: Earth has clever young kids who can be hackers and 247 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 3: hack a satellite. Every country on Earth has university with 248 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 3: high powered lasers that you can kind of gin up 249 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 3: and make more accurate and or whatever and mess with satellites. 250 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 3: I mean, I have a laser I got on Amazon 251 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 3: seven want laser handheld that'll start my furniture on fire 252 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 3: across the room in a fraction of a second. You know, 253 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 3: we'll put that out of satellite or whatever. 254 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 2: You know. 255 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 3: I don't think people are really thinking these big pictures 256 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 3: and getting at the popularity of cyber warfare. Let me 257 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 3: do a thought experiment, and that is let's say you're 258 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 3: in a trench in Ukraine and you can hear the 259 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 3: Russian tanks revving up, you know, ready to come attack you. 260 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 3: And some egghead scientists comes into your trench and he 261 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 3: has this black box with the big red button. He says, oh, 262 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 3: I've been developing this for years. It's a cyber weapon 263 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 3: that you know, if you push that red button, the 264 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 3: Russian tanks will stop. You'll mess with their computers or whatever, 265 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 3: you know. And you know, I haven't tested this in 266 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 3: the field, but it worked in the lab. Don't worry. 267 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 3: And and the poor soldiers there, well, what about a 268 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,760 Speaker 3: bazookah I said, oh, sorreh, well, used up all your 269 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 3: funding on this, you know, cyber weapon. You know, so 270 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 3: the Russian tanks attack, Oh, they push that button, you know, 271 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 3: the tank stop and thirty seconds later they reboot and 272 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 3: squish you. You know. So I don't know about you, 273 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 3: but as a guy, I find it much more emotionally 274 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 3: satisfying to see a burning hole in the ground where 275 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 3: the tank used to be, you know, as I did 276 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 3: the job. And it's the same kind of with space. Now, 277 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 3: of course, I have a whole other briefing. I can 278 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 3: present sometime ninety four ways to attack satellites without creating debris. 279 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,879 Speaker 3: You really don't have to do the debris thing, but 280 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 3: you're really not sure. You know, people when they're about 281 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 3: to die get very clever. So you're really not sure 282 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,239 Speaker 3: if the satellite's faking its death, especially if you use 283 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 3: the cyber means. You know, you're not even sure exactly 284 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 3: who attacked you. I mean, let's say we're at war 285 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 3: in the Western Pacific, China, Taiwan, whatever, and you wake 286 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 3: up one morning and several of your satellites stopped working. Well, 287 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 3: you know, my computer stopped working last month. You know, 288 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 3: maybe that same thing happened. Maybe a solar flares irradiated 289 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,400 Speaker 3: too much, maybe a micro meteorite hit it. Oh it's 290 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:59,679 Speaker 3: human cause. Oh this you know, Romanian satellite came too 291 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 3: close accidentally you know, Oh, no human cause and intentional. Okay, 292 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 3: what is the intent now? Let's say, oh, it's the 293 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 3: Chinese attacking us where we were the Well, maybe it's 294 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 3: the Russians of the North Koreans messing with you and 295 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 3: starting to stir the pot. How do you know who's 296 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,360 Speaker 3: doing it, what their intent is? Are they going against 297 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 3: command and control, decapitation, communication satellites, are the imagery satellites navigation? 298 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 3: Are they doing a demonstration attack, like, well, we're showing 299 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 3: we're really serious now kind of thing. 300 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 2: One of the things that I found really interesting in 301 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 2: the book was talking about these various ways, and I 302 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 2: believe these are a mix of proven technologies and maybe 303 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 2: some of them are more possible for the future, but 304 00:18:55,400 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 2: the ways that satellites can and will do battle with 305 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 2: one another. I believe you already mentioned grappling as a 306 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 2: mechanical grappling, but there are some other techniques in there, 307 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 2: and I thought you might discuss some of those. 308 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 3: Well, I've come up with some on my own head. 309 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:19,439 Speaker 3: But you know, most of not all satellites have to 310 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 3: point very accurately at the Earth, their antennas, their imagery, whatever. 