Space Vehicles Commons^™

Boosting Space Diplomacy At State, David A. Epstein

Space and Defense

Notes from the Field:

Space diplomacy remains an esoteric specialty of State.

With ever-increasing speed, humanity is expanding the scope of its activities in outer space, thanks to private enterprise as well as via national pursuits. In the last two years alone, for example, the number of active and defunct satellites in lower Earth orbit has increase by more than 50 percent, to around 5,000, with plans to add tens of thousands more in the coming years. Equally surprising, these satellites are owned and operated by nearly 100 difference countries and organizations around the world - no just the small …

Contextualizing Russia's Hypersonic Threat: Perceptions, Motivations, And Strategic Stability., Jeffery D. Taylor

Space and Defense

Rather than specific military objectives in Europe, Russian hypersonic missile development manifests deep-rooted perceptions of the United States and NATO undermining strategic through missile defense.

Future Directions For Great Power Nuclear Arms Control, T. Justin Bronder

Space and Defense

Extending the current New START regime can help maintain traditional strategic stability; however, such an approach fails to address destabilizing trends related to non-nuclear strategic technologies and China's expanding forces.

Arms control in the nuclear age has proved a useful tool of national security, meeting ends as diverse as reducing the risks of nuclear war to channeling strategic competition. Yet recent trends indicate arms control may be at an inflection point; the suitability of this tool in general and the viability of securing new agreements specifically are both unclear. The New Strategic Arms reduction Treaty (New START) extension somewhat reverses …

Editor's Note Vol. 13 No. 1, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

Editor's Note

Table Of Contents Vol. 13 No. 1, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Front Matter Vol. 13 No. 1, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Orbital Debris Mitigation: Exploring Cubesat Drag Sail Technology, Robinson Raphael

Student Works

In an era marked by remarkable advancements in space exploration and research, the advent of satellite technology has contributed accordingly to the lives of people here on Earth. Through applications that tie into broadband connectivity, weather forecasting, disaster management, etc., the occupancy in orbital domains like Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) only continues to grow. However, the presence of orbital debris emerges as a significant concern, posing threats to both operational satellites and future space missions. Resulting as a consequence due to decades of activities since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, as more countries ventured into space so did the …

Notes For Contributors, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Spies, Lies, And Algorithms: The History And Future Of American Intelligence, Claire Benedix

Space and Defense

The security environment is entering a new threat landscape; one that must be fought in both the physical and virtual world. The seemingly instantaneous progress of digitization and the cyberspace domain threatens to destabilize traditional warfare strategies and intelligence norms. Amy Zegart, an American academic and leading national security expert, outlines the history and future of American intelligence with a specific emphasis on emerging cyber threats in the digital age. In Spies, Lies, and Algorithms, Zegart explains the roles of technological breakthroughs in a world of big data by chronicling the history of intelligence education and organizational reform, the evolution …

Communicating Deterrence Thresholds In Cyberspace Through Global Normas, Leila Yanni

Space and Defense

Student Contribution.

Cyberspace refers to a purely virtual arena that has become increasingly relevant in the past few years, as countries develop more cyber weapons and carry out more cyber attacks. The cyber domain has a large scope because of its virtual nature, and it has a high potential threat level as the full impact of cyber capabilities are not even understood yet. As the possibilities for destructive cyber weapons are virtually endless, the threats are also virtually endless. Because of the growing relevance of cyberspace and the high danger level, deterrence thresholds are a pressing issue in this domain. …

Us Blindness To Russian, Chinese Cultural Motives Risks Nuclear Escalation And Ill-Fit Response, Ryan C. Bushman

Space and Defense

Student Contribution.

This paper was authored prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the publication of the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review.

The United States has taken numerous miscalculated steps with respect to foreign and nuclear policy based on an incomplete understanding of the motives of both China and Russia. This is, in part, due to a failure to acknowledge these nations' strategic culture - an enduring system of values that influence a nation's use of military force. As the US is about to put forth its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), it is critical that future responses to …

Keynote Address: Dr. Kori Schake, Kori Schake

Space and Defense

2022 United Sates Strategic Command Academic Alliance Conference and Workshop, Mark 30-April 1, 2022, Conducted via Zoom

Addressing The American Approach To Emerging Technologies: Utilizing The Ai Arms Race To Highlight The Need To Develop Public-Private Partnerships In C4isr And 5g, Hugh Harsono, Nicholas Ondovcsik

Space and Defense

he world of emerging technologies has changed countries' access and placement to these digital enablement tools of the future, with blockchain, decentralization, and a myriad of other compounding technologies accelerating the pace of development and growth combining the physical and the digital world. Historically, America's Silicon Valley has led the world's development of new technologies, particularly during the latter part of the digital revolution. In contrast, China focused on enhancing its manufacturing capabilities, becoming a world leader by capitalizing on the ever-connected world and leveraging its economic prowess. These roles became reversed in the early-2000s,1 when China first surpassed the …

Technology: The Air And Space Force's Barrier To Innovation, William F. Cosgrove

Space and Defense

The Department of Defense is a rank-and-file institution that values orders adherence and a zero-error mentality, which has led commanders to be risk averse. This is exemplified in the cybersecurity realm, with controls attempting to protect all information, including uncontrolled unclassified information. Efforts that attempt to employ a new or different type of information technology are made very difficult by a number of existing policies. Additionally, customer surveys, service initiatives, and open user complaints have revealed dissatisfaction with Department of the Air Force (DAF) IT services. The millennial and post-millennial generations are the most technologically adept, yet the majority of …

A Great Nuclear Rejuvenation: What China Can Do With An Expanded Nuclear Arsenal, Grant Van Robays, Chloe Reynolds, Will Jackson, Tom Hammerle

Space and Defense

China's hypersonic glide vehicle test in October 2021 prompted widespread concern in the general public and within the defense intelligence community. General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the test was "very close" to a Sputnik moment.1 More than mere power projection by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Chinese Communist Party ( CCP), the hypersonic test is an exemplification of rapid advancements in Chinese strategic nuclear forces writ large. Improved nuclear weapons capabilities will offer Beijing greater leverage in regional and international disputes with an increased capacity to coerce and compel adversaries into …

Editor's Note, Michelle Black

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

Table of contents for Volume 14 issue 1 of Space and Defense

Front Matter, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

How Education Sats Started & A Youth Amsat-Na Program Proposal, Robert J. Twiggs, Nick Pugh

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "How Education Sats Started & A Youth Amsat-NA Program Proposal" from October 21, 2023.

State Space Modeling And Estimation Of Flexible Structure Using The Theory Of Functional Connections, Carlo Lombardi, Riccardo Bevilacqua

Student Works

In this work, we present a novel method to model the dynamics of a continuous structure based on measurements taken at discrete points. The method is conceived to provide new instruments to address the problem of flexible dynamics modeling in a spacecraft, where an effective mathematical representation of the non-rigid behavior of the is of critical importance in the design of an effective and reliable attitude estimation and control system. Both the measurements and the model that describes the structure can be affected by uncertainty. The purpose of the developed method is to estimate the position and the velocity of …