Why Are Rocks the Deadliest and Simplest Space Weapon in The Expanse Season 5?

TL;DR

Rocks are deadly space weapons because kinetic impactors carry enormous energy and travel through space without atmospheric resistance. A one-kilometer-wide rock is estimated to release over 100,000 megatons of TNT, while even a frozen body moving many kilometers per second could destroy a smaller ship. Read on to see how Newton's laws, the Torino scale, and asteroid-deflection technology explain the threat.

Transcript

if humanity ever really does expand into space conflict is sure to follow there will be a scramble for power resources and influence sure to produce some stellar skirmishes it's just human nature but i ask you what will be the most fearsome weapon in these inevitable battles i can tell you that it won't be ai auto turrets or kilometer long railguns... Read More

Key Insights

• "these kinetic impactors these weapons that trade in on kinetic energy alone are the simplest and deadliest space weapons" (1:09)
• "any object unless acted upon by an outside force is likely to continue on in a straight line at a constant velocity forever" (1:49)
• "and we get an estimated energy value of over a hundred thousand megatons of tnt" (4:05)
• "a body like your boy here moving many kilometers per second frozen solid could obliterate a smaller ship" (5:39)
• "because of this sagan thought that humanity was at much more of a risk from a man-made impact than a natural one" (6:34)

Questions & Answers

Q: Why are rocks the deadliest and simplest space weapons?

Rocks can function as kinetic impactors, causing destruction through kinetic energy alone. In space, no atmosphere significantly resists their motion, so an object can continue in a straight line at a constant velocity unless an outside force acts on it.

Q: How does The Expanse season 5 use rocks as weapons?

In season five of The Expanse, an oppressed Belter population seeks revenge on Earth and the Inners. They attack by flinging rocks at Earth instead of using nuclear weapons or lasers.

Q: How do Newton's laws explain the danger of kinetic impactors?

Newton's first law says an object continues in a straight line at constant velocity unless acted upon by an outside force. The transcript adds that any force, however small, can accelerate an object to a velocity it will maintain in space.

Q: What is the Torino scale?

The Torino scale is a color-coded system used to categorize potential asteroid damage. It combines the probability of impact with impact energy measured in megatons of TNT equivalent.

Q: How much energy could a one-kilometer-wide space rock carry?

Using typical values for dangerous asteroids, the transcript estimates more than 100,000 megatons of TNT for a rock one kilometer wide. It also describes that energy as more than 1,800 photon torpedoes.

Q: How is the kinetic energy of a space rock calculated?

Kinetic energy equals one half of the object's mass multiplied by its velocity squared. For a nearly spherical rock, its mass can be estimated by multiplying the volume of a sphere by the rock's estimated density.

Q: Could a body ejected from a spaceship damage another ship?

Yes. Because the spaceship was already moving quickly, the ejected body could also travel many kilometers per second. Once frozen solid, it could obliterate a smaller ship.

Q: Can asteroid-deflection technology become a weapon?

Carl Sagan concluded that technology capable of deflecting an asteroid, including lasers, nuclear weapons, or gravity tugboats, could also redirect one toward a country, city, or another part of a planet. He therefore considered a human-made impact a greater risk than a natural one.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In season 5 of the Expanse, rocks are used as weapons by an oppressed belter population to seek revenge on earth and the inner planets.

• Space rocks, known as kinetic impactors, rely on kinetic energy alone to cause destruction, making them deadly weapons.

• The absence of air and resistance to motion in space allows objects to continue on a straight line at a constant velocity, making it difficult to miss a target.