311 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 3: So they had what are called star sensors, you know, 312 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 3: in the back of satellite, look at the stars, and 313 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,399 Speaker 3: they could orient themselves because there's no up so to speak, 314 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 3: in space. And I theorize, well, if you've got one 315 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 3: of these inspector maintenance satellites, whatever, and you float behind 316 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 3: it and present an upside down star chart to it 317 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 3: with the satellite flip over, because these are just dumb machines, 318 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,679 Speaker 3: you know, So there's a lot of techniques. I don't know, 319 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 3: you know, if that would work. Certainly to my mind, 320 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 3: it's most effective weapon, not timeliness wise, but if someone 321 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 3: comes up there with the manipulator and you know China, 322 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 3: they gleefully told us about one of their supposedly dead 323 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 3: satellites and they used a satellite, came up close with 324 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 3: manipular arm and pulled it to what's called well sort 325 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 3: of graveyard orbit. It's very suspicious, but any rate, so 326 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 3: you can pull satellite out of orbit. But it's an 327 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 3: ideal weapon. A satellite coming up close to you, because 328 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 3: it's sort of like taking a satellite, putting in a wheelbarrow, 329 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 3: going in your garage and going at it. Well, let's 330 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 3: drill a hole, let's cut this wire, let's bend this, 331 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 3: let's all that. You know. Oh, let's paint the optics 332 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 3: with something that you know floats away a few weeks 333 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 3: later or something. You know. So you do a lot 334 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 3: of messing and there's a lot of people and unfortunately 335 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 3: one of them's Eline muss And I love Musk, but 336 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,280 Speaker 3: who want to play the commercial entities who want to 337 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 3: play with army soldiers like children, And you know, Musk said, oh, 338 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,199 Speaker 3: I'm going to give Ukraine these starlink terminals and all that. 339 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:15,120 Speaker 3: And I'm pretty sure Russia attacked his systems for that, 340 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 3: but they don't really understand the consequences. And it's sort 341 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 3: of like Merchant Marine in World War Two. Well they 342 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 3: got sank two, you know. And I think I believe 343 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 3: there have been attacks on multiple satellite systems, not only 344 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 3: cyber attacks but others during the Ukrainian conflict. So this 345 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 3: thought that oh, I'm just going to play war and 346 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 3: the military is doing that too, that we're going to 347 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 3: take these satellites commercial statists and use them. And you know, 348 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 3: the commercial ones have really cool technology and probably cheaper 349 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,239 Speaker 3: and so forth, But who pays for them when they 350 00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 3: get attacked? I don't know how that works. And you know, 351 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 3: they live in what I consider Disney fantasy worlds like Starlink. 352 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,360 Speaker 3: I don't know, ten fifteen thousand satellites, Well, you got 353 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 3: to attack each one. No, you know, I've seen cyber 354 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 3: warfare techniques like thirty five years ago, going through the 355 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:19,120 Speaker 3: electrical plug into your computer and all. I mean, people 356 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 3: are very clever. They'll always find a way. And I've 357 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 3: you know, theorized well Elon's Starlink satellites have a they 358 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 3: can tell how close they're coming to each other and 359 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 3: have an algorithm to say, oh we're too close, let's 360 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 3: go away. Well, you do a cyber attack. You put 361 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 3: a negative sign in that algorithm, and when they get 362 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 3: too close to the satellites start moving even closer and 363 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:43,479 Speaker 3: you kill them all at once. You know, I mean, 364 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 3: there's always a way on that. So I think it's 365 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 3: easy for us to lose a war in space due 366 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 3: to overconfidence, due to not thinking strategically. You know, what 367 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:05,960 Speaker 3: exactly are the consequences, I guess militarily politically, and also 368 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 3: getting back to your teaching your adversary how to fight 369 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 3: you better ten years later or whatever. So maybe it 370 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:20,360 Speaker 3: should withhold some weapons and shape not only the future 371 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 3: battlefield but the future political environment of well, oh gee, 372 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 3: look at this, we want that space war. Look at 373 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 3: all the junks flown around. Well, now all your allies 374 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 3: hate you. Now they are all these treaties restricting you. 375 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 3: Maybe you should have thought of that beforehand and said, well, 376 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 3: let's do it this way, maneuver this way, or whatever, 377 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 3: and so more improbable this new treaty won't be so 378 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 3: bad or something. I mean, think of the political now. 379 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 3: For years I've said, oh, look at this cool multi 380 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 3: billion dollar space weapons program, you know, And I said, well, 381 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 3: you know, we're starting to develop this now, why don't 382 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 3: we get the State Department in on this early on? 383 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 3: Because they're going to be part of I don't know 384 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 3: what used to be called National command authorities, but they're 385 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,639 