Space Sustainment: A New Approach for America in Space

Abstract

Promoting commercial development and fostering free-market capitalism are cornerstones of American economic policy. Since its inception, the United States has favored decentralization and privatization as the primary means of generating wealth. These fiscal core values should permeate all aspects of US policy, yet the history of American activity in space seems to indicate otherwise. Accessing and exploiting space involves highly specialized technologies, astronomically high costs, and considerable risk of failure. In the formative years for space, these technological factors coincided with an existential threat to the United States and its allies, emerging from within the Soviet technocracy. The perceived successes of the Soviet Union s centralized approach to advanced research and development cast doubt on the ability of free markets to maintain a competitive edge.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA617115

Entities

People

  • Kris Barcomb

Organizations

  • Air and Space Power Journal

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Force
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Market Economy
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Space Environments
  • Space Situational Awareness
  • Space Systems
  • Sustainment
  • United States
  • United States Strategic Command
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space