Between the 4 October 1957 launching by the Soviet Union of the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik I, and the successful American landing and return from the moon in July 1969, the United States sponsored five human-spaceflight programs. The author examines the NASA-DOD relationship in human-spaceflight programs by looking at three issues. — First, what was the attitude of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson toward the use of space exploration as a tool to secure international prestige and national pride as part of the Cold War struggle? — Second, what institutional relationship existed between NASA and the DOD, the level of support, coordination, and rivalry during each president’s term(s)? What specific instances and programs illustrate these dynamics? How did NASA achieve greater independence by lessening its reliance on the DOD over those 12 years? — The third examination will focus on the actual projects themselves: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Dynasoar, and MOL. What was each designed to accomplish and why?

Document Archive

Into the Unknown Together. The DOD, NASA, and Early Spaceflight, September 2005 [683 Pages, 3.2MB]

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The post Into the Unknown Together. The DOD, NASA, and Early Spaceflight, September 2005 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The U.S. Military and government has spent a lot of time and money while considering the militarization of space.  The following documents offer a glimpse into that past.

Document Archive

 ABMA Presentation to NASA, November 2006 [ 155 Pages, 28.64MB ] – This document was referenced in the Project Horizon document.

 Automation Tools for Responsive Space and Space Superiority, 02 August 2011 [ 5 Pages, 0.8MB ] – This consists of the Title Page and Table of Contents ONLY.  The quote for the entire document was in excess of $450 for the review of this 192 page report.  I requested the title page and TOC for reference.

 The Air Force Role in Developing International Outer Space Law, May 1999 – The author describes the Air Force ‘s continued efforts to resist the passage of most international outer space law conventions, the restiveness of the Air Force judge advocate general corps with a backseat role, and how the judge advocate general failed in its early attempt to have the Air Force become proactive in the development of the law. Discusses the early evolution of international outer space law and the United States Air Force’s contribution to it. Describes the Air Force’s ad hoc approach and its efforts to have this approach adopted by the United States and the international community.

 A Brief History of the DoD Space Test Program, December 1993 [ 184 Pages ]

 A Brief History of the DoD Space Test Program, December 1995 [ 178 Pages ]

 Counterforce from Space, 1961  [ 31 Pages, 1.67MB ] – The concept of counterforce is analyzed in terms of the strategy, tactics, and weapons involved. It is concluded that the present tendency of military leaders to talk of “counterforce” and “deterrence” as inter:- changeable concepts greatly clouds the real issue of just what are the advantages and implication-s of a nonpre-.emptive counterforce strategy. The possibility of performing realistic counterforce operations from space (assuming essentially unlimited payloads), the tactics deployment, and weapons involved are examined.

 Department of Defense (DoD) Space Programs and Activities, November 1994 [ 6 Pages, 300k ]

 The Military in Space: A Selected Bibliography, August 1990 [ 35 Pages, 1.93MB ]

 National Reconnaissance Program: Utilization of the Space Shuttle, 1981 [ 10 Pages, 5.1MB ]

 Potential Military Uses For The Space Station, June 1989 [ 111 Pages ]

 Recent Accomplishments of the DoD Space Test Program, January 1994 [ 23 Pages, 2.45MB ]

 Soviet Views on SDI, April 1987 [ 73 Pages, 24.11MB ]

 Space Situation Awareness AFRL Technology Investment Recommendations, 06 June 2003 [ 98 Pages, 24.11MB ] – As the war in Iraq and the global war on terror have demonstrated, the U. S. is in the midst of embarking on new national security priorities that require doctrinal and technological innovation and an awareness of the threat to a fidelity never before realized. In the context of transforming military force structure to meet these challenges, close examination of the business as usual vs. out of the box concepts must be conducted and assessed. Technology transformation and implementation, in particular, will play an even greater role in the success of carrying out national security objectives, from military tactical operations to strategic intelligence analysis.

 Space Surveillance Operations, Strategic Directive 505-1, Volume 1, 13 Feb 2004 [ 64 Pages, 1.75MB ]

 Space Surveillance Operations, Strategic Directive 505-1, Volume 2, 13 February 2004 [ 128 Pages, 3.2MB  ]

 Space: The Fourth Military Dimension, 1 October 1986 [ 108 Pages, 3.84MB ]

 Spaceplane Technology and Research (STAR), August 1984

 Standard Spacecraft Procurement Analysis: A Case Study in NASA-DoD Coordination in Space Programs, may 1980 [ 226 Pages, 10.5MB ]

 Towards an Affordable National Security Space Program [9 Pages, 431k]

 A White Paper on the Accomplishments of the DoD Space Test Program 1967-1976 [29 Pages]

The post Space Defense / Militarization of Space first appeared on The Black Vault.

Further Comments on the Feasibility of Airlaunched Anti-Satellite Weapon Systems [15 Pages, 2.23mb]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/weapons/ad311800.pdf

The post Anti-Satellite Weapons first appeared on The Black Vault.