One way mission to the moon

[Gawdzilla Sama]

But that technology gap also allows for advances in detection technology, and defensive technology, very cheap in energy terms to hurl a few hundred rocks at an incoming missile from the lunar surface, just as easy to hurl them at the earth too.

I know you've read the moon is a harsh mistress.

How does that determine who launched the missile? And wouldn't stealth technology keep up with detection?

Who launched the missile would be a case of who objected to the presence of the outpost. If their criminal justice system is anything to go by I don't think they'd worry about evidence.

They would only know about the overt objectors, not all of them.

Detection Vs. stealth depends on the system being used, and only one country on Earth has invested heavily in stealth systems.

So far. And that technology is not immune to theft, as the Manhattan Project proved.

[Don't Panic]

But that technology gap also allows for advances in detection technology, and defensive technology, very cheap in energy terms to hurl a few hundred rocks at an incoming missile from the lunar surface, just as easy to hurl them at the earth too.

I know you've read the moon is a harsh mistress.

How does that determine who launched the missile? And wouldn't stealth technology keep up with detection?

Who launched the missile would be a case of who objected to the presence of the outpost. If their criminal justice system is anything to go by I don't think they'd worry about evidence.

They would only know about the overt objectors, not all of them.

Detection Vs. stealth depends on the system being used, and only one country on Earth has invested heavily in stealth systems.

So far. And that technology is not immune to theft, as the Manhattan Project proved.

That technology requires a lot of interesting materials that aren't commercially available, not too many countries could copy the US's stealth technology, even with the information on how it works.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Plutonium wasn't commercially available in 1945, not bomb grade.

[Don't Panic]

Plutonium wasn't commercially available in 1945, not bomb grade.

Closest competitors to the US in 45 were the Soviets and they were 4 years behind, and they used enriched uranium for their first bomb.