What a realistic space battle would look like

[Still Waters]

Science fiction space movies can do a poor job of educating people about space. In the movies, hot-shot pilots direct their dueling space ships through space as if they're flying through an atmosphere. They bank and turn and perform loops and rolls, maybe throw in a quick Immelman turn, as if they're subject to Earth's gravity. Is that realistic?

No.

In reality, a space battle is likely to look much different. With an increasing presence in space, and the potential for future conflict, is it time to think about what an actual space battle would look like?

The non-profit Aerospace Corporation thinks it's time to consider what a real space battle would look like. Dr. Rebecca Reesman from the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy and her colleague James R. Wilson have written a paper on the topic of space battles, titled "The Physics of Space War: How Orbital Dynamics Constrain Space-to-Space Engagements."

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-realistic-space.html

https://aerospace.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/Reesman_PhysicsWarSpace_20201001.pdf

[+OverSword]

I love science fiction novels that take actual physics into account while describing space battles.

Space peace treaties being written and signed today are meaningless though.  another realistic aspect of space battles is that compared to the commercial entities that will arise and become fantastically wealthy by developing off world resources, terrestrial powers will pale in comparison and be at the strategic mercy of those in space.  

Edited October 22, 2020 by OverSword