User:Dlskadet/sandbox

The Military Geography of the Solar System (This material is drawn from NASA publications (e.g. The USA in Space) and the continuing reports on particular space missions, as well excerpts from my book: The Military Geography of the Solar System). THE USE OF THE EM SPECTRUM IN SPACE WARFARE The utilization of the visible-light portion of the electromagnetic system remains essential for use in developing military space operations in the 2st century. Consider that most of what we humans know about the bodies of the solar system has been derived from data which has been captured by optical telescopes. Even though some telescopes have been deployed in space, most are still located on the surface of the Earth. At this point in time, these massive observatories are deployed on the surface of our planet mainly because of the prohibitive cost of launching and deploying such platforms into space or onto another celestial body. However,as the technology of launch and assembly continues to advance, nasa scientists and engineers expect to make such operations more cost-effective.Based on these projections, we can expect that an increasing number of space-based telescopic systems will be deployed in space, either in orbit around Earth or some other useful massive object, such as an asteroid.

It is interesting to note that both Earth and space-based telescopes have gone through a pattern of modification and upgrading that is similar to that which has occurred to the original B-52 Stratofortress of the 1950s, which has greatly extended its service life. In the same manner, the optical telescope of the early 20th century has now been greater visual acuity with the addition of a "suite" of sensors. These variable sensors have extended the ability of the basic optical telescope to "see" data that emits energy in virtually all of the phases of the electromagnetic spectrum. So, like the basic B-52 bomber system,the early optical telescopes have been updated and upgraded; thus transforming them into telescopic systems. Rather than having to replace an aging telescopic system, it can simply be upgraded with the desired new capabilities.