U.S. Space Force to Fight Extraterrestrial Wars

nivek

As Above So Below

Space Force Announces Mission on the Secret X-37B Space Plane

Just days after releasing its first official recruiting video, the U.S. Space Force announced its next mission – the launch of the secret X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6) on May 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Yes, we were wondering the same thing — how will launching an unmanned spacecraft help Space Force recruiting?

“The X-37B team continues to exemplify the kind of lean, agile and forward-leaning technology development we need as a nation in the space domain. Each launch represents a significant milestone and advancement in terms of how we build, test, and deploy space capabilities in a rapid and responsive manner.”

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond sounds excited about the X-37B launch while revealing as little as possible under the circumstances. The press release points out that the X-37B is currently the only ship capable of testing new systems in space and returning them to Earth. That may be true, but is that enough to meet the rallying cry to potential Space Forcers in the recruiting video? (Watch it here.)



“Some people look to the stars and ask, ‘What if?’ Our job is to have an answer.”

That’s not exactly “To infinity and beyond!” or even “I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth,” but apparently that’s the best we can do in 2020 without the aid of JFK or Buzz Lightyear.

This is actually the second Space Force mission – the first was the equally uninspiring launch (to us, at least) of a communications satellite in March. Russia didn’t like that, nor the announcement of the Space Force’s first new(ish) weapon – a satellite jammer to immobilize enemy communications. Not exactly a Millennium Falcon or even a flying Jeep. If you’re hoping there’s something more exciting in the works, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett lets the air out of that space balloon.

“In today’s age of electrons, space systems track storms, locate stranded motorists, timestamp credit card transactions, and monitor treaty compliance.”

Locating stranded motorists? Darth Vader would have to lift his helmet to catch his breath after laughing at that one. Barrett also pushes the reusable capability of the X-37B. Any comments, Elon Musk?

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Sorry to sound disappointed, but that’s what this announcement is. While not a fan of military operations in space, this writer is a fan of space travel and exploration, and the pace of the U.S. space programs these days make a snail on glue look speedy and Tang look innovative. (Ask your grandpa.) Of course, there’s one group that is probably happy.

“This launch is a prime example of integrated operations between the Air Force, Space Force, and government-industry partnerships.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein hits the nail on the head – this is a good thing for “government-industry partnerships.” They’re not in it for the discovery … they’re in it for the economy. Unfortunately, “To profitability and beyond!” isn’t a great recruiting slogan either.

It doesn’t do much for inspiring kids to get excited about space. The same for writers.

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nivek

As Above So Below
Space Force flag to be unveiled to the world, presented to President Trump on Friday

For the first time in 72 years, the official flag of a new U.S. military service will be unveiled on Friday. Military leaders will present the flag of the newly created Space Force to President Trump in the Oval Office during a signing ceremony for the 2020 Armed Forces Day proclamation.

According to a senior administration official, the flag is derived from the Space Force's seal, which features a silver delta symbol surrounded by two constellations cast against the dark blue of outer space. "The flag takes the key and central elements of the seal and places them on a black field fringed in platinum with the words 'United States Space Force' and Roman numerals MMXIX (2019) below," the administration official said.


Space-Force-Logo.jpg

The flag is derived from the Space Force seal, seen here.

It was produced by the Defense Logistics Agency's "Flag Room" in Philadelphia, the same entity that has made the president's personal flags. The unveiling of the flag comes as the five-month-old Space Force is accepting applications for eligible active-duty personnel to transfer into the service, and the service just released a slick new recruiting video last week.


When President Trump directed the Defense Department to establish the sixth branch of the military in 2018, he said, "it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space." Since then, the Trump administration has directed NASA to return American astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024 under the Artemis program.

NASA is also two weeks away from attempting to launch American astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet. After nearly a decade of NASA astronauts hitching rides into space on Russian Soyuz rockets, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are poised to become the first to fly on a private company's spacecraft: SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle with the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

They are scheduled to launch May 27 from the Kennedy Space Center.


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Standingstones

Celestial
How much do you want to bet that this Space Force presentation is all a dog and pony show. I have had the feeling all along that the US has had a space presence for some decades. Now seems to be the time to “officially” announce it to the world. I wouldn’t be shocked if you told me that the superpowers, China and Russia and a few others had a space fleet in place.
 

wwkirk

Divine
How much do you want to bet that this Space Force presentation is all a dog and pony show. I have had the feeling all along that the US has had a space presence for some decades. Now seems to be the time to “officially” announce it to the world. I wouldn’t be shocked if you told me that the superpowers, China and Russia and a few others had a space fleet in place.
Are you on board with Gary McKinnon's allegations?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Overnight Defense: Space Force chooses 2,410 airmen to join ranks

The U.S. Space Force has chosen an initial batch of more than 2,400 airmen to transfer into the military’s newest branch. The Space Force, in a news release Thursday, said it has chosen 2,410 members to join its ranks starting Sept. 1.

