Historical Studies for Space
TOPIC SPONSORS: 45 SW/MU & SPOC/2SWS/DOC
How did the tracking of commercial satellites by the Commerce Department and military satellites by the Defense Department develop historically? How did that collaboration in tracking materialize? How will it evolve in the future with the establishment of the USSF? What impact did the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union have on U.S. military space strategy? (45 SW/MU) Are there any lessons learned from the post-Vietnam era that can prepare the US for CDO space operations? (SPOC/2SWS/DOC)
- Beard, Maj. John E., "New Space Race: Governing Commercial Power in an Overburdened LEO," ACSC GRISSOM 2026.
- Addressed in Beard's historical evaluation of the public–private space model. He traces this history back to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which led to the creation of the civilian-led National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) in 1958 to bypass inter-service launch rivalries. He outlines how the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 and the subsequent creation of COMSAT established the first deliberate integration of private sector capabilities into national security space objectives. He further explains that the Nixon administration's DOMSAT I framework normalized competitive commercial licensing, while the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 transitioned the launch service market from government-owned platforms to private providers, demonstrating that the U.S. has historically fostered private participation to secure a competitive edge and drive innovation.
- Emery, Lt. Col. Andrew J., "Beyond Space Warfare: Crime and Piracy in the Space Domain," SAASS thesis, 2018, 297 pgs.
- Haun, Major Derek, "US Civil-Military Space Relations—Implications for the National Space Council Informed by the Air Coordinating Committee (1945-1960)," SAASS thesis, 2022, 88 pgs.
- Hackett, Maj. Shawn W. "The Theoretical Foundations of Spacepower: From Economic to Asymmetric Warfare," SAASS thesis, subsequently published as an AU Press Drew Paper (2024).
- Jodice, Maj. Laurel, "Public Opinion and the Development of a Spaceminded America," SAASS Thesis, 2021, 80 pgs.
- McCormick, Michael E., "Building the Space CRAF: Applying the Civil Reserve Air Fleet's Historical and Analytical Lessons toward a Public-Private Partnership for Space," SAASS thesis, 2023, 103 pgs.
- Rice, Maj. Dennis M., "Deterrence and Space Strategy: A Framework from the Study of History and Theory," published as an AU Press Schriever Paper (2023)
- Pambianchi, Major Johan and Major Jason Holt, "Advancing America's Space Characterization Ecosystem: An Organizational, Technological and Data-Driven Approach to Addressing Tomorrow's Space Conflicts," ACSC Paper, 2021, 118 pgs. PRIZE: Spaatz
- Rodriguez, Adriana M., "To Infinity and Beyond! Why Space Force Needs CCP," AWC elective paper, 2020, 11 pgs.
- Slaughter, Bryony, "The Wrath of Khong: Science Fiction, Future Analogies and Early Military Space Policy," SAASS thesis, 2020.
- Wallace, Lt. Col. Erik, "The Future of Spacepower: Applying Airpower Theory to the the Space Domain," SAASS thesis, 2023, 94 pgs.
- Ziarnick, Brent D., "Tough Tommy's Space Force: General Thomas S. Power and the Air Force Space Program," SAASS thesis, 2016, 154 pgs.
- Zweibelson, Ben, "Reconceptualizing the Space Domain beyond Historic Perspectives of Warfare," published as an AU Press Schriever Paper (2023), 59 pgs.