Earth Changes and the Pole Shift
Space Force
President Trump has announced plans for the creation of an entirely new branch of the United States Military - the Space Force. It is anticipated that the United States Space Force will play a leading role in strategic and scientific efforts in space, including efforts to revisit the Moon and undertake missions to Mars. Do the Zetas have any comment on the new Space Force? What is the purpose of bringing matters of space within the control of the US Military? [and from another] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-space-force-pentagon-create-military-space-force-national-space-council-meeting-2018-06-18/ President Trump officially directed the Pentagon to establish a sixth branch of the U.S. military in space. Mr. Trump called for a "space force" to ensure American dominance on the high frontier. The president also signed his administration's third Space Policy Directive, calling for establishment of new protocols and procedures to manage and monitor the increasing numbers of satellites in low-Earth orbit and the tens of thousands of pieces of space junk and debris that pose an increasing threat to costly spacecraft. [and from another] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/us/politics/trump-space-force-sixth-military-branch.html President Trump said on Monday that he would direct the Pentagon to establish a sixth branch of the armed forces dedicated to protecting American interests in outer space. Last year, Congress punted on a decision to establish a space corps through the National Defense Authorization Act, and asked for an independent study on the issue. The creation of a sixth branch of the military to join the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard would require congressional authorization and approval. [and from another] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5864305/This-dumb-idea-Nasa-Astronaut-Mark-Kelly-SLAMS-Trumps-order-create-Space-Force.html Retired Nasa Astronaut Mark Kelly says Donald Trump's order to create a Space Force is a 'dumb idea'. The US president revealed plans for a service branch aimed at ensuring American dominance in space this week, but Kelly said that role was already covered by the US Air Force. Kelly was referring to the Air Force Space Command, a space-focused group that has come under a number of names over the years. Headquartered in Colorado, the agency supports military use of rocket launches, satellites and cyberwarfare operations. It also tracks decommissioned satellites and other space debris in orbit around Earth, a growing problem that could block rocket launches in future. [and from another] https://www.space.com/39050-trump-directs-nasa-humans-to-moon.html President Donald Trump signed his administration's first space policy directive today (Dec. 11, 2017), which formally directs NASA to focus on returning humans to the moon. NASA recently announced that for human astronauts, the path to Mars will include a stop at the moon, where the agency may build a facility currently being called the Deep Space Gateway.
Why is President Trump creating a new branch of the Defense Department? NASA, under contract to the US government, is in outer space and has been tasked with returning US astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars. The Air Force has a Space Command branch that covers the airspace closer to Earth, including satellite debris. Why not simply expand NASA or the Air Force? NASA has been tasked with the cover-up over Nibiru for decades, and the Air Force was in charge of the Blue Bookcover-up over the alien presence. Could the Deep State be trusted to tell the truth about Nibiru?
In that Congress must approve the formation of a new branch of the Defense Department, this new Space Force is not expected to be funded and in operation that quickly, if ever. But in the meantime, Dunford and the rest of the Junta can proceed to staff the fledgling branch, conduct studies, and issue press releases. Seeking funding from Congress while politicians posture and grand stand is expected to drag on while actual work progesses. During his dramatic press conference, Trump ensured the world was present when his new Space Force was born. Meanwhile, a Nibiru announcement or admission can be in new and trusted hands.'
M. Difato
AP sources: Trump plans to create US Space Command
https://www.apnews.com/6485550c424444a99f399bbe501aaf88 Posted: December 18, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order soon, possibly as early as Tuesday, creating a U.S. Space Command that will better organize and advance the military’s vast operations in space, U.S. officials say.
Vice President Mike Pence will make the announcement Tuesday (Dec 18) at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, two U.S. officials said.
Trump’s order is separate from his oft-stated goal of creating a “Space Force” as an independent armed service branch, but it’s considered a step in that direction. The move will launch a long and complicated process, requiring the Defense Department to pull together various space units and agencies from across the military services into a more coordinated, independent organization.
The U.S. Air Force’s existing Space Command would be a key component of the new joint entity, raising space to the same status as U.S. Cyber Command.
The U.S. officials said the order will be signed by the end of the year, but could happen as early as Tuesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The move would actually recreate a U.S. Space Command, which existed from 1985 to 2002. It was disbanded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks so U.S. Northern Command could be established, focusing on defense of the homeland.
Although Space Command went away, its functions did not. They were absorbed by U.S. Strategic Command, and the Air Force retained its lead role in space through Air Force Space Command.
The military has been trying for decades to reorganize and accelerate technological advances in space. Some blame the Air Force for underinvesting in space because it prefers spending on warplanes.
The key goal is to find more effective ways to defend U.S. interests in space, especially the constellations of satellites that U.S. ground, sea and air forces rely on for navigation, communications and surveillance.."
Dec 18, 2018
Juan F Martinez
Posted by Unites States Space Force
https://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/space-force
Sep 15, 2019
Juan F Martinez
Space Force is a Go as Congress Gives its Approval
Written by Dr Michael Salla on December 11, 2019. Posted in Featured, Space Programs
https://www.exopolitics.org/space-force-is-a-go-as-congress-gives-i...