"This is an exciting and historic time for these space operators who will be some of the first members to join the Space Force," Lt. Gen. David "DT" Thompson, the service’s vice commander, said in a statement "Each one of them has an important responsibility to contribute bold ideas to shape the Space Force into a 21st century service."

The first batch: The first batch of transfers from the Air Force was chosen from the more than 8,500 airmen the Space Force said applied to join the service in May.

Those chosen to transfer first come from space operations career fields. Volunteers with more general career fields will be chosen later by transfer boards expected to start in February, the news release said. About 6,000 of the initial 8,500 applicants will eventually be chosen to transfer into the Space Force, the service has previously said.

The background: The Space Force was officially created as the sixth branch of the military in December with President Trump’s signing of the annual defense policy bill. Its establishment fulfilled a top priority for Trump since he first coined the name Space Force in 2018 and turned it into a reliable applause line at his campaign rallies.

The new service is aimed at protecting U.S. assets in space, such as satellites, from threats from Russia and China.

Though about 16,000 military and civilian personnel from the former Air Force Space Command have been assigned to work for the Space Force, those service members are still formally part of the Air Force.


spaceforcelogo_012420screenshot.png
 

nivek

As Above So Below
The Pentagon Moves To Launch Its Own Experimental Mini Space Station
The goal is for the space-based platform to support various test, training, and other missions, possibly with humans aboard in the future.

The Sierra Nevada Corporation recently received a Pentagon contract to craft an experimental space outpost capable of supporting various research and development, training, and operational missions, including potentially with humans aboard. This comes as the U.S. military as a whole, including the nascent U.S. Space Force, is increasingly focused on operations in various orbits around the Earth, and competition there, as well as in cislunar space between our planet and the Moon.

On July 14, 2020, the Nevada-headquartered aerospace company announced the deal with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), but did not state the approximate value of the award. DIU is charged with "accelerating the adoption of leading commercial technology throughout the military" and has offices in California's Silicon Valley, as well as Boston, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas, in addition to its headquarters in the Pentagon.

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will now modify its Shooting Star space transport vehicle design as an Unmanned Orbital Outpost. The company has been developing Shooting Star since at least 2016 for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, which is seeking new means of delivering cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).

The existing 15-foot-long cargo vehicle is intended to be able to carry up 10,000 pounds of cargo, both inside in a pressurized compartment and in unpressurized packages attached to three external mounting points. The design has two solar panel arrays capable of generating six kilowatts of onboard power and is capable of maneuvering independently in space using six thrusters. SNC is hoping to conduct its first demonstration mission to the ISS using Shooting Star next year.

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SNC - An artist's conception of SNC's Shooting Star space transport vehicle.

"We’re excited by the multi-mission nature of Shooting Star," SNC's CEO Fatih Ozmen said in a press release regarding the DIU contract. "It was originally developed for NASA resupply missions to the International Space Station, and since then we keep identifying new capabilities and solutions it offers to a wide variety of customers. The possible applications for Shooting Star are really endless."

"The current Shooting Star is already designed with significant capabilities for an orbital outpost and by adding only a few components we are able to meet Department of Defense needs." Steve Lindsey, Senior Vice President of strategy for SNC’s Space Systems business area, who is also a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and former NASA space shuttle commander, added. "We are proud to offer our transport vehicle to DoD as a free-flying destination for experimentation and testing, expanding beyond its current payload service capabilities for Dream Chaser cargo missions."

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SNC - The prototype Shooting Star now under construction.

DIU first announced it was interested in a “solution… for a self-contained and free-flying orbital outpost," just over a year ago. The miniature space station could support “space assembly, microgravity experimentation, logistics and storage, manufacturing, training, test and evaluation, hosting payloads, and other functions,” it had said in a July 9, 2019, notice.

"Space assembly" and "manufacturing" refer to the potential future capability to assemble, as well service, satellites and other spacecraft in orbit, something the U.S. military, as well as NASA, has been exploring for some time. The outpost itself could serve as platform on which to test those capabilities. The Air Force has also publicly raised the possibility of using orbital platforms as logistics nodes, the feasibility of which The War Zone has explored in the past.

(more on the link)

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nivek

As Above So Below
The U.S. Space Force logo and motto.

The U.S Space Force released its logo and motto, Semper Supra (Always Above), July 22, 2020 at the Pentagon, D.C. The logo and motto honor the heritage and history of the U.S. Space Force.


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nivek

As Above So Below
Saddle up for a ride through the cosmos, partner — Space Force has horses!

There is an equine arm of the United States Space Force — no, we’re not horsing around. The military’s newest and most continually bewildering service branch shared a video last week welcoming the addition of a military working horse — a mustang named Ghost — to the ranks of the 30th Space Wing.

(Ghost, unlike the Mustangs immensely popular with scores of junior enlisted, does not come with a debilitating 41 percent APR.)



The 5-year-old horse, acquired through the Bureau of Land Management, is part of a team at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base that carries out tasks ranging from conservation efforts to the enforcement of hunting and fishing laws. And while no one can fault the service members involved for landing perhaps the most enjoyable gig in the entire U.S. military, the notion that these tasks A) are even performed by a military unit, and B) once fell under the command of the U.S. Air Force remains perplexing.

