Aunc.3327
net.space
utzoo!decvax!harpo!duke!unc!smb
Wed Apr 21 20:19:59 1982
Nuclear power in space

There is indeed a treaty on the peaceful uses of outer space; it
prohibits "weapons of mass destruction" in space.  The proposal about
the MX missles is to launch them on warning into low-earth orbit;
from there, they can be "dropped" on the USSR if needed, or they can
be recovered if it was a false alarm.  The idea is to find some scheme
that doesn't leave them vulnerable to a first-strike, since no one
is too enthusiastic about digging lots of holes for them.

More details can be found on the ARMS-D list, which is where this
discussion started, and where it should probably remain.... (except,
of course, for the purely technical aspects of launch/recovery).