TIL: Starfish Prime was the largest nuclear test in space. At 250 miles in the air, it EMPed 900 miles of Hawaii, frying electrical systems, setting off burglar alarms, and shut down 6+ satellites due to the months long radiation belt. After 5 years, traces of the electrons still linger in space.

From the news article today about Russian nukes in space.

After the series of test as shown here. Every nation basically forbid nukes in space as indiscriminate attacks on every nation.

This was just 250 miles in the air with a fairly weak nuke. Yet it caused DAMAGE taking down 6+ satellites over months.

Nukes today launched at a higher atmo, with intention to harm can target the busy orbits causing until devastation on the worldwide infrastructure. Apparently, if done right, a single nuke with the intention to harm satellites aimed at causing the most damage can take down a third of all satellites in orbit over a year. Thats a new apocalypse scebario

Just in case anybody is interested, this test is also one of the things that spurred the conspiracy theory that we are all living in a dome. This test was a part of operation fishbowl where the USA basically blasted nukes in the sky just to test them. What some say really was happening was that we discovered around this same time that we actually live under some type of dome and what the USA was really trying to do was to penetrate the dome. After multiple attempts, they then realized they were unsuccessful.

Why do us little folk never get asked whether we’re onboard with this crazy stuff. I mean, we live here too.

Wow. I just read a book about a scenario in which the US and Europe are EMPed by nukes in the atmosphere. It’s all based on how the scenario would likely play out and it’s pretty scary. Complete societal breakdown in a few weeks. No food, no medical supplies, very few vehicles (only pre-computer ones work). People killing each other for food scraps, etc.
The book is “One Second After” By William R. Forester. It’s really good.

Can someone explain how the radiation stays around for months?

Looks like those people afraid of setting the ozone on fire before the first bomb weren’t actually that afraid and kept pushing the envelope.

Do you want “Rods from God?” Because that’s how you get “Rods from God.” Weaponizing space is not good at all.

Goldeneye IRL

I call Starfish Prime if I ever start a band.

Humans are fucking idiots.

The US used EMP weapons during the Iraq war too. EMP weapons already exist. The real existential threat are intercontinetal EMP weapons. Russia, China and the US have them and current civilian infrastrucfure is not protected in any way. Every traffic light, home computer and internet node is unprotected. Using those could mean whole hospitals being rendered useless because almost all equipments with micro controllers need to be replaced costing trillions.

Another conspiracy theory is that by detonating a nuke in space we broke an intergalactic space treaty (no nukes in space) and the aliens were coming to dispose our world governments and take over.

How very vault tec of them

250 miles up is most certainly not ‘in the air’ as there is no air up there.

Our “leaders” dont give two fucks about us. Money and power is all that matters, we need to change the rules

No gods, no masters