An Unclassified Forum Discussing Space Warfare Relevant Strategies, Scenarios, and Implementing Technology and Tactics
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The Editors of this site have decided to focus our attentions on developing strategies for the United States for 3 areas of space: LEO, Moon, and Mars.
The USA is in the early stages of giant tech breakouts in its ongoing competition with its earth competitors. There are at least 5 tech breakouts happening simultaneously (AI, Genetics, Robotics and Automation, Warfare, and Space). Our emphasis here is on Space, and its Defense.
Our approach is to first establish a "first principle" definition of what our objectives are in each of the 3 areas (LEO, Moon and Mars), and then write a series of articles on each of the 3 areas.
Any article on space defense strategy and how it would look like must first consider the context of the 4 types of defense: a) passive detection and resilience, b) passive detection and active resistance; c) defensive actions preemptively taken to thwart / reduce the likelihood of offense against us, d) offensive strikes to reduce / eliminate the ability to attack us in the first place.
Could this strategic thinking analysis framework be used in the LEO, for the Moon, and for Mars as well?
We call this Site " Gravity Well" because the three dominating factors framing these DEFENSE strategy are 1) the gravity well (the effects of gravity as a force eminating from the earth and the moon) as depicted (Earth, Moon and Sun) and hence the name of the site, 2) Space's Environmental Conditions , and 3) The Purpose and Intent of the United States of America's Strategic Interests in Space and what Defense strategies (amongst the 4 above) work for it.
The Space tech breakout, already well underway, sees the US industrial/commerical sector leading the Defense Sector to the point that most of the innovation and costs of such are being borne by non-governmental companies with "dual-use" technologies, processes, and tangible results.
AI is a pervasive coming influencer on almost every aspect of the topics of this webiste. See each topic discussion on how AI is/will impact that area of discussion.
An initial article entitled "Ice Frontier" about Russia, and how Russia is approaching is geographic defense/offense, and how that is starting to apply to their LEO activites can be found on the Topicla Discussions page.
Check out the NOAA site (https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/points-of-lagrange-satellite-million-miles-home) for a Lagrange Point (L-1, and L-2 thru 5) overview.
This site greatly appreciates any meaningful comments, articles, or other submissions to advance the topics covered. We will gladly cite and reference any work or references; however, we reserve the exclusive and absolute right to accept or reject any submission, as we are mindful of the subject matter of this site and its ramifications.
The Scientific definitions of the gravity well:
A gravity well is a conceptual model representing the gravitational field around a massive body, often visualized as a depression in space-time. For Earth and the Moon, their gravity wells extend into space, with strength decreasing with distance. At the surface, gravity is most pronounced, making it a logical focus for the query.
Gravitational Acceleration: Surface Values
The acceleration due to gravity, "g," is calculated using the formula
g=GM/R2, where G is the gravitational constant (6.67430 × 10⁻¹¹ m³ kg⁻¹ s⁻²), M is the mass of the body, and R is its radius. We sourced precise values from NASA's planetary fact sheets for accuracy.
Earth: Mass (MEarth) = 5.972 × 10²⁴ kg Radius (REarth) = 6,371 km = 6.371 × 10⁶ m
From NASA Earth Fact Sheet, the mean surface gravity is 9.820 m/s², with a standard value of 9.80665 m/s² defined by CODATA 2018. For simplicity, we use 9.8 m/s², aligning with common usage.
Calculation:
gEarth=(6.67430×10−11×5.972×1024)/(6.371×106)2≈9.82 m/s², confirming our value.
Moon: Mass (MMoon) = 7.342 × 10²² kg Radius (RMoon) = 1,737 km = 1.737 × 10⁶ m
From NASA Moon Fact Sheet, surface gravity is 1.62 m/s².
Calculation: gMoon=(6.67430×10−11×7.342×1022)/(1.737×106)2≈1.625
m/s², rounding to 1.62 m/s² for consistency.
These values represent the gravitational acceleration at the surface, where the gravity well's effect is most tangible for objects on or near the surface.
Gravity Well Dynamics
The gravity well extends beyond the surface, with gravitational acceleration decreasing as 1/R2 for distances greater than the radius. Inside the body, for a uniform sphere, g
increases linearly from zero at the center to the surface value. However, the query likely focuses on surface values, given their relevance to everyday experience and the lack of specification for internal or orbital points.
The depth of the gravity well, with Earth's being significantly deeper due to its larger mass and radius, is indicated by the above differences in the gravity effects at the surface which extends for most of the distance between the earth adn the moon.
Additional Considerations
The term "inertial force " may suggest a connection to general relativity, where gravity is seen as curvature of space-time, and objects follow geodesic paths, appearing inertial in that frame. However, no standard metric like "inertial value of gravity" exists. We explored possibilities such as gravitational time dilation, calculations yield small effects (e.g., 6.95 × 10⁻¹⁰ for Earth, 3.13 × 10⁻¹¹ for Moon), but these are usually small but important variatoins when considering potential space warfare considerations
Variations in Earth's g occur due to latitude (9.780 m/s² at equator, 9.832 m/s² at poles) and rotation, reducing apparent gravity by up to 0.3% at the equator due to centrifugal force. The Moon, with no significant atmosphere, has a uniform g of 1.62 m/s² across its surface.
Comparative Table
To summarize key parameters, we present the following table:
Parameter. Earth. Moon
Surface Gravity (m/s²). 9.8 (mean 9.820) 1.62
Mass (kg) 5.972 × 10²⁴ 7.342 × 10²²
Radius (km) 6,371 1,737
Gravitational Potential (m²/s²). -6.256 × 10⁷ -2.821 × 10⁶
This table highlights the stark differences, with Earth's gravity well being much deeper, affecting everything from satellite orbits to human experience.
Conclusion
Gravitational acceleration in the well is VERY IMPORTANT, with Earth at 9.8 m/s² and the Moon at 1.62 m/s². These values encapsulate the "inertial effect" of gravity in their respective wells, aligning with the equivalence principle. For deeper inquiry, gravitational potential offers additional insight, but surface g remains the most relevant for practical purposes.
Key Citations
NASA Earth Fact Sheet detailed surface gravity data
NASA Moon Fact Sheet with surface gravity and GM values