Russia Just Showed How Vulnerable America Is to ‘Scorched Earth’ Space War

A Russian anti-satellite weapon forced American astronauts on the International Space Station into the space equivalent of hiding in a bunker last week, showing just how disturbingly vulnerable the U.S. is in space.

The weapon, a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile, was launched with no warning to America and struck an old satellite during a demonstration. The impact created a massive debris field of more than 1,500 pieces, any of which could do devastating damage to the orbital infrastructure upon which the American military depends.