1. There is an ongoing debate on the issue of weaponizing space in order to protect our national space assets and achieve national strategic objectives. This is an issue because of the increase of more space faring nations trying to exploit the benefits of space and other nations also trying to develop capabilities to disrupt other from using it. This background paper will outline the current international laws and policies, our national policies in regard to space, current issues that catalyzed this debate, the benefits and disadvantage of weaponizing space. 2. Space is also governed by rules and laws much like we do on land and sea. “Treaty on Principles Governming the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,” or commonly referred to as the Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1966 by many nations, including the Unites States, and is the basis for most international space laws and policies. Some key points to take away from this treaty in relation to the space weapons debate are the following: “(1) outer space is open to all nations to explore and use; (2) nations cannot own any portion of outer space; (3) outer space will be used for peaceful purposes; (4) nations cannot place, put in orbit, or station any weapons of mass destruction in any form in outer space.” (UNOOSA) These principles and laws are also mostly reflected in our nation’s space policy, and our national security space strategy. 3. Our National Space Policy (NSP) is derived from the President’s vision and directives. NSP incorporates the terms outlined in the Outer Space Treaty, as well as two caveats: (1) to deter, defend our nation’s space assets, and “if deterrence fails, defeat efforts to attack them [enemy Capt Cho/SOS/Flight C-33/3-6060/DBC/06 May 2011 threats]” (NSP, 3); (2) “to work with international partners to continue to promote peaceful use of space.” (NSP,4). Also, NSP shapes the National Security Space Strategy (NSSS), which the Department of Defense uses to direct the way the military develop and utilize space capabilities. 4. NSSS states a few current trends in space as being “congested and contested” (NSSS, 8), which is shaping our space strategic environment as well as fueling debates for space weapons. “Congested” trend refers to the current “60 nations and government consortia that own and operate satellites and the expectation to have 9000 satellite communication transponders in orbit by 2015.
Although many people could say that it would just be a waste of time because of the other military development failures, the national budget is shrinking. In the late 1990s, the U.S. government started work on a new type of spy satellite. The project cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars, but none of the satellites were built. The reason for t...
At the moment there is a ton of traffic in space and it is only building as more nations join the space faring ranks.14 This is a concern for every nation in space, as space forces are a foundational part to all military operations.15 Space Command is already a Major Command and it includes cyberspace which shows that it is important.16 With new technologies being developed and space travel becoming popular before the first public trip, it is only a matter of time till something happens and tensions rise.17 It is best to not wait for this to happen to make a change, and create the Space Force sooner rather than later.18 It is time just like when the Air Force was created from the Army Air Core as air power was the future, now space power is the future and it is time for the Space Force.19
The Soviet’s were responsible for putting man on the moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed, it was the United States’ foes that drove the U.S. to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the twentieth century. Following the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between former allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, began to grow. In the following decades, the two superpowers would duke it out in competitions and tremendous shows of nationalism. They formed unmatchable rivalries in politics, economics, sciences, and sports. These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear into the American Public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s which opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations.
At the end of WWII in 1945, the USA and the Soviet Union emerged as the world’s superpowers. This was a time of great tension, rivalry and distrust between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a time of political, diplomatic, military and economic rivalry where both nations wanted to emerge as the world’s new superpower. Hence, the Cold War would be of profound significance in the development of the space race as the space race was a key element in the rivalry of political, economic and social dominance.
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence”. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.”
Protecting the United States from Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction through the National Missile Defense Program
Dubner, Stephen. "Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?." Freakonomics: The Hidden Side of Everything. New York Times, 11/1/2010. Web. 18 Jul 2010. .
When Ronald Reagan was in the Presidency, he and his staff came up with the idea for a missile defense system that would defend the country in the event of a nuclear missile attack. This system was named "Star Wars" and the basic principal behind it was that it would be a shield that covered all fifty states. However, government officials soon realized that Reagan's defense system was impossible to build, so the program was dropped, but the idea to defend the country against a missile attack stuck around. Today, the U. S. Government is trying to build a new, more realistic missile defense system. However, not all the problems have been worked out, and the U. S. Government should not deploy their missile defense system without conducting further tests.
The United States of America is one of the most powerful countries in the world. This power is a direct result of the careful planning of policies that will govern the direction that the country goes. An effective defense policy is very important in assuring the safety of the citizens in the country and assuring a commanding position within the international community. In accordance, it is important that the United States should adopt a defense policy, so that they seek to form a coalition of strong allies in which they are the sole superpower so that in essence, they may control the whole international community. Before being able to actively pursue this defense policy and act powerful, we must make ourselves powerful. In the process of making ourselves powerful, we must carefully examine the existing threats to the country and this power that we want to have.
The National Academies Press (2012) NASA’s Strategic Direction and Need for a National Consensus retrieved from http//www.npa.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18248&
Dyson, Marianne J. Space and Astronomy: Decade by Decade. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 14+. Print.
The National Space Policy has undergone changes throughout its new creation on August 31, 2006, under both the Obama administration and the Bush administration. The act originally was established for overarching national policies that governed the conduct of U.S space activities. President Dwight Eisenhower said “More than by any other imaginative concept, the mind of man is aroused by the thought of exploring the mysteries of outer space. Through such exploration, man hopes to broaden his horizons, add to his knowledge, improve his way of living on Earth.” With that statement, is where our time in space begins.
Buhaug, Halvard. (2008). Contagion or Confusion? Why Conflicts Cluster in Space. International Studies Quarterly. 52 (1), p215-233.
As such, this essay will argue that space exploration is a necessity of our kind and that NASA should be progressively more financed. To begin with, space research has helped bring several developments to modern science, affecting the quality of our everyday lives. With issues like climate change, and population overgrowth, our species faces the risks of major extinction (4). Climate change has been a man-made problem in recent years that threatens our planet. It will take huge mitigations from current and future societies to even come close to reversing climate change.
It is a wonder to marvel about how much debris man has created over the span of approximately 50 years. Sadly, this is nothing new on our planet. However, little is known, or at least in regards to public awareness, about the celestial landfill that man has created since the early days of the Space Race involving the Russian launching of Sputnik. Ever since then, the repercussions of the US versus Russia mechanized frenzy have snowballed into an estimated 6,600 satellites being launched, in addition to 1,000 that are still active now.