Physics Colloquium, November 28, 2006
The Physics of Space Weapons David Wright

Co-Director and Senior Scientist, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Research Associate, MIT Program on Science, Technology, and Society

U.S. interest in new military uses of space has increased in the past few years, driven in part by the important role satellites have played in recent conflicts. New uses of space being considered include basing weapons in space to attack targets on the ground and in space, and developing weapons to attack satellites. This has led to an international debate about how space should be used and whether such activities should be limited. Unfortunately, many of the discussions, both by weapons proponents and opponents, reflect a lack of understanding of fundamental physics concepts that are important for the debate. This talk will give an introduction to the current debate, and will show how basic principles of mechanics and orbital dynamics can have important implications for these issues. It will also discuss briefly our recent work on the creation of orbital debris by anti-satellite weapons.

Bio
David Wright received his PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics from Cornell University in 1983, and held post-docs at the Ohio State University and the University of Pennsylvania before beginning to work full-time on security issues. Prior to coming to UCS and MIT in 1992, he held positions in the Center for Science and International Affairs in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard (1988-90), and at the Federation of American Scientists (1990-2). He is a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and was a recipient of the APS Joseph A. Burton Forum Award in 2001. His physics publications include two Reviews of Modern Physics articles, and he has authored or co-authored numerous articles on technical security issues. Most recently, he co-authored The Physics of Space Security, which was published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in May 2005.

Wright's expertise includes space security, ballistic missile defense, the North Korean missile program, and U.S. nuclear weapons policy. In addition, since 1990 he has been a co-organizer of a series of annual conferences intended to identify and train young scientists from the international community-especially Russia, China, and South Asia-in the technical analysis of security issues.

4:00 p.m., Physics Research Building (PRB), Room 1080

Reception at 3:45 p.m., Atrium, PRB