Russia wants to put a nuclear weapon in space. Congress has their hair on fire. Is it an EMP?

[pknopp]

Actually it was a Republican who sounded the alarm.
From the faces I've seen of congressmen who went into a skif to see the intelligence...its serious.

There are plenty of both sides that want the money to flow.

 

[justoffal]

Too high up....won't affect things on the ground.
But it will destroy ALL satellites.

Sure....unless they do an over-burst
On a metro region like NYC from less than ten miles high. Seriously though the elimination of the satellite network alone would cause chaos.

 

[kyzr]

Yeah ..... Well it's nothing new. Civil engineers have been sounding the alarm for 20 years. A potent emp burst will shut down everything. Conventional power, Solar, Wind ...all of it. So keep that 1968 Dodge dart in good running condition. No electronics and a straight up generator with points and plugs.

How about my RAZR & dirt bike? Then again, peddling a plain old bike is healthier.

 

[justoffal]

There are plenty of both sides that want the money to flow.

Damn straight....

 

[JohnDB]

There ARE ways of destroying satellites that doesn't involve nukes or that will cause such rampant destruction....*Kessler effect"

And that's the technology that Russia wants. Due to sanctions they have been cut off from the components that will allow them to develop such things.

We have been showcasing that technology lately....and it's been disturbing Russia that we have this technology and they don't.

 

[justoffal]

How about my RAZR & dirt bike? Then again, peddling a plain old bike is healthier.

Dirt bike should be good....

 

[kyzr]

What about MTG 's space lasers?

What about them?

 

[kyzr]

These reactions to "National Security" fear porn are a real hoot.

So you subscribe to the "ignorance is bliss" method? No news is good news?

 

[Natural Citizen]

These reactions to "National Security" fear porn are a real hoot.

It's amazing how it always seems to work like that...

And, of course, the people will often tend to love them for it...

 

[pknopp]

So you subscribe to the "ignorance is bliss" method? No news is good news?

Maybe Iraq hid their WMD on a satellite?

Maybe people would take the governments proclamations a little more seriously if the government would stop with the lies.

 

[Vastator]

If Russia set off an EMP in space above the US every electronic circuit would be fried.
No iPhones, no TV, no computers, how's that for a start?
Not to mention no ICBMs...

Oh I'm well aware of that. I don't have any ICBMs. And am well prepared to get on without the grid. Sounds like it would be more of a problem for an overbloated government to communicate, control, and exert its will over the States as a whole... Frankly, it's sounds like more individual Liberty, and freedom, with far less governmental interference.

 

[JohnDB]

Sure....unless they do an over-burst
On a metro region like NYC from less than ten miles high. Seriously though the elimination of the satellite network alone would cause chaos.

EMP is because of the strong magnetic field....relative motion (the rising and falling burst) and the amount of wire. T¹/T²=V¹/V² and then there's other formulas that demonstrate how many Henry's (units of magnetism) are required to do anything much....(electricians got mathing that maths).

However, grounding can protect equipment and wire and electronics from EMPs. It will disrupt radio signals...so cell phones are toast. Not because of the circuitry but because the signals won't get through. Most modern buildings have so much grounding in them today that they are practically a Faraday cage. (Can't get a cell phone signal unless by a window) Which means that the stuff inside is protected.
Old buildings? Well....lotsa luck.

 

[iku]

Oh Shit, now what?

Russia is preparing to launch nuclear weapon into space, US fears

Russia wants to put a nuclear weapon into space, US intelligence indicates, in what was described as a “serious national security threat”.

news.yahoo.com

What, Exactly, Is This Mysterious “Serious National Security Threat”?

Congress announced a vague “threat” today. But nobody panic just yet.

slate.com

The ‘disturbing’ intel roiling the Hill is about Russian nukes in space

The U.S. has for more than a year been concerned about Russia's potentially creating and deploying an antisatellite nuclear weapon, one of the people familiar with the intelligence said.

www.politico.com

I'm thinking that if Russia puts a nuke up in space it could be an EMP.

Any other possibilities?

Maybe the new Space Force can do something?

United States Space Force - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

maybe it is one of them fake Chinese balloons that flew all over the USA and not on person saw it
Elections have consequences. If the USA gets wiped out, Biden voters own it.

 

[JWBooth]

So you subscribe to the "ignorance is bliss" method? No news is good news?

I subscribe to the "our government is made up of the most vile liars this planet has ever produced" pov.

 

[justoffal]

EMP is because of the strong magnetic field....relative motion (the rising and falling burst) and the amount of wire. T¹/T²=V¹/V² and then there's other formulas that demonstrate how many Henry's (units of magnetism) are required to do anything much....(electricians got mathing that maths).

However, grounding can protect equipment and wire and electronics from EMPs. It will disrupt radio signals...so cell phones are toast. Not because of the circuitry but because the signals won't get through. Most modern buildings have so much grounding in them today that they are practically a Faraday cage. (Can't get a cell phone signal unless by a window) Which means that the stuff inside is protected.
Old buildings? Well....lotsa luck.

Transformers in the bigger power plants...and with an interruption of electromagnetic attraction no generation.

 

[JohnDB]

Transformers in the bigger power plants...and with an interruption of electromagnetic attraction no generation.

It's brief at best. And depending on the voltage....probably not much is going to be affected.
What is likely is momentary "dirty" power. Meaning that the 60hz frequency will have some other harmonics for a brief interlude.

However....
Because of newer codes and working practice guidelines the Electrical grid and modern equipment is actually prepared for this. We have been upsizing neutrals and grounding wiring for decades. Oversizing them instead of what is actually necessary.
Your transformers on the poles and switch yards? Those things are beasts to begin with. The fuse MIGHT kick out....that's about it. And there are a LOT of fuses and breakers along the way. All installed to protect the wiring from such things.
Volts don't do the damage....amperes do. And electric lines attract lightning...they get hit all the time all across the world. An EMP is not magic.

 

[the watcher]

I would be very surprised if there have not been devices deployed for years, by multiple parties. If there were a burst or 2 over the country you might never know who was responsible, and it really would not matter who or what was blamed, the struggle would be very real. This is most likely another extortion play for more funding and control.

 

[JohnDB]

I would be very surprised if there have not been devices deployed for years, by multiple parties. If there were a burst or 2 over the country you might never know who was responsible, and it really would not matter who or what was blamed, the struggle would be very real. This is most likely another extortion play for more funding and control.

We could see them if there were any.
Nukes are like a big huge beacon in the upper orbit or LEO...and EVERYONE can see them. Every ballistic missile is instantly watched....Russia's newest and fastest missile (used on Ukraine) is just a ballistic missile and instantly destroyed by Patriots missile systems.

So, nope....there are not any nukes floating up in the sky currently.

 

[Natural Citizen]

This is most likely another extortion play for more funding and control.

Yeah, I think so...

 

[justoffal]

It's brief at best. And depending on the voltage....probably not much is going to be affected.
What is likely is momentary "dirty" power. Meaning that the 60hz frequency will have some other harmonics for a brief interlude.

However....
Because of newer codes and working practice guidelines the Electrical grid and modern equipment is actually prepared for this. We have been upsizing neutrals and grounding wiring for decades. Oversizing them instead of what is actually necessary.
Your transformers on the poles and switch yards? Those things are beasts to begin with. The fuse MIGHT kick out....that's about it. And there are a LOT of fuses and breakers along the way. All installed to protect the wiring from such things.
Volts don't do the damage....amperes do. And electric lines attract lightning...they get hit all the time all across the world. An EMP is not magic.

Thank goodness