surrogate small country, motivation and technical support could come from the opposing superpower behind the scenes. During a conventional theater war on Earth, assets of any of the belligerent countries would be fair game for attack, especially if they contributed to the economic and industrial strength of an opposing nation. SPS facilities, ground- based electrical generating plants, petroleum refineries, pipelines, highways, railroads, and airfields would all be subject to attack, and our concern in this context must be the relative vulnerability of the SPS in comparison with alternative energy systems. Thus far, the major spacefaring nations have been the opposing superpowers of terrestrial politics, the United States and the Soviet Union. Both nations have deployed extensive military systems in space, ranging from communications, weather observation, and navigation satellites to surveillance and reconnaissance (spy) satellites. Both nations are actively pursuing development of antisatellite weaponry. Reportedly, the U.S.S.R. has the capability with ground-based lasers to damage and incapacitate sensitive optical sensor elements in U.S. spy satellites.* Most spacefaring nations can be expected to deploy military satellites of their own in the next few decades. As the strategic value of military assets in space increases, as the number of participants in military space grows, and as the level of capabilities in space rises, warfare in space could break out as a prelude to warfare on Earth; SPS elements in space could then expect to come under attack along with overtly military satellites. 4.4 Technological Vulnerabilities From the above discussions of generic vulnerabilities, it is evident that assaults against the SPS by sabotage, mutiny, attack, and terrorism or insurrection will rely upon various technological means to inflict damage or injury upon SPS facilities, vehicles, or personnel. While assaults by harassment, espionage, strikes, or expropriation may occasionally resort to the use of force, these assaults by their very nature tend to use institutional means. * Weather imaging and Earth resources satellites have cameras with lens apertures of 12-15 cm or more. Since a lens of aperture 5-8 cm can easily achieve flux concentration ratios of 100 or more, sensor elements behind the still larger lenses of high-resolution spy satellites can be damaged by flux levels far too low to damage solar cells, let along structural components or thin metal skins.
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