Lockheed Martin contracted by USAF for Space Fence

www.nellis.af.mil...

Lockheed Martin was awarded the Space Fence contract for nearly a cool $Billion. Near Earth detection of space objects down to softball size are claimed to be observable to detect possible interaction with military and commercial satellites, plus whatever else is up there. Low orbit and atmospheric objects down to 10cm will be detectable as well. One can wonder other potential applications as well. Space junk is problematic, and I applaud the effort to track, but what about clean up? The potential benefits are great, but I assume there are other bells and whistles that will not be disclosed, of course. Before we know it, before we set sail out into our Solar System, our government will already have tracking devices and a fancy alarm system in place. We will never know what is tracked, but I imagine some weird things will be observed. Just another supercool tech that may be used for many purposes.

I bet their stock just went up. Now we will be able to know in advance when we will have an asteroid threatening us. At least we will know to go outside and watch. That is all this will accomplish, it will not stop any damage the asteroids do. Knowing about how government contracts work, this one billion will turn into ten. S&F

DP...Haven't done that in a while.

a reply to: Boscov

Likely story. Whatever the "space fence" really is, it will probably be pointing downward.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

I also took notice to Dana Whalley's comment regarding the USAF ability to monitor the "battlespace". Sorry, I was unaware we were at war in space, but we should assume our war tendencies would be projected anywhere we reach.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

Space Fence is a ground based radar platform that monitors low/medium orbiting objects. If it points downward, it's not going to be looking at anything.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

Space Fence is a ground based radar platform that monitors low/medium orbiting objects. If it points downward, it's not going to be looking at anything.

Well that kinda ruins my joke, then, doesn't it?

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

Ptshhhh, I totally starred your post for that joke too!
*walks away with his face in his hands*

A joke I already laughed at can't be ruined, for me!
a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

a reply to: rickymouse

I think the system here will be for stuff in orbit around the Earth. If it detected an asteroid of threatening size it would be too late to even go outside to see it. It would have already made a mess of things. NASA/ESA and the amateur astronomy community are pretty much our only way to detect and give enough time to defend against harmful asteroids.

From 8-2013 - space fence shutdown

A U.S. radar system that tracks thousands of objects orbiting Earth — from satellites to harmful debris — has been slated for shutdown, according to the Space News site. The ground-based network known as the "Space Fence" may cease to operate in October.
...
The pending shutdown is being blamed on the government's sequestration cuts and on the Strategic Choices and Management Review that the Pentagon is using to find areas of potential savings. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered that broad review several months ago.

Efforts to award a contract to build an updated version of the Space Fence system, parts of which date from the 1960s, have been held up by budgetary concerns.

Now that it was accomplished, a new one can be purchased, since there isn't one.

a reply to: Sammamishman


We couldn't hit an asteroid with the weapons we have, asteroids move very fast and sometimes change angle a little when they hit our atmosphere. We could knock a missile out but I doubt if we could target an asteroid.

If an asteroid is going to hit in your area, there isn't much you could do about it. There is no way to predict the exact trajectory, if a chunk breaks off, it shifts the asteroid slightly in our atmosphere. It is different in space, but things change in our atmosphere. I have seen asteroids arcing slightly when they come down then fizzle out. That isn't that rare actually. I have only actually seen one that I know was big enough that it hit the ground....jn Canada.

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Thanks, for letting me know that we are in the Star Trek narrative, and not the Star Wars narrative (as Ronald Reagan explained). Now i can let Scotty and Spock know that the THOLIANS are creating this "spacenet" thingy again. Yoda Mann will be relieved!

a reply to: rickymouse


Absolutely. That's why early deep space detection by space and land based telescopes (Spitzer, WISE, NEOSSat, Amatuer networks) is so critical against those threats. See a NEO with a probable impact in 1 month, we're toast. See one with a several year lead time, we might be able to something then.

I do however love seeing bolides leave a green streak across the night sky.