Speaker 3: going to be in the room with the President's deciding 386 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 3: whether attack or not. And if the State Department got 387 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,720 Speaker 3: on early, they could say, well, if you tweak it 388 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 3: slightly later on, there would be more probably will prove 389 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,479 Speaker 3: it or something, you know. And I was always told, oh, 390 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,119 Speaker 3: we can't truss the State Department. You know, they'll just reveal, 391 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 3: you know, what we got or whatever. And you know, 392 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 3: all governments are like that, each department hates each other 393 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,119 Speaker 3: and all that. But I've got over twenty eight thousand 394 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 3: members in my space warfare discussion group on LinkedIn, and 395 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 3: one of them is a former assistant Secretary of State, 396 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 3: and he says, yeah, they're right. State Department never knew 397 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 3: a treaty. It didn't like for space, you know, restricting 398 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 3: something in space. You know. So we've got all these 399 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 3: kind of undercurrents and getting back to children playing with toys, 400 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 3: it's conceivable that let's say the Space for US attacks 401 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 3: the satellite. They're certainly not going to tell the State Department. 402 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 3: There's certainly probably not going to tell the Navy or 403 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:13,400 Speaker 3: the army or whatever. You know, we all have our secrets, 404 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:14,160 Speaker 3: I guess. 405 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,920 Speaker 2: You know. When I first started reading about the various 406 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 2: like anti satellite strategies in the book, I was reminded, 407 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 2: almost vaguely of a childhood viewing of the nineteen sixty 408 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 2: seven James Bond film He only lived twice, in which 409 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 2: we see early on in the picture a mysterious orbital 410 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 2: spacecraft capturing essentially kind of consuming another. 411 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 3: Space clamshell, if I recall. 412 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, I don't know how this roughly 413 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,360 Speaker 2: relates to the idea of mechanical grappling, or if this 414 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 2: is like a snapshot of some you know, filtered through 415 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 2: fiction sort of, you know, nineteen sixties, late nineteen sixties 416 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 2: understanding of conflict between spacecraft. 417 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 3: Uh. Yeah, well it's certainly the Chinese did the grappling 418 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 3: the Urugo or something. Certainly, but though that was a 419 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 3: supposedly dead object. If the satellite's non cooperative, though, you 420 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:15,200 Speaker 3: can certainly do the grappling, you know, over the South 421 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 3: Pacific where we don't have any radars or something. Maybe 422 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 3: you could do it fast enough before we understand or 423 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 3: we don't have any ground control stations to say tell 424 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 3: the satellite, oh, start spinning or something like that. You know, 425 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:32,919 Speaker 3: so as soon as you're accomplishing a counter space thing 426 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 3: or something that you know is trying to defend yourself, Uh, 427 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 3: the enemy has won, because if you start spinning, you 428 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 3: can't do your mission anymore, you know, and he's probably 429 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,919 Speaker 3: attacking at some critical time in the battlefield, and so 430 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 3: he's you know, he's done his job. You don't have 431 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 3: to necessarily kill the satellite. And quite frankly, there's three 432 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 3: major areas that we've talked about for years. I mean, 433 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 3: you go against satellite, you can go against the ground controller, 434 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 3: or you can go against the link between the two. 435 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 3: And that's all three ways to do it. So there's 436 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 3: multiple ways to skin a cat I guess or something 437 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:20,159 Speaker 3: like that that doesn't necessarily involve debris generation. But the 438 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 3: James Bond thing, you know, capturing, yeah, you probably could 439 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 3: do that. As a matter of fact, you could look up. 440 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:31,199 Speaker 3: I think NASA had some net to capture satellites they 441 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 3: were doing research on. I remember seeing that, and I 442 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:39,120 Speaker 3: suppose the net might work if it's you know, spinning 443 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 3: or something. But I've had my own theories, like what 444 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 3: I call the porcupine defense, and that is, you know, 445 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 3: in the nineteen sixties, satellites used to have the long 446 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,359 Speaker 3: antennas sticking out of the ball. You know, well, if 447 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 3: you had these long wires that you inferled out going 448 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 3: out I don't know, half a kilometer or something like that, 449 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,880 Speaker 3: nobody could approach you they tangle up in the wires. 450 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 3: Maybe the wires you have them electrostatic, and they give 451 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 3: them a shock or maybe somehow acidic or I don't know. 452 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 3: I think some simple defenses like that. Maybe for close approaches. 