Talk:Orbital defense platform

Im pretty sure that there we 20 ODPs defending Reach edit: Not nesscessarily Earth, as there were ODPs over Reach--UNSC AI 12:02, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Your correct page 283 in Fall of Reach states that "there were 20 super MAC guns in orbit" I made the proper change

something
after reach you'd think they would reaseach a way to put generators on the guns,so they're more of a threat and are "easier" to defend,and i'm guessing the Earth is a WHOLE lot bigger then Reach cause if 20 was in orbit around Reach and 300 around Earth Voy101

Except for the fact that the battle of Earth took place mere months after the battle of Reach. There was just no time to actually begin modifying the existing platforms. As to numbers, Reach is listed as having near-earth gravity, and actually has a bit greater, as well as having an atmosphere much like Earth. This evidence would suggest that Reach and Earth are of similar size, and the number of orbital defense platforms merely suggest the importance placed on the defense of Earth against the importance of Reach.

Real Life Inspiration
Does anyone else think that these platforms seem a bit like what Ronald Reagan imagined for the Stratigic Defense Initiative (SDI or "Star Wars") program? Flag-Waving American Patriot 19:02, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Well, if one takes point four tenths the speed of light as meaning .4c, then the energy requirement of an MAC is enormous. Using E = 1/2 MV^2, with a v = 2.99E7 and an M of 600 tons (converted to Kg of course), we get an energy usage of over 5,306 gigatons TNT! (A typical nuclear bomb is about 20 megatons).

It's not unreasonable to assume that numerous power plants and generators would be required to support the weapon, and I'm imagine that trying to generate all that power on a mobile station would be no easy feat.

--CaptainZoidberg 16:52, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

That is why they are powered by a certain amount of nuclear fusion plants on the surface. I believe that when the Covenant took Reach, they destroyed these reactors thus resulting in total orbital destruction. That's what I read, anyway.

--Cultred

Tense
Why is this written in past tense? Aren't there still MAC cannons in orbit around Earth even after the events of Halo 3? And even if most were destroyed, one would think that rebuilding them would be a top defense priority for the UNSC government. --CaptainZoidberg 18:16, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Size
Were the ones around Reach bigger than the ones around Earth?

Let me explain: there were 20 around Reach, and 300 around Earth. Somewhere in The Fall of Reach it says that the Super MAC barrel is three times the length of a modern cruiser. The Halcyon Class is the smallest ship ever designated a cruiser, and by looking at the barrel in Cairo Station I just can't imagine driving a warthog up that and having the trip take three times the length of the trip in the last level of Halo 1, and then some.

This also leaves the question of whether or not Earth had some of the bigger ones...

But then again, wasn't Fall of Reach written before Halo 2 came out? I think I just answered my own question.

Aiming?
So... since these things are attached to the orbital elevator, how exactly do they aim? Do they just depend on the Earth's rotation? And the orbital elevators would be made of a heck sturdy material to hold its own length while the Earth rotates. PX1'7'3 03:48, October 15, 2009 (UTC)

What are you talking about? ODPs are free floating installations, space stations with no connection to the planet. They likely aim through the use of retro-thrusters.

Spartan 501 06:15, November 5, 2009 (UTC)

Oh, I thought they were attached, but they were just hovering above. PX1'7'3 14:14, November 30, 2009 (UTC)