Delta IV Heavy question

i'm curious about what payloads are so heavy the military would need a rocket that powerful to put them in space? spy sattelites aren't that big generally

Oh, it's probably the Rods from God weapons... They are meant to hurdle bundles of mass at extreme velocities to a target on Earths surface... That, as well as multiple offensive/defensive weapons per launch�

Originally posted by KKing123
i'm curious about what payloads are so heavy the military would need a rocket that powerful to put them in space? spy sattelites aren't that big generally

Large boosters such as this are almost exclusively used to put sattelites into geosynchronous (or farther) orbits. This orbit is typically used for communications and some other types of sattelites (for example, the DSP/SBIRs sattelites that are used to detect missile launches).

For example, a Titan IV booster (still the heaviest in the western world) can put around 70,000 pounds into a low earth orbit (commonly used for spy/weather sattelites), but only about 5,000 pounds into a geosynchronous orbit.

Those satellites carrying kinetic energy projectiles designed to disintegrate enemy nukes. That's what I say. Or maybe the rods from God. That's a good one too.

According to these datasheets:

www76.pair.com...

24t payloadin the lowest orbits, that could be some decent rod...

Other good candidates are:

- NPOES (polar orbiting satellites that combine environment watching with spy and missile launch warning, DOC & DOD sharing instruments and costs, wich I think is a very smart move in a troubled satellite market, also riding a spy satellite on top of your weather/environment sat, you get multiple data of the same location in a wide spectrum from radar, visible light, infrared etc, these data combined and fed to a number cruncher, you get a very good picture what might be going on )

www.ipo.noaa.gov...


- various manned moon/mars missions support (multiple module launches, assembe in orbit etc)
- ProjectPrometheus

Well, maybe they even gonna combine the NPOESS with rods or pebbles, after all it would make sense to have a good scope on your rifle? Some congressmen were recently warning about dangerous implications of some satellite program they are not allowed talk in full detail about it....Also the Delta IV NEEDS to have these heavy payloads to justify her existance, since there is not much demand from commercial markets, we can safely speculate that the millitary wants to launch a big can of whoopass


Also the NPOESS makes a perfect red herring, you launch it , for all to see and people might think its just another spy / weather satellite combo...

the best magicians do their tricks right under your nose



[edit on 26-12-2004 by Countermeasures]