Conference 7.286::space

  I hope that it's launched on an expendable and I hope that the range safty
officer is an afro-american. 

  Oops, it's getting kind of high up there. **BLAM**, Oh, too bad about that.

  George

    Let us hope that they stick to satellites and stay away from lobbing
    small packages of nuclear bombs at the front-line states and the so
    called black homelands within South Africa. The South Africian govt
    should be veiwed with strong scepticism when it comes to ballistic
    'rocket' development. Sure they would like to have the industrial
    capability to send sats into orbit - but I'm sure they would prefer to
    have them for other reasons. Especially in view of the fact that the
    SA govt has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
    
    Simon Mansfield
    
    
     
    
     

NBC has been reporting for the past few weeks [on & off] that RSA is being
"assisted" in its rocket research efforts by Israel; when pressed on this
matter, a member of the Israeli inner cabinet side stepped the issue.

I don't think the South African whites need nuclear weapons right now [or
in the near future] to strike at the Frontline states. They could use some
good aircraft though, as their debacle against the Cuban manned Angolan
airforce showed.

-parthi

    Re:.3
    	According to various sources, South Africa ALREADY has nuclear
    weapons. While they can be easily dropped from aircraft, another good
    way to deliver such weapons would be by long range missle. Israel has
    already demonstrated its missle capabilities with the Jericho and if
    the South Africans (i.e. the White South Africans) buy or develop a
    similar missile it could mean big trouble. The ultra-conservative
    factions of South Africa, I fear, would not hesitate using nuclear
    weapons if they were losing to the blacks (i.e. the black South
    Africans or blacks from the homelands) in any sort of armed conflict.
    I am also certain that the Israelis would not hesitate to use their 
    nuclear weapons if they were losing to the Arabs.
    
    				Drew
    

    The ranges are a bit close, though..
    

  With Communism comming appart at the seams, it hardly seems necessary to help
SA build up their armed forces. More and more western nations may start to feel
that way and South Africia may be finding themselves in a position of them
against the world. Under those conditions, it could be very dangerous for them
to develop nuclear weapons and long range launch vechiles. 

  I agree that they would not use the weapons against the black areas because
they are so close but they might use them to silence criticizm from the nothern
hemisphere. If not an actual launch, perhaps they would feel that there would
be an advantage in being a launch threat. They may envy the respect given to
the Soviet Union over the past years and see "the bomb" as a way to force
Northern nations to keep their hands off.

  George

    South Africa is not a small nation, it is larger than the state of
    Texas and at least 3 time the size of the state of Nevada. The point
    being if the US govt can find is reasonably safe in a period of
    relative peace, ie the 1950s, to conduct a long series of above ground
    nuclear explosions (that only ceased in the early 60s), then I'm sure
    that the SA govt is not going to be too concerned about the black
    homelands and front line states being a little close. In regards to the 
    Northern hemisphere, the SA govt is pretty stupid but to attack the north 
    is only inviting armed intervention by the NATO and WARSAW pacts. A
    situation that is now quite economically acceptable with the huge gold
    and diamond reserves of the USSR, India and Australia.
    
    With the continuing realtionship between Isreal and SA, maybe the COCOM
    treaty should be extended to cover Isreal until they cease developing
    nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and exchanging this technology with
    the SA govt.
    
    Simon Mansfield
         
      

From: [email protected] (swaraj jeyasingh)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Space news from Flight Int. for Jan 1991
Date: 19 Feb 91 08:45:18 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: British Telecom Research Labs
 
    Space news from Flight International for January 1991 -
 
    South Africa is to launch its first space rocket within three
years from the Overgberg missile test site on the south coast of Cape
Province.  There have been two test launches from this site, reaching
"hundreds of kilometres" over the Indian Ocean. 
 
    Swaraj Jeyasingh        ([email protected])
    British Telecom Research Labs, Martlesham Heath, IPSWICH UK

Article: 50098
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: South Africa tests Satellite launch vehicle
Date: 13 Oct 92 09:46:24 +0200
Organization: University of Cape Town
 
 Don't know if it's known internationally *yet*, but South Africa successfully
 tested a solid-fuel rocket motor with ballistic potential recently...
 
 The test took place at the Rooi Els test range of Somchem, a subsidiary
 company of Denel (formerly Armscor).

 The burn lasted 58 seconds and produced enough thrust to put a 800kg+ 
 satellite in a polar orbit at a height of 400-800km.

 Comparable costs are half that of a similar US launch and South Africa hopes
 that within the next few years to be launching up to 70 satellites annually.
 
 (Incidentally, which other nations/groups of nations have viable satellite
 programs??)
_______________________________________________________________________________
Gary Glen-Young     'The token South African'   
E-mail:[email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To get to 18,000 mph in 58 seconds requires an acceleration of 14G according
to my crude calculations.

Burns