Beyond the Paths of Heaven: The Emergence of Space Power Thought

Major issues have plagued the US military space community for years. Foremost among these issues is the relationship between air and space. This work is a comprehensive examination of space power. Military space-lift vehicle requirements, space architectures, and ground support infrastructure are major issues. Graduate students at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies researched and discussed a variety of these issues and their efforts are brought together here as a collection of master's degree research theses. The significance of this book lies in the synergism of the contributions. Although each of the articles reflects varying, well-documented, independent perspectives with both strengths and weaknesses, in total, the articles give a mature summary of the best available military thought regarding space power. The first three papers examine space organization, doctrine, and architecture. The rest are loosely grouped as predominantly sanctuary/survivability, space control, or high-ground perspectives.