America's Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National SecurityDuring much of the Cold War, America's first line of defense was in outer space: a network of secret satellites that could provide instant warning of an enemy missile launch. The presence of these infrared sensors orbiting 22,000 miles above the earth discouraged a Soviet first strike and stabilized international relations between the superpowers, and they now play a crucial role in monitoring the missile programs of China, India, and other emerging nuclear powers. Jeffrey Richelson has written the first comprehensive history of this vital program, tracing its evolution from the late 1950s to the present. He puts Defense Support Program operations in the context of world events - from Russian missile programs to the Gulf War - and explains how DSP's infrared sensors are used to detect meteorites, monitor forest fires, and even gather industrial intelligence by "seeing" the lights of steel mills. |
Contents
Bad News Travels Fast | 1 |
Vindication | 33 |
Nurrungar and Buckley | 49 |
DSPs First Decade | 63 |
Surviving World War III | 85 |
Evolutionary Developments and Suicidal Lasers | 123 |
Australia Germany and New Mexico | 137 |
Desert Storm | 157 |
False Starts | 177 |
High Now Low Later | 211 |
Appendices | 237 |
Notes | 251 |
Bibliographic Essay | 305 |
Other editions - View all
America's Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security Jeffrey Richelson No preview available - 1999 |
America's Space Sentinels: The History of the DSP and SBIRS Satellite Systems Jeffrey Richelson No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
ADCOM Aerojet AFSPACECOM Air Force Space Angeles AFS April attack Australian Aviation Week Ballistic Missile BSTS capability Committee cross-link December Defense Support Program Department of Defense Desert Storm detection DSP data DSP Flight DSP satellites DSP-II DSP's early warning facility Flight 9 Force in Space Force Space Command geostationary orbit ground station History of Space Ibid ICBM infrared Iraqi Israel January January-December JTaGs July June laser March MIDAS miles military Missile Defense missile launches Missile Systems Organization Missile Warning mission November nuclear Nurrungar October Office operational orbit Peterson AFB Pine Gap radar satel Saudi Arabia SBIRS Scud Secretary of Defense sensor September SLBM Space and Missile Space Division Space Systems Division Space Technology Space-Based spacecraft Strategic Tactical targets theater threat tion Titan Titan IV U.S. Air Force U.S. Congress U.S. Government Printing U.S. Space Command United warhead Warning System Washington Week & Space Woomera