War in space: the science and technology behind our next theater of conflict

215 Pages·2019·9.12 MB·English

by  Dawson

Linda Dawson
WAR
IN
SPACE
The Science and Technology
Behind Our Next Theater of Confl ict
War in Space
The Science and Technology Behind Our Next Theater of Conflict
Linda Dawson
War in Space
The Science and Technology Behind
Our Next Theater of Conflict
Linda Dawson
Senior Lecturer Emeritus
University of Washington
Tacoma, WA, USA
SPRINGER-PRAXIS BOOKS IN SPACE EXPLORATION
Springer Praxis Books
ISBN 978-3-319-93051-0 ISBN 978-3-319-93052-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93052-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962405
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
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To my family—Mom and Dad, my sisters Judi and Patti,
and my husband Allan.
Preface
My first book was The Politics and Perils of Space Exploration, published by
Springer in 2017. This was a summary of primarily human space exploration and
the way that politics shaped how NASA would proceed in the future, particularly
after the Moon landing. The future of space exploration has become increasingly
dependent on other countries and private enterprise. That first book provides a
complete overview of the “new” US space program, which has changed consider-
ably over the past 50 years.
War in Space summarizes the science and technology contributing to space
defense and the weaponization of outer space. The primary emphasis is on the
efforts of the United States, although the activities of other nations that have an
adversarial relationship with the United States are discussed. The resulting defen-
sive programs are summarized. A discussion of a possible war in space should
contain a historical summary of how we got into the Space Race and define the
status of spacecraft in Earth orbit. After researching all aspects of outer space as a
theater of war, I remain hopeful that methods of deterrence for a war in space are
successful.
I am a big fan of the way that science fiction depicts conflict in outer space, but
as a scientist and engineer, I understand that the reality is much more serious and
concerning to those of us on Earth than what is depicted in books and on the movie
screen. I wanted to write this book to tell the story of how space exploration, pres-
ence in Earth orbit, and military efforts have been intertwined throughout the
Space Race and will remain so moving forward.
My career in aerospace engineering includes working at NASA in Houston on
the Space Shuttle program for years prior to the first launch and past the first
couple of launches. I was hired to be an Aeronautical Flight Controller for Mission
Control. This is the first vehicle that would operate as an airplane on re-entry,
requiring the development of a series of operational tools. The Space Shuttle
orbiter vehicle was already designed, developed, and being built in the mid- to late
vi
Preface vii
1970s. When I was hired by NASA, the prototype Enterprise was about to be
transported and drop-tested from a 747 airplane to test its glide capabilities. I
became familiar with the Shuttle vehicle and NASA operations and learned to
understand how stable the orbiter vehicle would behave during its re-entry maneu-
vers. After initiating a de-orbit burn, the orbiter would go through a series of
S-turns designed to slow the spacecraft down prior to landing. No other combina-
tion airplane/spacecraft had flown at hypersonic speeds outside of the Earth’s
atmosphere. There were a lot of unknowns. My group investigated other hyper-
sonic aircraft such as the SR-71, the X-15, and experimental lifting bodies to gain
insight into the behavior of the orbiter as a glider. As it turned out, the orbiter
vehicle was very stable and never became unstable in its descent.
One of my major tasks was to help develop the flight rules for the orbiter pri-
marily for entry operations in addition to abort re-entry. The development of these
rules required participation in extensive simulations for de-orbit and re-entry. I
developed and conducted some of these studies using a re-entry simulator flown
by Shuttle astronauts. Another component of my job was to estimate how much
fuel was necessary to control the vehicle in case of stability problems. After the
de-orbit burn, the only control for the orbiter vehicle comes from small reaction
control jets, which are used for orbital maneuvering and control during entry or
orbit maneuvers in the highest part of the atmosphere. If a control jet fails or
another control problem requires a jet to stay on or off, vehicle control is main-
tained by the opposite reaction control jets staying on to compensate and maintain
control. This type of failure uses extra fuel. To conserve fuel and save weight, only
so many of these malfunctions can be accommodated. Therefore, the failures are
prioritized as the most or least likely. After extensive simulations, the final entry
fuel budget at the time reflected my simulation study for entry failures.
I am currently a retired professor from the University of Washington, an author,
and a STEM promoter for women and girls. I hope that women are inspired by my
my career and find their own path in the field of space science.
Finally, I hope this book provides a technical and historical background to
understanding how orbiting spacecraft are a vital component to our daily life and
how enemy threats could initiate a war in space and disrupt life as we know it
today. Space science and the investigation of celestial bodies are essential for the
future of mankind and the preservation and betterment of Earth. As on the sur-
face of the Earth, diplomatic methods must prevail in order to keep the peace in
outer space.
UW Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA Linda Dawson
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Maury Solomon of Springer Publishing for supporting me as
the author to tell the story of space warfare as well as Hannah Kaufman for
patiently guiding me to the completion of the manuscript. Also, my sister Judi
Brodman for her edits and encouragement, and my husband Allan for his constant
support.
viii
Contents
Dedication.......................................................... v
Preface............................................................. vi
Acknowledgements .................................................. viii
1 Life Without Satellites............................................ 1
2 Space as the Next Theater of War .................................. 12
3 The Environment of Space as a Theater of War....................... 33
4 Space Debris as a Weapon......................................... 46
5 A Summary of the US Space Program and Its Relationship
to the Military................................................... 61
6 Who Controls Space and How ..................................... 87
7 The Cold War and Missile Defense ................................. 107
8 Post-SDI Missile Defense.......................................... 121
9 Satellite Technology.............................................. 131
10 Preventing a War in Space ........................................ 157
Appendix A: United Nations Treaty on Principles Governing
the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,
Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967)..................... 165
Appendix B: Additional Resources for Space Warfare Topics................ 172
Appendix C: Space Defense Terms and Programs and Their Historical Context... 176
Appendix D: Timeline of Missile Defense ................................ 189
Index .............................................................. 201
ix
1
Life Without Satellites
“Space is now a potential battle zone…the Air Force wants to ensure
“space superiority,” which he says means “freedom from attack
and freedom to maneuver.”
–General John Hyten, head of the US Strategic Command1
Introduction
Our daily lives are increasingly dependent on space technology currently orbiting
the Earth. As the world becomes more tech savvy, it also becomes more closely
tied to the communication and timing of satellite networks. The list of activities
that rely wholly or in part on the proper operation of satellites includes television
signals, emergency transmissions, business transactions, military surveillance
data, and weather and climate predictions and evaluations.
There are many ways that satellite signals could be disrupted. Some are natural,
such as a massive solar storm, while others may be the result of a cyber-attack, a
laser weapon employed by an enemy nation, or destruction caused by artificial
space debris. Evidence shows that the capability already exists to interrupt or
destroy crucial satellite networks.
1 Ignatius, David. The Washington Post. 16 Mar 2017. War in space is becoming a real threat.
[Internet] [cited 2018 Apr 20]; Available from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/war-
in-space-is-becoming-a-real-threat/2017/03/16/af3c35ac-0a8f-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.
html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4f1aea9fd3fb
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018 1
L. Dawson, War in Space, Springer Praxis Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93052-7_1