George William Herbert wrote:
Kaido Kert wrote:
I agree with everything you say, but i have this one important nitpick:
rocket technology equals missile technology NOT.
While its true that most modern missiles of all kinds are propelled by
various rocket engines, a rocket is not a missile.

There are other things that missiles need, other than what a
space launch type rocket can bring to the table.
And military applications tend to optimize on solution
spaces differently than space launch (storability,
etc being larger concerns).

However, the dual use nature and convertability
^^^^^^^^
ah, see there is a big problem here. As things stand
you end up with a big mondo list, that just about
includes "soap" (armies have to wash themselves every
now and then) and shoclate (aka high energy food you
might pack for your troopps). Not only is teh notion and
lits of dual-use goods ill-thought out concept, it is
also in its present incarnation wrong, irrelevant and
there is no meaningful oversight what appers in it.

of many space launch systems to weapons purposes
is hard to avoid.

A lot of CATS amateurs haven't looked at the military
side enough to understand that the differences between
modern rockets and missiles don't mean there isn't
a significant dual use problem. There is. Really.
Even John Carmack's and Burt Rutan's equipment could
be made into medium grade SRBMs, the Armadillo stuff
without too much effort.

you should take a look at the 'how to build a cruise
missle with $5000' page from New Zealand... IIRC no dual
use goods at all were involved.


Over the long term (20 years) proliferation of low
cost rocket technology is a lost cause IMHO.


It is lost *now*. For that matter, I cant'tthink of
any reasson why one would claim this was not always
the case in the first place.

Over the medium term (5-10 years) how we treat
the technology in terms of level of detail we
publish and allow foreigners open access to could
make a large difference in hostile nations
capability growth.

This is fundametaly wrong - it has been demonstrated
times and times again by states other than the US that
the US has no monopoly on bright minds who grok rockets.
All the present mindless thrashing what can and cannot
be published will result is in a stunted growth rate
for sciences inside the US.


This is not an ideal situation, but it is reality.


But a changable part of it.


-george william herbert



--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++