Space Fundamentals for the War Fighter
Abstract
The quickening space technology revolution is an natural as life itself. Technology leads us to believe that anything is possible and that we are all privileged users. An understanding of some of the limitations of our space assets should moderate our expectations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a short and concise overview of the space environment and a fundamental understanding of space assets in order to understand their capabilities. The paper has been limited to the basic concepts of the atmosphere, rocket propulsion, launch vehicles, communications spectrum, and satellite assets. With the demise of the USSR threat, also gone are sufficient budgets that were going to provide the next generation of bigger and better satellites. We must accept the fact that next generation satellite security systems under development are now too expensive to field. Next generation satellite system funding may someday come again when a new threat diminishes our technological advantage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA279703
Entities
People
- William G. Clapp
Organizations
- Naval War College