453 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 3: People talk about, oh, well we'll start maneuvering out of 454 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 3: the way we see it coming. Oh. You know, first 455 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 3: of all, if you let's say you had a space 456 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 3: weapon where I called lagrange points, they're equal gravitational potential 457 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,680 Speaker 3: to retain the Earth and the Moon, and so they 458 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 3: just sort of sit their way out, you know, I 459 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 3: don't know, hundreds of thousands of miles something like that, 460 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 3: and all it takes is just a little bit of 461 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,239 Speaker 3: feel to you know, hit it and have it come 462 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 3: screaming back down the gravity. Well, and come attack your satellite. 463 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,960 Speaker 3: And if your satellite, oh I see something coming, I'm 464 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 3: going to maneuver a kilometer or two away. Well, well, 465 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 3: just looking at the physics the geometry. If you're fifty 466 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 3: thousand miles away and you sell how removed a few kilometers, Well, 467 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 3: I change a micro radian or something of my trajectory, 468 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 3: and I'm coming in like really fast, And I don't 469 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 3: know if there's much you can do. I mean, everything 470 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 3: can be easily hypervelocity in space, and it's not like 471 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 3: you're going to have fifty feet of concrete on your 472 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 3: satellite trying to defend from something coming in. I don't 473 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 3: think you can defend anything. And you know, the Air 474 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 3: Force all, oh, we're going to defend these commercial satellites, 475 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 3: and I don't know what that really means. Maybe you 476 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 3: try to jam the weapon coming at you or something 477 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 3: like that. But I think a lot of people living 478 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,000 Speaker 3: in fantasy world's when it comes to space warfare. 479 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 2: Now, speaking of fantasy and James Bond, science fiction, science 480 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 2: fiction in general has of course been long obsessed with 481 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 2: visions of space warfare. Can you think of any examples 482 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 2: that tackle the technology or just sort of the concept 483 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 2: of space warfare as we're discussing it now in a 484 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 2: way that lines up with the technologies and strategies we're 485 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 2: actually facing. 486 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 3: I can't think of any at the moment. First of all, 487 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:27,800 Speaker 3: you know, you have tie fighters. I don't think you 488 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 3: can be manned. Man. You have all this extra weight 489 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 3: of oxygen and all the warmth, and they couldn't take 490 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 3: the G forces. If again, you're doing this maneuvering. You know, 491 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 3: all these things seem to have aliens and all because 492 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 3: there's more exciting. I don't know if I know of 493 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 3: any thing. I think the expanse I think that got 494 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 3: the closest to some of those space battles, you know, 495 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 3: between opposing space cruisers or whatever. I suppose you'd still 496 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 3: have to have kinetic one way or the other, because oh, 497 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 3: you got these great lasers. Well if you had a 498 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 3: mirror like finish on their spacecraft and you know, if 499 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 3: you spin it, it'd be you know, depositing the radiation 500 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 3: all around. And it's like we have ground based lasers, 501 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 3: but they can't go out to geosynchronous orbit. It just 502 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 3: isn't powerful enough. So if you're talking about I don't 503 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 3: know if battles would be from fifty thousand kilometers apart 504 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 3: or something. I just don't know about how all that 505 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 3: would work. And you know, maybe we're really talking about 506 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 3: AI and the machines will be fighting the machines in 507 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 3: one way or the other, you know, getting back to 508 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 3: space war, and why would you rather have a bunch 509 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 3: of satellites broken in space, hopefully without debris, because you 510 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,160 Speaker 3: don't have to use debris causing things, then a bunch 511 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 3: of broken Ukrainian cities, and you know you're not killing anyone. 512 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 3: There's no sense to attack the International Space Station though, 513 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 3: just as a funny aside, who knows, twenty five thirty 514 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 3: years ago it is as some space conference in coverall springs, 515 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 3: you know, Air Force and the general giving the presentation, who, 516 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 3: by the way, dressed up in a World War two 517 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,240 Speaker 3: outfit and acted like patent, you know, with a big 518 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 3: American flag bearing. Anyway, I stopped him on the way 519 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,520 Speaker 3: out and I says, well, you know, the Russia is 520 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 3: on the International Space Station and we are doing like 521 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 3: the left hook or whatever. And he had binocas the 522 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 3: Russian cosmonaut had binoculars on there. What would you do? 523 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 3: And his first response was I'll shoot him. You know, well, 524 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 3: I don't know about discharging a weapon in you know, 525 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 3: putting a hole through the sides letting oxygen out, and 526 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 3: even the political implications, but of course, you know, generals, 527 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 3: I guess sort of think that way on it. I 528 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 3: even had some if he used five point seven by 529 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 3: two to eight bullet, it can penetrate the was a 530 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 3: Lexan armored goggles of an astronaut and the what is 531 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 3: the bulletproof suits, but it can't penetrate the bulkheads, the 532 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 3: metal bulkheads, you know, oh, kevlar suits. So boarding space stations? 