We certainly appreciate the hard work and bipartisan support of the Congress and the administration that is bringing a separate service for space closer to reality. We are reviewing the draft legislation and look forward to moving out smartly once legislation is passed by the Congress and signed by the President.
President Trump tweeted his approval of the agreement that had been reached and said he was ready to sign the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will formally create Space Force.
The House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on the NDAA today, and will be quickly followed by the Senate before being sent to President Trump for his signature to enact it into federal law.
In the NDAA, which is nearly 3500 pages long, the agreed-upon language for Space Force appears under Title IX – Department of Defense Organization and Management.
Subtitle D discusses how Space Force will be set up and run. It asserts that the relevant sections in the NDAA (Title IX, Subtitle D) authorizing Space Force’s creation will be known in the future as the United States Space Force Act. (sec.951).
The Space Force Act re-designates “Air Force Space Command” as the United States Space Force (USSF). Space Force will be located with the Department of the Air Force. This will mirror how the US Marine Corps is embedded within the Department of the Navy but remains a separate military branch to the US Navy.
The composition of Space Force is described as follows:
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Space Force shall be composed of the following:
(1) The Chief of Space Operations.
(2) The space forces and such assets as may be organic therein.
The Chief of Space Operations (CSO) will report directly to the Air Force Secretary and one year after the passage of the Space Force Act will become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The present head of the U.S. Space Command, General John Raymond, will also be allowed to serve as the CSO of Space Force for the first year of its operations. This will enable Raymond to oversee the smooth transition of Air Force Space Command, which he also currently heads, into the new Space Force.
The reference to “assets as may be organic therein” as part of the initial composition of Space Force is intentionally vague. This will give Raymond broad authority to transfer assets from the Air Force into Space Force, and also transfer relevant space assets from the Navy, Army and Marine Corps. There is also another arguably more compelling reason why the assets language was left vague, as I will explain later.
The Space Act outlines the functions and duties of the Space Force as follows:
(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Space Force shall be organized, trained, and equipped to provide—
(1) freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to space; and
(2) prompt and sustained space operations.
(d) DUTIES.—It shall be the duty of the Space Force to—
(1) protect the interests of the United States in space;
(2) deter aggression in, from, and to space; and
(3) conduct space operations.
The above functions and duties will give Space Force direct responsibility for protecting the civilian and military satellites that are the backbone of the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system that the Pentagon relies upon for its modern weapons. These have recently come under direct threat by China which has developed the antisatellite capacity to destroy all US satellites as part of its asymmetric military strategy called “Assassin’s Mace”.
Back in 2015, General Raymond warned: “Soon every satellite in every orbit will be able to be held at risk”. More recently, in January 2018, a “Top Secret” report by the Pentagon Joint Staff intelligence directorate “revealed China and Russia have built anti-satellite missiles and other weapons and will soon be capable of damaging or destroying every US satellite in low earth orbit” [source].
The defense of the US military and civilian satellite infrastructure will be among the most important responsibilities of the Space Force for decades to come. But what space assets will Space Force use to achieve its functions and duties as outlined in the Space Act?
This is where the topic of a secret space program run by the Air Force for decades becomes relevant, and why the Space Force Act contained a vague reference to “assets as may be organic therein”. This vague reference was intentionally used so the assets belonging to the Air Force’s secret space program comprising advanced aerospace technologies using exotic propulsion systems, some of which were reverse-engineered from captured extraterrestrial spacecraft, can be ‘organically’ incorporated into Space Force.
In the US Air Force Secret Space Program: Shifting Extraterrestrial Alliances and Space Force (2019), I described the different space assets possessed by the Air Force’s secret space program. These include disk-shaped “alien reproduction vehicles”; different models of the TR-3B/flying triangle craft; flying rectangle-shaped weapons platforms; and finally ring-shaped stealth space stations.
I have previously provided photos taken of some of the classified flying triangles and rectangles operating out of MacDill Air Force Base, and how this had been orchestrated by leaders of the Air Force’s secret space program. Indeed, the photographer identified personnel from Air Force Special Operations, as part of this covert space program.
All the assets belonging to the Air Force’s secret space program will be placed under the direct authority of the incoming Chief of Space Operations, General Raymond, who will ensure these are used to protect the sensitive satellite infrastructure that China is directly threatening with its asymmetric “Assassin’s Mace” military strategy.
The official creation and launch of Space Force in 2020 will be a momentous event. It will enable the official disclosure of many advanced aerospace technologies that use exotic propulsion and energy systems based on electromagnetic principles not thought viable or possible by conventional scientists. Some of these exotic propulsion and energy systems were recently disclosed in a series of US Navy patents showing their feasibility, and how they can be applied in ways that revolutionalize the aerospace industry.
