The Universe S04E08 · Space Wars

Overview

Outer space is already an essential part of America's ability to fight wars. Our military depends on satellites for many things, such as communications, reconnaissance and targeting information. But so far, no country has put weapons into space, although the U.S. and China have both shown they can shoot down satellites with ground-based missiles. If weapons do become a part of space, how will they work, how effective will they be, and what type of damage could they do? From ground-based lasers to telephone-pole sized rods hurtling from space at two miles per second to the far out weapons of the distant future, it's time to "lock and load" for Space Wars.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Death Stars2009-08-18 · 45mSeason 4 opens with an exploration of dying stars, the process where stars become supernovas, and, occasionally, become the biggest blast in the universe as a gamma ray burst (GRB)
2. 2 2. The Day the Moon Was Gone2009-08-25 · 45mWithout the moon, Earth would be a very different and desolate place today--four hours of sunlight with pitch-black nights, steady 100-mph winds spawning giant hurricanes that last
3. 3 3. It Fell From Space2009-09-01 · 45mEvery year, thousands of objects both natural and manmade plummet through our atmosphere and crash into the Earth. These menacing messengers from the sky provide scientists with am
4. 4 4. Biggest Blasts2009-09-08 · 45mAn examination of the most powerful explosions and blasts in the universe. Includes a look at the Mexico's Yucatán peninsula and the impact which caused the Chicxulub crater. Also
5. 5 5. The Hunt for Ringed Planets2009-09-15 · 45mThey are breathtaking, lethal and a constant source of surprise. The stunning rings of Saturn have mesmerized countless scientists over the centuries. With particles the size of a
6. 6 6. 10 Ways to Destroy the Earth2009-09-22 · 45mExperts cook up ways you could destroy the Earth, including swallowing it with a black hole, blowing it up with anti-matter, hurling it into the Sun, and switching off gravity.
7. 7 7. The Search for Cosmic Clusters2009-09-29 · 45mThey are the one-stop-shopping places for learning all about the nature and variety of stars in the Universe. They're unique, because in clusters, all the stars were born at about
8. 8 8. Space Wars2009-10-06 · 45mOuter space is already an essential part of America's ability to fight wars. Our military depends on satellites for many things, such as communications, reconnaissance and targetin
9. 9 9. Liquid Universe2009-10-20 · 45mOn alien planets, they rain from the sky as scalding iron. On distant moons, even at hundreds of degrees below zero, they slosh around in pristine lakes of methane. They can cover
10. 10 10. Pulsars & Quasars2009-10-27 · 45mThey sort of sound like the same phenomenon, but Pulsars and Quasars are very different. Pulsars are tiny--only a few miles across--but they spin as fast as a kitchen blender and s
11. 11 11. Science Fiction, Science Fact2009-11-03 · 45mWarp speed, transporters, wormholes and lasers--they are all staples of science fiction books, movies, and TV shows. But the fantastic world of tomorrow is quickly becoming the fut
12. 12 12. Extreme Energy2009-11-10 · 45mOurs is a universe of energy, from powerful jets ejected from black holes to the raw nuclear fury of our Sun. But, the total amount of energy in the universe maintains perfect equi