533 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:29,920 Speaker 3: Would we ever board the Chinese one? 534 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 2: Oh? 535 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 3: My book does that. But because it's a theoretical sort 536 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 3: of theoretical. There's a lot of things in the book 537 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 3: that have happened to me in the past, but I 538 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 3: won't say which. 539 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 2: Now we've been talking about space weaponry and the near 540 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 2: future of space warfare. But what does all of this 541 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 2: mean for say, the future of space exploration as well 542 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,360 Speaker 2: as like planetary defense against near Earth objects. 543 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:58,600 Speaker 3: Well, I remember there were something on YouTube that's saying, boy, 544 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 3: if NASA had the budget of the military, this is 545 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 3: what they could do. So you know, what's more important 546 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 3: to you self defense military wise, or well science and 547 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,759 Speaker 3: oh this is kind of cool and maybe fifty years 548 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,880 Speaker 3: from now will be on Mars or something, you know, 549 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,320 Speaker 3: So it's all a matter priority. And you could say, well, 550 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 3: what about exploring under the sea and things like that. 551 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 3: So I don't know, it's you know, it's an emotional 552 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:33,239 Speaker 3: decision for countries to say, well, what's more important to us? 553 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 2: Now? 554 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:38,960 Speaker 3: I think we're probably almost there or very soon that 555 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 3: if a country loses the war in space, they lose 556 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,880 Speaker 3: the war in the ground. I mean, think of the 557 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 3: US again in the Western Pacific. Would they be able 558 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:55,040 Speaker 3: to communicate to the carrier battle groups without satellites? I 559 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:59,000 Speaker 3: don't know if they u tropal scatter calm anymore? You know, 560 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:02,239 Speaker 3: would we have our aircraft flying when we don't even 561 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 3: know where we're flying, We don't have imagery, and we 562 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,240 Speaker 3: don't know how to avoid the you know, the anti 563 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 3: aircraft and what targets to service and all. I mean, 564 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 3: you get to the point where war in space maybe 565 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 3: is morally better than war on the ground. So how 566 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:24,720 Speaker 3: important is that to a society versus Oh, yeah, NASA, 567 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 3: we're exploring this and that. Now I could again be 568 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 3: a wise guy and say, boy, elon, the commercial world 569 00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:34,360 Speaker 3: sure did a better job of trying to get to 570 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,800 Speaker 3: the Moon than NASA, did you know? They really seemed 571 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 3: to be failing there and all that. So yeah, they 572 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 3: pour money into NASA, and or maybe we should just 573 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 3: fund the commercial world to do that kind of thing, 574 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 3: or maybe we should just get contributions from people who 575 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 3: think it's really cool to go to the moon, or something. 576 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,680 Speaker 3: I mean again, I might be an old fogy here, 577 00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 3: but the Mars, you know, the dust is extremely poisonous 578 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 3: and the radiation is extremely bad, and so you're gonna 579 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 3: end up being underground ninety nine percent of the time. 580 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,319 Speaker 3: You're gonna get really tired of that red not sing 581 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,080 Speaker 3: blue and all that. So I can see, you know, 582 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 3: if I was younger, Oh yeah, you know, go, you know, 583 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 3: colonize Mars and all that. Yeah, someday maybe we put 584 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 3: atmosphere on that, but you're talking beyond our lifetimes. And 585 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:30,799 Speaker 3: same with the Moon. 586 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 2: Now. 587 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,279 Speaker 3: The Moon is really weird. I remember when I first 588 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 3: started out in the seventies and someone telling me, oh, yeah, 589 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,239 Speaker 3: NASA asked the Air Force, well do you want a 590 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:43,680 Speaker 3: base on the Moon? You know, and the Air Force 591 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:45,879 Speaker 3: sort of scratched his heads, like, I don't know, it's 592 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:48,879 Speaker 3: kind of far away. I guess not, you know. And 593 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,279 Speaker 3: no one in my entire career, no one's cared about 594 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 3: the Moon except the last five, six, seven years. And 595 