Military space shuttle

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A military space shuttle would have been the military equivalent of NASA's space shuttle. Many experts believe^{[citation needed]} that it is extremely unlikely that NASA, the United States Department of Defense or any other Federal agency could keep the existence of such a spacecraft secret, given the official knowledge that stated extensive technical support and launching establishment would be necessary to fly it.

However, early in the design phase of what eventually became the Space Shuttle, there were plans for the U.S. military to purchase some of the vehicles for its own purposes (mainly the servicing and crewing of proposed 'surveillance space stations'). The design requirements that thus emerged (in particular, the need for a longer-range glide capability, enabling the shuttle to land at specific U.S. Air Force bases), affected the eventual design of the vehicle, increasing its complexity. However, none of these 'Blue Shuttles' were ever built, and the U.S. military turned to increasingly sophisticated unmanned satellites as a more viable alternative.

Regular space shuttles have on occasion carried out missions for the military. It is noteworthy that NASA and the DoD agreed on delivering Discovery to Vandenberg AFB, first in May 1985 and then in September of that year. Discovery would have been dedicated for military and civilian flights from Vandenberg's SLC-6 launch complex. The schedule slipped until the Challenger Disaster in January 1986. In the wake of Challenger, on December 26, 1989 the Space Shuttle Program at Vandenberg was terminated by the USAF.^[1] Military Shuttle flights were conducted from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the last dedicated mission being STS-53 in late 1992, deploying a military SDS B-3 communication satellite. Some military payloads have been flown on regular civilian Shuttle missions afterwards.^[2]

The Soviet Buran space shuttle was designed with military applications in mind as well. One of the main reasons for its creation was to counter the perceived military advantage that the NASA space shuttle gave the USA. On the first launch of Buran's energia booster the military Polyus satellite was launched.

There have been several abortive military programs to develop a form of space shuttle.

• X-20 Dyna-Soar - USAF program, canceled in 1963
• Project Hot Eagle - USMC program, proposed in 2002

There have been several programs speculated to exist inside the military world

• Blackstar (spaceplane)

Military space shuttles have, however, been featured in popular entertainment from time to time.

[edit] Fictional references

• The two space shuttles Constitution & Independence featured in the novel Blind Prophet are shown in the climax launching with missile racks in the cargo bay to destroy orbiting Soviet ASAT systems.^[3]

• The techno-thriller Flight of the Condor by Richard P. Henrichk features a military space shuttle called "Condor" that is threatened, while preparing to launch from Vandenberg AFB carrying a spy satellite by the armed forces of both the Soviet Union and France.^[4]

• A recent US Space Camp program featured a shuttle-like "X-77" spacecraft simulator. It is used during a simulated mission that is aborted and replaced by the X-77. It is said to be a collaboration between NASA and the Department of Defense.

• One appeared in the James Bond movie Moonraker, carrying a platoon of spacesuited, laser-armed United States Marines to successfully attack the previously-concealed space station of Hugo Drax. This may not be a 'covert' spacecraft, however, as it's plainly marked with Marine Corps logos, and there's no indication anywhere in the film that the Marines' orbital combat capability is a national secret.

• Another such shuttle was discussed, but not shown, in the NBC television series The West Wing. Toby Ziegler broke the law by revealing the existence of classified military space shuttle to the press. He thought that three (two American, one Russian) astronauts marooned and running out of oxygen on the malfunctioning International Space Station would otherwise not be rescued.

• Two shuttles under military command were shown in the 1998 movie Armageddon. Designated X-71s, they were named Freedom and Independence. Again, however, these shuttles were not particularly covert - internal dialogue in the film plainly stated that they were to be replacements for the "original shuttles," and were to be publicly announced and rolled out in a lavish ceremony in a few months, had not the asteroid crisis arisen before that could happen.

[edit] References

1. ^ Jenkins, D: "Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System", page 474. 2001
2. ^ Jenkins, D: "Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System", page 331. 2001
3. ^ Bart Davis. Blind Prophet. Fontana. 1984. ISBN 000616949X
4. ^ Richard P. Henrick. Flight Of The Condor. Zebra. 1987. ISBN 0821760122

[edit] See also

• Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6

• North American X-15
• Rockwell X-30 "Orient Express" National Aerospace Plane
• McDonnell Douglas DC-X

• Almaz
• TKS spacecraft
• Merkur (spacecraft)
• Manned Orbital Laboratory
• Manned Orbital Development System
• Blue Gemini