Re: Plasma accelerators for smaller particle beam accelerators?

On 2009-02-07, Ben Crowell <crowell09@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The problem with a particle beam for defense against missiles is that
all it can do is heat the missile. It can't change its trajectory.

Heating the missile enough to vaporise matter from the surface will
change its trajectory. At reasonable space combat ranges even 1 m/s
would probably ensure a miss. Though just heating it enough to disable
or blind its terminal guidance would likely be adequate.

If the missile has 10 km/s closing speed and you can disable it at
1000 km, then you have 100 seconds to get out of its way (if it was
already heading directly at you). Even if your spacecraft has a
maximum of 0.001 gee thrust, you can change location by 50 m in that
time.

It all depends upon relative performance of various types of systems.


- Tim
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Airborne lasers
    ... You're talking about range out toward an incoming warhead; ... The Navy's Standard Missile And Army's Nike Hercules both could be used ... As I pointed ot in the trajectory math, even taking 1/3 of it's velocity ... Which will work against lasers as well as aerodynamic heating. ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Airborne lasers
    ... You're talking about range out toward an incoming warhead; ... The Navy's Standard Missile And Army's Nike Hercules both could be used ... As I pointed ot in the trajectory math, even taking 1/3 of it's velocity ... Which will work against lasers as well as aerodynamic heating. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Plasma accelerators for smaller particle beam accelerators?
    ... all it can do is heat the missile. ... It can't change its trajectory. ... If the missile has 10 km/s closing speed and you can disable it at ... What seems a lot more plausible to me for a particle beam weapon is ...
    (rec.arts.sf.science)
  • Re: Airborne lasers
    ... but the kill mechanism that they are talking about for the ABL is ... > heating Scud-type missile tanks while the missile's motor is burning. ... Won't the heat shield generally be only on the bottom of the warhead? ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Airborne lasers
    ... but the kill mechanism that they are talking about for the ABL is ... > heating Scud-type missile tanks while the missile's motor is burning. ... Won't the heat shield generally be only on the bottom of the warhead? ...
    (sci.space.history)