Re: Porting VMS versus building a new spacecraft

On 2024-06-11 12:44:47 +0000, Simon Clubley said:

I recently watched some historical documentaries about the US during the 1950s/1960s because I wanted to know more about US military technologies and capabilities during that time period. I wonder if the US today could even build a modern-day DEW line let alone how long it would take _if_ they could still do it. :-(

We're nowhere near done cleaning up the mess from that era, including Camp Century.
As for the intended warning purpose—and ignoring the many messes those efforts have caused—one of the declassified details we know a very little something about from a system not that long after DEW was decommissioned is the so-called Vela incident.
Current (public) system is SBIRS, and a development prototype of a LEO system known as Blackjack, and work on Starshield LEO system with SpaceX is currently underway.
And US Space Force wants what amount to suborbital taxis with eighty short tons delivered ~anywhere in an hour, and certainly wouldn't mind having access to UD-4L Cheyenne, D77 Pelican, or other orbital dropships.  "We're in the pipe, 5x5."
As for OpenVMS, VSI is not moving particularly fast. Or they're being exceedingly quiet about it. And I'm not sure the VSI investor is inclined to spend a chunk of a billion dollars to build a new OS. Or to build a rocket.
Not to HAARP on anything or anyone, of course.
--
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC