Hypothetical question from a sci-fi writer.

[Diogenes]

Hi there,

I have a hypothetical question which is prima fascia more than a little ridiculous, but it relates to a science fiction book I'm working on writing. I'm hoping that one or more of the military aviation/aerospace experts here can weigh in on it and give me some realistic answers about a very unrealistic scenario.

Imagine for a moment that somebody has a technology to launch an object a bit larger and heavier than a railroad locomotive into space at hypersonic speeds. This technology doesn't generate a great deal of heat on its own: the only significant excess heat generated would be from the friction of the air at those speeds, and the technology is inherently capable of protecting the object from that phenomenon. There would be a hypersonic boom, and technology generates a moderate amount of light and in addition to that which the air's friction generates. It makes no effort to hide itself from radar returns. It generates a small amount of ionizing radiation.

If this technology was used to launch such an object into space in a northern part of Canada where there is no civilian ATC radar operating, who would notice it? What existing detection systems might they use? Who might investigate, and how?

Thanks in advance to anybody who cares to give me any of their thoughts.

Diogenes

 

[old faithful]

It would be noticed by the same agencies that would notice a missile launch, NORAD, the russian early warning systems, place like Pine Gap and the former Nurrunga in Australia.
Would be invetigated Asap, because The russians, US , UK everyone would want to know if there is an inbound nuke on the way.

 

[Diogenes]

It would be noticed by the same agencies that would notice a missile launch, NORAD, the russian early warning systems, place like Pine Gap and the former Nurrunga in Australia.
Would be invetigated Asap, because The russians, US , UK everyone would want to know if there is an inbound nuke on the way.

OK: so there are space-based infra red satellites watching, but how do they know the difference between a missile coming up and a meteorite going down? If our hypothetical technology doesn't generate heat other than via friction, why wouldn't it just look like a meteorite to such systems?

Secondly, how do these folks go about investigating such things? Presumably, the Russians and Chinese would be the ones who would be most interested in such an object coming from northern Canada, but they don't have easy physical access to that airspace to just drop in and take a look around. NORAD can show up and look, but do they watch their own territory for missile launches? Also, how would they go about investigating? Even if you sent the fastest jet fighter in the USAF inventory it seems like it would be a little tardy in getting there to investigate a missile launch after the fact.

[Mod Edit: Thread closed.

May I remind you that this is not a sci-fi writing circle or writing workshop. Join sci-fi forum or a writing club, if that is your interest.

This is a defence forum, organised into different sections where members can contribute and discuss various defence topics. Do not disrupt the forum with your personal writing concerns, in any section you deem fit without due regard to other members or the existing mode of organisation of the forum. In this case, you are posting in an air force section (wrong section of the forum).

Do not attempt to start a new thread on the same sci-fi writing circle concerns again. Change your posting behaviour or leave.]