“Before this program I had never ridden a horse before, but I came in every day and rode and volunteered,” Senior Airman Michael Terrazas said in a March 2019 profile of the detachment. “We are able to go through creeks and water with the horses, high hills that we wouldn’t be able to get through with off-road vehicles. There are places we’ve gone where the water is so deep that my boots are wet while on horseback, but the horses can walk through with no problems.”

Ok, jealous. But should pleasant strolls on horseback through picturesque landscapes be included in the budget of a branch that has its eyes turned toward the cosmos?

That answer is an emphatic neigh.

Recent evidence compiled by top astrophysicists suggests horses cannot survive in the vacuum of space. Additionally, it’s widely accepted in the scientific community that a very small number of horses have participated in the development of celestial programs such as lunar modules, Mars rovers, satellites for deep-space exploration or other extraterrestrial endeavors.

I personally have viewed Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” at least a dozen times and have yet to see a Seabiscuit cameo. Still, this is space, the final frontier, and there’s never been a better time to provide a celestial cowboy with a trusty steed.

According to the service’s official page, the Space Force mission is to organize, train, and equip “space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.”

The branch also summarizes its responsibilities as “developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.”

Equestrian instruction is noticeably absent in those descriptions, barring any fine print under the mission statement that will allow Ghost to boldly go where no horse has gone before.

If the first recruiting ad for the U.S. Space Force is going to float the idea that “maybe your purpose on this planet isn’t on this planet,” why not include the otherworldly mission of firing laser beams while galloping through the cosmos on the back of Secretariat?

Horses? Where we’re going, we don’t need horses.

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Rick Hunter

Celestial
When I was a kid, the US military used to keep horses on the grounds of the federal prison hospital in Lexington. There were a bunch of them, more than you would think for just ceremonial duties.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
When I was a kid, the US military used to keep horses on the grounds of the federal prison hospital in Lexington. There were a bunch of them, more than you would think for just ceremonial duties.

I figure at some point we will have livestock on Mars, that is if we ever colonize it...I'm sure when we colonize Mars we will also have a Space Force base with Marines to protect the colonists...

 

Dejan Corovic

As above, so bellow
US president Donald Regan, actually asked Michail Gorbachev, what CCCP would do if US was attacked by aliens. Here is Gorbachev's answer and he said that in the presence of Henry Kissinger.



And here Regan confirms that he discussed it with Gorbachev.

 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Saddle up for a ride through the cosmos, partner — Space Force has horses!

There is an equine arm of the United States Space Force — no, we’re not horsing around. The military’s newest and most continually bewildering service branch shared a video last week welcoming the addition of a military working horse — a mustang named Ghost — to the ranks of the 30th Space Wing.

(Ghost, unlike the Mustangs immensely popular with scores of junior enlisted, does not come with a debilitating 41 percent APR.)



The 5-year-old horse, acquired through the Bureau of Land Management, is part of a team at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base that carries out tasks ranging from conservation efforts to the enforcement of hunting and fishing laws. And while no one can fault the service members involved for landing perhaps the most enjoyable gig in the entire U.S. military, the notion that these tasks A) are even performed by a military unit, and B) once fell under the command of the U.S. Air Force remains perplexing.

“Before this program I had never ridden a horse before, but I came in every day and rode and volunteered,” Senior Airman Michael Terrazas said in a March 2019 profile of the detachment. “We are able to go through creeks and water with the horses, high hills that we wouldn’t be able to get through with off-road vehicles. There are places we’ve gone where the water is so deep that my boots are wet while on horseback, but the horses can walk through with no problems.”

Ok, jealous. But should pleasant strolls on horseback through picturesque landscapes be included in the budget of a branch that has its eyes turned toward the cosmos?

That answer is an emphatic neigh.

Recent evidence compiled by top astrophysicists suggests horses cannot survive in the vacuum of space. Additionally, it’s widely accepted in the scientific community that a very small number of horses have participated in the development of celestial programs such as lunar modules, Mars rovers, satellites for deep-space exploration or other extraterrestrial endeavors.

I personally have viewed Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” at least a dozen times and have yet to see a Seabiscuit cameo. Still, this is space, the final frontier, and there’s never been a better time to provide a celestial cowboy with a trusty steed.

According to the service’s official page, the Space Force mission is to organize, train, and equip “space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.”

The branch also summarizes its responsibilities as “developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands.”

Equestrian instruction is noticeably absent in those descriptions, barring any fine print under the mission statement that will allow Ghost to boldly go where no horse has gone before.

If the first recruiting ad for the U.S. Space Force is going to float the idea that “maybe your purpose on this planet isn’t on this planet,” why not include the otherworldly mission of firing laser beams while galloping through the cosmos on the back of Secretariat?

Horses? Where we’re going, we don’t need horses.

.



I heard their uniforms will have yellow ribbons.

 
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