Timeline for Could a civilization achieve spaceflight without inventing advanced weaponry along the way?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
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| Oct 5, 2014 at 1:14 | comment | added | Nerrolken | @Alexander They'd certainly recognize that it's possible. But it's possible right now to have scuba troops that fight huge battles under water, that doesn't mean that it's practical or that we'd ever consider doing it. Again, it's not about whether they COULD develop guns, it's about whether it's plausible that they could not. It's entirely plausible that, given an environment like that, they might not consider it worthwhile, honorable, practical, or ethical. The answer "COULD they" is yes. It's not certain that they would, but they could. | |
| Oct 4, 2014 at 17:26 | comment | added | Alexander | @Nerrolken If they would find out that rockets can go into orbit if you put enough O2 in them, they will be far enough developed that they will try to imagine other uses for this kind of technology - and they will come up with the old ideas of shooting, which failed because of the lack of O2... and voilá... | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 21:06 | comment | added | PlasmaHH | @Nerrolken: Our current society could also tomorrow give up all nuclear weapons. There are many possible chemicals that can be used for firearms. E.g. nitrocellulosis was discovered accidentally because someone spilled nitrosulfuric acid in his kitchen. Anyone with the slightest motivation of doing so would find an application in firearms. Even primitive people have things like blowguns that could be developed further. The key point to the possibility is the motivation of the race, finding possible firearms on the way to spaceflight is certain. But do they need them is the real question. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 20:46 | comment | added | Nerrolken | @PlasmaHH Modern guns contain an oxidizer within their ammunition, but in an atmosphere lacking oxygen it's doubtful that a race would follow the "firearms" track of study long enough to get there. Or even if you disagree and think they would, it's at least believable that they might not, which is all we're going for here: not MUST they, but COULD they. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 20:36 | comment | added | PlasmaHH | Personal firearms don't need O2 even in our world. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 18:22 | comment | added | Nerrolken | @TimB Generally true, but I'm visualizing an irregular planetoid, vaguely shaped like a teardrop. Not sure if it would actually work out this way scientifically, but one might imagine that the gravity and atmosphere would be thicker around the main body, but gradually weaker along the pointed tip. Theoretically, you might be able to have a distant point or "peak" on the planetoid with no atmosphere and lower gravity, while elsewhere you could have a more livable landscape. Definitely an out-there, sci-fi concept, but plausible enough. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 18:14 | comment | added | Tim B | That's a fair point, although any planet or moon with gravity that weak would not have an atmosphere to speak of in the first place. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 17:33 | comment | added | Nerrolken | @TimB That's the speed needed for a circular trajectory in low-orbit around Earth, it's not a universal number. Orbital speed around the moon is 2,170 mph, around an alien planet could be even less, and the question asked about getting into space, not establishing a stable orbit. A crossbow can fire bolts up to 100 meters per second, which is 10x the escape velocity of Mars's moon Phobos. It all just depends on the specific conditions on the alien world, and that can obviously be adjusted to fit the author's needs. | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 17:17 | comment | added | Tim B | Example 1 doesn't really help, it gets them out of the atmosphere but orbital velocity is 15,430 mph - that won't be achieved by a trebuchet! | |
| Oct 3, 2014 at 17:14 | review | First posts | |||
| Oct 3, 2014 at 17:15 | |||||
| Oct 3, 2014 at 17:11 | history | answered | Nerrolken | CC BY-SA 3.0 |