Posted on 06/02/2005 5:26:00 PM PDT by KevinDavis
BAIKONUR, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed the priority development of the Space Force. "The leaders of Russia and the defense ministry have always paid special attention to the Space Force. I want to confirm the priority and strategic nature of these actions," the minister said Thursday at the parade held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Baikonur spaceport.
Ivanov stressed that the effective operation of the space center largely depended on close cooperation between the Russian military and the Kazakh colleagues.
The first earth satellite, the first spacecraft with animals, the first cosmonaut of the planet Yuri Gagarin, and the first craft for studying the Sun, the Moon and Venus were launched from Baikonur, the main space center of Russia and the world's first spaceport.
In the 50 years since its establishment, over 1,500 different purpose spacecraft have been launched from Baikonur.
Because the Air Force doesn't want to give up its space assets to create an independent Space Force, much as the Army didn't want to give up its air assets to create an independent Air Force.
Because the United States couldn't scare up enough Space Cadets.
Number One-Space-Force-Team-USA-- ACTIVATE!!!!
I'd prefer to call it the U.S. Starfleet.
Lots of "space happy sauce" making the rounds today. ;^)
No, no. It should just be the US Navy moving into space. It fits better. Big ships, watches, a bridge, CIC.
Inter-force feuding prevents the creation of the United States Space Force.
It has been discussed time and time again, but nobody wants to give anyone else any leeway.
Its quite silly, actually.
Russia's economy is only slightly larger than Los Angeles County according to this article:
http://claremont.org/writings/crb/spring2005/tartakovsky.html
We will not need a "space force" until we have a permanent, self-sustaining civilian presence in space whose security is somehow threatened.
Weaponizing orbital platforms, however, well, that's just a given.
"No, no. It should just be the US Navy moving into space. It fits better. Big ships, watches, a bridge, CIC."
One Air Force space geek commented that, had the Air Force ever thought that "Star Trek" would be the cultural icon that it became, they would have leaned on Roddenberry to have the lead as "Colonel Kirk."
You'll be singing a new tune real quick when the Borg get here!
pffft! airforce... the spaceforce should be drawn from the submarine force of the US Navy.
Dude, the Air Force has defeated the Goauld many times...
"but," he added, "the State won't even pay for our wodka, so it looks like attitude and words will have to tide us over."
You read that Ben Bova novel, too, I take it...
Midshipman at least, and only in the first episodes.
Ben who? Bova???
cows can write?
seriously, no - it seems like the rational thing to do. the only need for jet-jockeys would be logistical: to fly the de-orbital "trash-haulers".
I would think that the Airforce would be the natural father of a space force. The beginning space fighter/bombers will likely be like an oversized version of spaceshipone which could use a vertical rocket as it's first stage. It would have to launch from land, the Navy might have a claim when we build space-only battle cruisers, but that's not going to happen for a long time.
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