outer space and national security quiz #1 quizlet

LEO

low earth orbit

- altitude of 100-1,200 miles

- satellites: communications; photographic reconnaissance; signals intelligence; civilian observation

MEO

medium earth orbit

- altitude of 1,200 to 22,000 miles

- satellites: position, navigation, and timing (e.g.) GPS

GEO

geostationary orbit

- altitude of 22,236

- satellites: communications; missile warning; signals intelligence; weather monitoring

HEO

highly eliptical orbit

- perigee (point closest to earth) is less than 1,000 miles AND apogee (point furthest from earth) is 25,000 miles

- communications; missile warning, signal intelligence

jules vern

published "from earth to the moon" in 1865 and its sequel "around the moon" in 1869

- inspired future technicians to persue spaceflight

konstantin tsiolkovskii

- russian and soviet pioneer who worked out the mathematical theory of rocket flight, liquid propellants, and spacecraft design

- published a pioneering paper in 1903 showing rockets were the key to space travel

robert goddard

- american pioneer who published a method of reaching extreme altitudes in 1920 which sparked global publicity

- launched the first liquid propellant rocket in 1926

hermann oberth

- german pioneer who published “the rocket into interplanetary space” in 1923

- provided comprehensive mathematical theory and directly sparked spaceflight societies in europe

What key event involving Sergei Korolev occurred in September 1955?

Korolev delivered a lecture at the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School, calling on Konstantin Tsiolkovskii's legacy to urge Soviet leadership in rocketry and space exploration.

How was Konstantin Tsiolkovskii's legacy rehabilitated by Soviet space advocates?

Advocates leveraged the patriotic, anti-Western Zhdanovshchina campaign to canonize Tsiolkovskii as the foundational pioneer of astronautics.

Who were the main conceptual architects behind Sputnik?

- Mikhail Tikhonravov (mathematically proved the launch)

- Sergei Korolev (developed the R-7 rocket that launched the satellite)

How was public enthusiasm for spaceflight generated within the USSR?

built interest through books, lectures, and magazines.

How did Soviet public announcements lead directly to the authorization of Sputnik?

- they alarmed the US, prompting policy NSC 5520 which authorized the U.S. to launch a scientific satellite as part of the upcoming International Geophysical Year (IGY) (Project Vanguard)

- Korolev and Tikhonravov then used this Cold War rivalry to convince Soviet leaders to approve Sputnik

eisenhower's new look

-in 1953, eisenhower emphasized a strategy to focus on nuclear weapons

- felt that they were more cost effective

- this eventually leads to ICBMs

Project Orbiter

Army proposal (led by Wernher von Braun) to launch a simple satellite using a Redstone missile.

launch of sputnik

lands in the fall of 1957

was the launch of sputnik bad for the U.S.?

people think that it was bad because it showed that America was behind, but it really encouraged American advancements to be pushed further

project mercury

first U.S. space program that orbited a piloted spacecraft around Earth and brought it back safely in 1958 (response to sputnik)

Project Vanguard

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) program selected in 1955 to launch America's scientific satellite for the International Geophysical Year (IGY).

What was the Stewart Committee?

The Department of Defense panel that voted 5-2 to choose Vanguard/Navy over Orbiter/ Air Force proposals in 1955.

3 key reasons Stewart Committee picked Vanguard

1. Superior scientific tracking

2. Kept separate from military weapons/missiles

3. Reluctance to rely on former German engineers

(author) Neufeld's main argument about the decision

- vannguard won because of its scientific/technological backing

- it was not a secret plan used to create legal rules in space

Fallout of Sputnik 1 (Oct 1957)

Shocked the U.S. public and forced Eisenhower to let von Braun launch Explorer 1 in Jan 1958.

Did outer space ever become weaponized during the Cold War?

No, outer space was heavily militarized with support satellites, but it was never weaponized with offensive combat weapons

What are the three chronological phases of Cold War military space history?

1. technological invention (1943-1962)

2. strategic stability (1963-1983)

3. the SDI defense challenge (1983-1989)

first man-made object sent into outer space

a German V-2 ballistic missile crossed the 100 km space boundary in 1943

How did President Eisenhower establish the legal right for spy satellites to orbit over other countries?

He used a scientific satellite during the International Geophysical Year to establish the legal precedent that national airspace ends where orbit begins

what is the NRO?

the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) designs, builds, launches, and operates the country's spy and intelligence satellites

- it was created to operate the CORONA program, which was a film, return satellite program

- has three divisions: the air force, the CIA, and the navy

how did the u.s. improve imaging capabilities after corona?

