The creation of a space force could lead to weaponization and war — here's what it might look like

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• As Trump looks into making a space force the sixth branch of the military, and private companies race to create commercial flights into space, it's clear that space is a major frontier for international competition.
•  The creation of a space force is one of the first signs of space weaponization.
• A space war could take two main forms: direct physical attacks or cyber sabotage, says American astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, in his new book, cowritten with Avis Lang.
• Cyberwar wouldn't require a physical weapon, only a focused disruption.
• The 1,700 satellites circling the Earth are the most obvious potential target for disruption — nearly half of these are American.

The following is an excerpt  from "Accessory to War" by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang:

Space is a physics battleground. Gigantic magnetic fields loop through the frigid emptiness. Bursts of plasma erupt from the surfaces of suns. Black holes flay and swallow every object that wanders near. Cosmic rays, gamma rays, and X-rays devastate any speck of living matter in their path. The infancy and youth of every planet consists of a ceaseless hail of rocks. Every day, millions of gigantic stars across the universe blow their metal-rich guts to smithereens, sending shockwaves and radiation across the lightyears. See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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