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 3: they're all sorts of like here at Albuquerque, Oh, we're 596 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:02,000 Speaker 3: gonna put cell phone service on the Moon. What the 597 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,319 Speaker 3: hell you're talking about? You know, you're gonna pay ten 598 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,279 Speaker 3: thousand dollars a minute for three astronauts, you know, and oh, 599 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 3: you're putting these surveillance sensors on the dark side of 600 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 3: the moon, you know, surveilling what. And everyone seems very 601 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 3: worried about the whole thing. Now, I could be a 602 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:23,279 Speaker 3: conspiracy to alien this, and I don't think so, or 603 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 3: maybe am I I theorize that. You know, when China, 604 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:32,879 Speaker 3: when they land their TAKEO knots on the Moon, they 605 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 3: plant the flag abrogate the outer space treaty that says 606 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 3: you can't own crestal bodies, abrogate that. Ten minutes where 607 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:43,879 Speaker 3: they land on the Moon, say now we own the Moon, 608 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:48,759 Speaker 3: you know, sort of like Spain and Portugal I guess 609 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,840 Speaker 3: did for the Western hemisphere. Cour it's good luck defending 610 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 3: that kind of So I wonder if they're worried about 611 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 3: that in some sense. And I also point out we 612 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 3: have this nineteen sixty seven outer space treatise as you 613 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 3: can't own celestial bodies. Well there's over eighty countries that 614 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 3: never sign that. I theorize that Elon can take one 615 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,520 Speaker 3: of his es. He was building some launch ships. I 616 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 3: don't know he gave up on that, but you ship 617 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 3: it out to the territorial waters of one of these 618 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,200 Speaker 3: countries and launched the moon and say, and now we 619 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:27,760 Speaker 3: own the moon, or that country Ecuador or whatever owns 620 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,319 Speaker 3: the moon and leases it back to Eline for ninety 621 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:33,920 Speaker 3: nine years, like Hong Kong. You know, I'm not a lawyer, 622 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 3: but sounds like you could do that. 623 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 2: Fascinating. Well, Paul, where can people follow you online? Obviously 624 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,760 Speaker 2: the book again is The Battle Beyond Fighting and Winning 625 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,040 Speaker 2: the Coming War in Space or this is one of 626 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:48,839 Speaker 2: the books. This is the one that I looked at 627 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:52,520 Speaker 2: for the interview that's out now. But if people just 628 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,759 Speaker 2: want to follow you, keep up with your work, learn more, 629 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 2: where can they find you? 630 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,640 Speaker 3: Well, I'm mostly on LinkedIn, so you can, like say, 631 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 3: twenty eight thousand members of people who are interested in 632 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 3: space warfare, So you can communicate through there, you know, 633 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:13,080 Speaker 3: just send me a request I guess or that and 634 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,600 Speaker 3: tell me who you are or whatever. Also, if you 635 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:19,920 Speaker 3: looked up The Battle Beyond How to Fight Win Space 636 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 3: Wars on Amazon, you'll see all six books, and there's 637 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 3: way I think they have ways of liking me there 638 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:31,839 Speaker 3: and you know, communicating that way. I think there's even 639 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,560 Speaker 3: a website associated with it and all that, and that's 640 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:36,239 Speaker 3: that's probably the best way. 641 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:38,439 Speaker 2: All right. Well, thanks again for coming on the shows. 642 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 2: Has been very insightful. 643 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 3: Okay, thank you for the opportunity. 644 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,279 Speaker 2: All right. Thanks again to Paul Samanski for coming on 645 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:49,680 Speaker 2: the show and chatting with me again. The book, co 646 00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 2: authored with Jerry Drew, is The Battle Beyond Fighting and 647 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 2: Winning the Coming War in Space and it is available now. 648 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:59,799 Speaker 2: If you would like to reach out to Joe and myself, 649 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,240 Speaker 2: well you can do so in a number of ways. 650 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,279 Speaker 2: I'll share that email in just a second. But hey, 651 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:07,680 Speaker 2: you can follow Stuff to Blow your Mind the podcast 652 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 2: feed anywhere to get your podcast core science and culture 653 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:14,160 Speaker 2: episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, listener mail on Monday's short 654 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:16,720 Speaker 2: form episode on Wednesdays, and on Fridays, we set aside 655 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:19,160 Speaker 2: most serious concerns to just talk about a weird film 656 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,560 Speaker 2: on Weird House Cinema. Thanks as always to the excellent 657 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:25,399 Speaker 2: JJ Possway for producing the show. And if you want 658 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:27,440 Speaker 2: to shoot us that email, you can do so at 659 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:37,600 Speaker 2: contact at Stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. 660 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For 661 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,479 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio, app, 662 00:40:43,640 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 663 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 3: Not the f