1. the hexagon images new things that are a concern

2. then, the gambit captures high resolution images after the hexagon

satellite use during the cuban missile crisis

- 1962

- the satellites were primed to look over the USSR but not Cuba

- the U.S. tried to fly U2s over Cuba and one was shot down

satellite use during the soviet invasion of prague

- 1968

- in prague, the regime in power tried to diverge from soviet rule

- there were better satellits at this time but pictures did not come back in time to alert the president

What was CORONA?

CORONA was the first US film-return spy satellite program, and the NRO was the secret agency created to run it

- when the film is all used up, buckets of film are dropped and aircrafts catch them mid-air

What was Zenit and how did it recover its imagery?

Zenit was the first Soviet spy satellite, and it used modified Vostok capsules to return the entire camera package to Earth.

FROG vs. electrical optical system

- film-readout gambit (air force) vs. electrical optical system (CIA)

- Nixon got Din Land of polaroid to help him choose and he chose the CIA's option which launched in 1976

What four satellite types maintained strategic stability between the superpowers?

1. reconnaissance

2. early warning

3. navigation

4. communications satellites

How did military spy satellites help prevent World War III?

• eliminated fear of surprise attacks

• provided accurate treaty verification between the superpowers.

Why were crewed military space stations like MOL and Almaz abandoned?

They were replaced by automated robotic satellites, which were cheaper and far more efficient.

What was the goal of Reagan's 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) (AKA Star Wars)?

It aimed to create a space-based defensive shield to shoot down incoming nuclear missiles.

Why was the 1991 Persian Gulf War called the "first space war"?

It was the first conflict where satellite data directly guided tactical combat operations on the ground.

Main point of Buono's article on the OST

the outer space treaty (1967) was a real compromise between superpower security (preventing nukes in space) and preventing the colonization of space

Positivist vs. Natural space law?

Positivists wanted rules after launch; Naturalists wanted moral rules before launch.

What was the Soviet FOBS weapon?

nuke missile built by USSR to bypass US radar from the south (pole)

Why didn't the US claim FOBS broke the treaty?

- FOBS never made a full orbit and was classified like an ICBM

- the Johnson administration wanted to let it go to not cause waves and because it believed that FOBS were not a threat

Main loophole of the OST?

It bans nuclear weapons, but allows conventional weapons and ASAT lasers.

What was the primary U.S. advantage in Cold War space operations?

Access to allied global territory for ground stations, whereas the USSR lacked global bases and relied on tracking ships.

Why were ground stations critically important?

they controlled satellites, downloaded signals intelligence, and gave early warning of nuclear strikes

What were the two key U.S. space facilities in Australia?

Pine Gap (signals intelligence) and Nurrungar (missile early warning).

the U.S. ground stations in Diego Garcia

- owned by the UK

- the US wanted the UK to remove inhabitants of the island to build the stations

- the UK did so despite hesitations

ANZUS and Australia's loophole

- australia, new zealand, and the US to cooperate on military and security matters

- unlike NATO, the treat does not say that countries need to come to the aid of a struggling nation if they are attacks

- to combat this, Australia let the US build ground stations so that if the country was attacked, the US would help

why choose ground systems in Australia and not Guam?

data from satellites in Guam can be easily interfered with by other nations and it would take a lot of time and money to move from Australia to Guam after the new prime minister of Australia did not want US stations there anymore

why did other countries allow the US to place ground stations on their territory?

the U.S. needed both civilian and military based stations, so they built secret military bases and told the countries that they were civillian

colonialism paradox with ground stations

- the US needed to place ground stations in countries like the UK that still had colonial control over other places

- the US said that they were not imperialistic but used these colonies for their ground stations

limited test ban treaty (LTBT)

- signed in 1963 by the U.S., UK, and USSR

- prohibits nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water

- did permit underground testing because it was the least dangerous

- allowed for the PLACEMENT of nuclear weapons in space, just no testing

comprehensive test ban treaty

- signed in 1996

- first countries to sign were US, UK, Russia, China, and France

- prohibited nuclear underground testing

verification mechanism for LTBT

- reconnaissance satellites (e.g. CORONA) were secretly used by the U.S. to monitor the UK and USSR

- sensors were used to detect nuclear activity

U.S. response to FOBS

- developed networks starting in 1963 to provide roughly 30 minutes of warning for a FOBS strike

OST

- outer space treaty signed in 1967

- banned the following:

1. placement of nuclear weapons and other WMD in orbit

2. placement of nuclear weapons and WMD on other celestial bodies

3. claiming sovereignty over space and celestial bodies

4. placing military bases or carrying weapons on celestial bodies

- did NOT prohibit military activities or the placement of non-nuclear weapons in space