US Airforce reveals 'Neighborhood watch program'

This article is interesting. It seems that the US Airforce is getting worried about what other nations might be sending into Space. Now, the Navy is sending two new satellites into orbit for monitoring purposes and to keep track of Space junk.

"The previously classified Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) will supplement ground-based radars and optical telescopes in tracking thousands of pieces of debris so orbital collisions can be avoided, General William Shelton said at the Air Force Association meeting in Orlando on Friday. He called it a "neighborhood watch program" that will provide a more detailed perspective on space activities. He said the satellites, scheduled to be launched this year, also will be used to ferret out potential threats from other spacecraft."

They say it's to protect satellites in Geo-synchronos orbit. The conspiracy nut in me wonders why the NAVY has this responsibility. Is there some truth to the "Navy Space Command" concept? It also makes me wonder just what "IS" going on up there?

What say you, ATS?


news.yahoo.com...

reply to post by lostbook


Where does it say "Navy" in the article? I must have missed that.

Keeping track of all the debris is a huge task. Maybe some one will start to police it up for salvage someday. I thought I had heard of France thinking about this.

reply to post by lostbook


So the military is sending up satellites to "monitor" other satellites. I thought they already do that. Then the ruse is "monitor" but more likely cover for intercept capability in case of war?

Disabling satellites is better done from a platform in space, no?

TDawgRex
reply to post by lostbook

 

Where does it say "Navy" in the article? I must have missed that.

Keeping track of all the debris is a huge task. Maybe some one will start to police it up for salvage someday. I thought I had heard of France thinking about this.

If you follow the link to the article, you will see that the NAVY is in charge. The Navy manages objects relative to Space: Space junk, security, satellites, etc...Just like Star Trek Captain/ Admiral Kirk, Commander Spock...If you think of Space as an ocean then it makes sense and words like "Solar Sails" make sense. All we need now is some Space Pirates...

reply to post by lostbook


Hardware Wars!

reply to post by lostbook


I've read the article three times. I'm still not seeing "Navy". I even tried the find function.

Good thing I'm not looking for space junk...I guess I'm blind.

intrptr
reply to post by lostbook

 

So the military is sending up satellites to "monitor" other satellites. I thought they already do that. Then the ruse is "monitor" but more likely cover for intercept capability in case of war?

Disabling satellites is better done from a platform in space, no?

Yeah, something's up...pun intended. It doesn't make sense when we already have spy satellites in orbit. I wonder if this has anything to do with the infusion of the private sector into the Space game..? I think TPTB have been hiding things up there and now the cover is about to be blown, so they have to scramble to protect their secrets. It's just a hunch tho.

It's a lot different tracking a satellite on the ground using ground based radar, and using a satellite in orbit with electro-optical capabilities. Ground based radar can't tell if that satellite has a weapon on board or not. Optical sensors may be able to.

TDawgRex
reply to post by lostbook

 

I've read the article three times. I'm still not seeing "Navy". I even tried the find function.

Good thing I'm not looking for space junk...I guess I'm blind.

Oops! My mistake, It's the Air Force.....The Air Force launches fighter jets from Navy ships so I confused that with being the Navy.

"The Air Force currently tracks about 23,000 pieces of orbiting debris bigger than about 4 inches. These range from old rocket bodies to the remains of an exploded Chinese satellite. The Air Force released a fact sheet emphasizing the program's debris-monitoring abilities. Brian Weeden, technical advisor with the Washington-based Secure World Foundation, said the U.S. military already has a satellite in a better position to do that job.My mistake."

There is rumored to be a secret Navy Space command, however.

reply to post by lostbook

The NAVY manages a lot of it's own space assets. I was detailed to that command for about 3 yrs. it's just like the Air Force or ARMY service components that manage that branch of services space assets. Using an on orbit platform for detecting space junk and tracking said junk for payloads in the geo-sync belt makes sense, as someone alluded to earlier, without having to cut through all the crap in the atmosphere, it really improves EO and tracking of the stuff that just gets left up there.

Also, space "junk" makes a great ASAT weapon.


This is a great site for things "science-ee" stuff in the government and military. lots of stuff on space assets here


www.fas.org...

lostbook

There is rumored to be a secret Navy Space command, however.

In one sense, Navy's Space Command was merged into Navy Space Operations Command, which has to do with communications.

The one you're probably thinking of is the joint AF-Navy secret space program that's handling all the deep space and interstellar missions. That one doesn't exist. (waves hand) This is not the program you're looking for.

Well I think its not their jurisdiction, but hey its not like any international agency is keeping tabs on what objects are launched into space:

A registry of launchings has been maintained by the Secretariat since 1962, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1721 B (XVI)

www.oosa.unvienna.org...

Sounds like the US just continuing its illegal imperialist over reach.

binaryangel
Well I think its not their jurisdiction, but hey its not like any international agency is keeping tabs on what objects are launched into space:

Because they inspect every single satellite before it's launched to make sure it's what they said it is. I mean, it's not like someone can launch what they say is a communications satellite, when it reality it's a laser, or a weapon of some sort, because the international community is monitoring them so closely.

reply to post by lostbook


The USAF does not launch aircraft from Navy ships.
Only the Navy and Marine Corp. do carrier flight ops.

They need an eye in thd sky so they can get a better look at targets, they have demonstrated that they can shoot down a satellite, which to me seems like that just makes more space junk to worry about.

I believe that Japan is working on something that will be able to collect space junk, that sounds like a good idea because there is so much crap up there its a matter of time before we have a problem with it.

intrptr
reply to post by lostbook

 

So the military is sending up satellites to "monitor" other satellites. I thought they already do that. Then the ruse is "monitor" but more likely cover for intercept capability in case of war?

Disabling satellites is better done from a platform in space, no?

What do you think the 37B is for LOL
They already have every thing they need up thier.
They just don't like it went somebody does also

reply to post by Trillium


There is not a currently known system for scanning and monitiring geosynchronous orbit. The X-37B is in a lower orbit.

Zaphod58
reply to post by Trillium

 

There is not a currently known system for scanning and monitiring geosynchronous orbit. The X-37B is in a lower orbit.

So your trying to tell me that it can look down and side-way but not up
For some reason I find that very hard to believe

here your glass of Kool-Aid

reply to post by Trillium


No, I'm saying it's in a predictable orbit. That means if you launch something in a sattelite you don't want seen (like a robot arm that can grab another sattelite), you know when you can and can't have it out.

It's the same for ground bases projects and spy sattelites. Anything that is in a low orbit can be plotted fairly easily and avoided.

reply to post by lostbook

I think TPTB have been hiding things up there and now the cover is about to be blown, so they have to scramble to protect their secrets. It's just a hunch tho.

Same hunch here. Always wondering when the "Star Wars" program envisioned in the 80's would become reality. Of course if it were becoming active they wouldn't tell us. They would say something like "surveillance'" (or monitoring).