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- I've been doing some research into various military space programs lately,
- and I believe that large sums (at least 10 billion dollars per year) are spent
- by the U.S. military services on classified ("black") space related activities.
-
- This is a brief review of the Air Force publication "Space Handbook: A War
- Fighter's Guide to Space, Volume 1", which can serve as an introduction to this
- subject. (There are also books by private authors, such as "Deep Black" by
- William Burrows on this subject). This book is available for U.S. $13.00
- postpaid (the price for shipment outside the U.S. is $16.25). This book can
- be ordered from the Government Printing Office at:
- New Orders
- Superintendent of Documents
- P.O. Box 371954
- Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
- USA
- (To order this item, use stock number S/N 008-070-00687-1)
- (Make checks payable to: Superintendent of Documents)
- This book was issued in November 1993, by Air University, Maxwell Air Force
- Base.
-
- This book was prepared for combat commanders, to give them an introduction to
- the capabilities of military space systems, and the place of space in military
- strategy. It includes a history of U.S. military space activities, a chapter
- on space law (summary: the U.S. position is that it has the right to orbit
- spy satellites and ASATs (Anti-Satellite weapons), and space strategy (the
- authors state that control of space during a war is necessary for winning).
-
- The most interesting part of the book is the descriptions of various launch
- vehicles, satellite programs, and SDI ("Star Wars") anti-ballistic missile
- technology, such as exo-atmospheric interceptors. It's a mixed bag as far as
- disclosures about classified programs goes. There are interesting pieces of
- information on classified areas, such as SDI technology and components of
- the SPACETRACK system (which tracks and identifies foreign satellites). The
- information on reconnaissance satellites is minimal -- for instance, the
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is never mentioned. There is some mention
- of how the non-military LANDSAT and SPOT satellites were used for reconnaissance
- purposes during the Gulf War. Apparently, these areas are mentioned in the 3
- classified annexes to this book. I've already filed a request for the 3
- classified annexes under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
-
- The other volume is called "Space Handbook: An Analyst's Guide, Volume 2".
- Volume 2 covers the technical aspects of space operations, such as orbital
- mechanics, propulsion systems, and electrical & communications systems. This
- volume is available for $23.00 postpaid (US) from the address above. For
- foreign orders, the price is $28.75. The stock number for volume 2 is
- S/N 008-070-00689-8. Volume 2 will be of more interest to scientists and
- engineers.
-
- Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com
-
- **********************************************************************
-
- Anonymous FTP access to files dealing with excessive military secrecy
- is available from Internet host ftp.shell.portal.com (IP address
- 156.151.3.4) in the /pub/trader directory. Read the 00readme files for
- descriptions of the files.
-