Satellite Weapons | Dark Rivers of the Heart Spoiler

[GTOM]

Just finished reading Dark rivers of the heart.(SPOILER AHEAD)

Personally i found the ending pretty much irrealistic, i don't think that on contemporary tech level, a satellite laser could do any serious harm to a person.

However satellites that can identify terrorists and even penetrate the atmosphere with ray weapons is a common sf trope.

But what could the power requirements for the later? I guess only low orbit sats could do such things, fire from geo orbit would require even bigger magnitude of power.

I also wonder about the more realistic option of tracking persons and vehicles. As far as i know face recognition is very challenging, either extreme size of telescope is required, or make many many images from different angles and transform them to a higher res image.
But could a vehicle disappear in the wilderness, once it is tracked?
Can sats see through thick clouds without radar?

 

[.Scott]

Just finished reading Dark rivers of the heart.

I have not read - so I will respond only to what you post. I am not sure what you mean by "contemporary tech level".

i don't think that on contemporary tech level, a satellite laser could do any serious harm to a person.

Is this stuff in production or just in the lab. Clearly, no such satellites are in orbit now. The devices that are seen in some videos shooting down drones from a couple of miles away, are fairly heavy devices. Still, in some ways, space is more flexible. Sources of vibration are more controllable. Mirrors will not be warped by their supports and 1G of gravity. So a large reflector can be more easily targeted.
As far as the mass of those devices, they could be sent up in pieces - reflector, laser, power storage, solar arrays.
As to whether they could do serious harm to a person, people are pretty fragile. If you can get a few kilowatts on target for a few seconds, that will ruin someones day.

But what could the power requirements for the later? I guess only low orbit sats could do such things, fire from geo orbit would require even bigger magnitude of power.

Yes, definitely low orbit.

I also wonder about the more realistic option of tracking persons and vehicles. As far as i know face recognition is very challenging, either extreme size of telescope is required, or make many many images from different angles and transform them to a higher res image.

"Tracking" has limitations from low orbit. You will only have the target within your horizons for a few minutes. So you would need to track from geo-synchronous orbit. I will leave it up to others to determine how large an aperture you would need to track a car-size object from geo orbit.

But could a vehicle disappear in the wilderness, once it is tracked?

Do you mean traveling under a canopy? Seeing through canopy is a significant challenge. So would shooting a DEW through canopy.

Can sats see through thick clouds without radar?

I don't believe there are any "non-radar" wavelengths used with satellite remote sensing that can see through a cumulonimbus.

 

[AlexTheParticle]

I agree with you that the ending of Dark Rivers of the Heart was somewhat unrealistic. While satellite technology has advanced significantly, I find it hard to believe that a satellite laser would be able to cause serious harm to a person. However, as you mentioned, the idea of satellites being used for surveillance and even weapons is a common trope in science fiction.

I'm not sure about the exact power requirements for a satellite to have the capability to identify and attack individuals. It would likely require a significant amount of energy and resources. As for tracking individuals and vehicles, I think that is definitely a more realistic use of satellite technology. Face recognition may be challenging, but with the advancements in AI and machine learning, it is becoming more accurate and efficient.

In terms of tracking a vehicle in the wilderness, it would depend on the terrain and conditions. Satellites can certainly track movement and location, but if the vehicle is hidden under thick foliage or in a cave, it may be more difficult for the satellite to detect it.

As for seeing through thick clouds, it would depend on the type of satellite and its capabilities. Some satellites are equipped with advanced radar technology that can penetrate through clouds and other obstacles, while others may not have that capability. It also depends on the thickness and composition of the clouds. Overall, satellite technology has advanced significantly, but there are still limitations and challenges to consider.