Orbital warfare

[Romulus Augustulus]

Any way we can get a more heavily militarized/weaponized Space Race? POD somewhere around the late-1940s. What I have in mind is the United States and the Soviet Union both deploying nuclear-armed spaceplane bombers instead of or at least in addition to their ICBM forces, and a more heavy military space presence for both sides. More ASAT weaponry, orbital nuclear weapons platforms, etc. You read about projects like the Dyna-Soar and you get this tantalizing glimpse of this vision they had of 1970s-era space warfare...

Or is it, as I suspect, a totally impractical concept? Mind you, an orbital bomber/manned reconnaissance spaceplane would have offered some advantages over an ICBM...

 

[M79]

Sure, get Stalin to follow through on his plan to kidnap Eugen Sanger, the designer of the Silverbird (German) antipodal bomber. Stalin builds them in the early 50s, the US follows suit, we get a massive spaceborne buildup and a much more extensive space program by the 1970s. Forget moon landings, try lunar bases and a Mars landing by 1988 at the latest. By 2000 I think a real tourism industry is possible.

 

[Elidor]

One way to get cold war powers to invest in Orbital warfare is to have them make real effective NORAD-like Missile defense systems, that can protect very well from ICBMs coming from a predictable direction and a terrestrial point of origin. A few propaganda reels from the US demonstrating its missile-interception capabilities would prompt the soviets to launch an orbiting nuclear platforms.

It may jump start the space race AND get the soviet union to go bankrupt earlier.

 

[Michel Van]

The USA & USSR Military had alot programm for Space War
Most if build had be only operational in 1960s

here a "little" selection
take wat you want and Used it for this TL



USAF
1962 NAA Manned Bombardment and Control Vehicle

http://www.astronautix.com/craft/naahicle.htm

1957 Project Orion
A Nuclear Puls powert Rocket as Orbital Nuke Platform

(here the Mars Flight Version)
http://www.astronautix.com/lvfam/orion.htm

1961 LUNEX

get first on moon in 1967 and Build a USAF Base with Nuke

USAF Space Fighter and Bombers

ROBO (on top) and DYNASOAR (down)
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/robo.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dynasoar.htm

BOMI

Left BOMI right ROBO and DYNASOAR.
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/bomi.htm

US Army
1959 PROJECT HORIZON
the same as LUNEX only Army way...
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/prorizon.htm

USSR Space Wapons
1960s Sergei Korolev had the Idea of a "Orbitalniy Poyas" ( Orbital Belt )
a Network from Manned Space Station,Manned Spy Sats, Manned Space Fighter
and Orbital Nuclear Weapons
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/op.htm

Soyuz PPK

USSR Space Fighter
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/soyuzppk.htm

N-11GR

USSR Orbital Orbital Nuke Platform
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/n11gr.htm

and of curse
POLYUS

the USSR weapon Platform who made almost in space
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/polyus.htm