Space Force will not only open the door to the release of many highly classified technologies and the aerospace craft that have been secretly built as a result, but will also pave the way to future official disclosures about advanced subterranean civilizations and extraterrestrial life residing on, or visiting our planet.
© Michael E. Salla, Ph.D. Copyright Notice
Dec 12, 2019
Juan F Martinez
Trump signs $738 billion defense bill creating new Space Force
President Donald Trump speaks before signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, before traveling to Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
In a ceremony at a military hangar at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland, the president signed the National Defense Authorization Act in front of a military audience and defense hardware that included two F-35 fighter jets.
The Senate approved the measure on Thursday.
Mr. Trump called the moment “a watershed event,” noting that the U.S. has now spent nearly $2.5 trillion on defense since he took office.
“We’re making our military stronger and more powerful than ever before,” the president said. “There is no greater honor than to serve as your commander-in-chief.”
The defense measure authorizes the Space Force, the first new branch of the military since the Air Force was created more than 70 years ago. Gen. John Raymond is being appointed chief of operations for the Space Force and will have a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“With my signature today, you will witness the birth of the Space Force,” the president said. “That’s a big moment, and we’re all here for it. American superiority in space is absolutely vital.”
Dec 21, 2019
Juan F Martinez
Trump unveils new Space Force logo, draws comparisons to 'Star Trek' Starfleet Command January 24, 2020
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump revealed the official logo for the new U.S. Space Force, a branch of the military that the administration created last year. But to many, the logo seemed more than a little familiar.
The logo bears a striking resemblance to the insignia that represents the fictional Starfleet Command in the "Star Trek" franchise.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/01/24/trump-unvei...
One sun with nine planets aredepicted on the left, two stars and ten planets on the other side; the large eight-pointed star above is also known as the Star Ishtar. Hmm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Ishtar
Jan 25, 2020
Starr DiGiacomo
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-hiring-at-spacex-jobs-car...
Elon Musk says SpaceX is hiring and holding a career day this week — here's where to send your resume
Feb 5, 2020, 2:49 PM
Elon Musk tweeted a worldwide invitation to people interested in working at SpaceX to attend a career day at the company's development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX is in search of engineers, supervisors, and technicians for its Starship project.
Starship is a next-generation spaceship designed to launch into orbit around the Earth by the end of 2020.
Interested in working at SpaceX?
Founder and CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted out an invitation to SpaceX's career day in Boca Chica, Texas, along with details on where applicants and those attending the Thursday jobs fair can email their resumes.
The event takes place 3 pm to 9 pm local time.
SpaceX is looking for people to join its Starship project, a team tasked with building and launching a next-generation spaceship designed to orbit the Earth, the moon, and eventually Mars.
The career day is an attempt to fill four production shifts to staff 24-hour operations. Musk said he's looking to hire engineers, supervisors, technicians, and support personnel.
Musk also tweeted out instructions for prospective applicants and career day attendees to email their resumes to BuildStarship@spacex.com.
SpaceX aims to start suborbital flight tests in mid-March, according to FCC filings. The projected end date is in September. If accomplished, it will meet Musk's goal to send Starship into orbit by the end 2020.
You can check out the entire list of open positions at SpaceX over on the company's website.
Feb 6, 2020
M. Difato
Space Fence surveillance radar site declared operational
WASHINGTON — The space surveillance radar site known as the Space Fence is ready for use after five years in construction, the U.S. Space Force announced March 27.
An aerial view of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Fence on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The $1.5 billion Space Fence — located on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands — is a ground-based radar system that tracks satellites and space debris primarily in low Earth orbit. Lockheed Martin was selected as the prime contractor in 2014.
The Space Fence can track tiny objects as small as a marble. It also provides a search capability for objects at higher orbits. Data from the Space Fence will feed into the military’s Space Surveillance Network.
The Space Surveillance Network tracks about 26,000 objects. The addition of the Space Fence will increase the catalog size significantly over time, the Space Force said in a news release.
The Space Fence is operated by the 20th Space Control Squadron based in Huntsville, Alabama. The squadron provides data to the 18th Space Control Squadron located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the unit responsible for maintaining the space object catalog.
“Space Fence is revolutionizing the way we view space by providing timely, precise orbital data on objects that threaten both manned and unmanned military and commercial space assets,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond.
The solid-state S-band radar will detect closely spaced objects, breakups, maneuvers, launches, conjunction assessments and depleted rocket boosters.
Source: https://spacenews.com/space-fence-surveillance-radar-site-declared-...
Mar 28, 2020
M. Difato
U.S. Air Force moves 23 units to Space Force
April 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force identified 23 units and organizations to be transferred to the U.S. Space Force on Wednesday.
While the entities will not physically relocate, they will be transitioned to the Space Force, currently an agency of the Air Force. Personnel within the units to be moved will retain their ranks and pay grades under the Air Force system.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, L, testifies before Congress on March 4. The Air Force moved 23 units or organizations to the U.S. Space Force on Wednesday. Photo by Wayne Clark/U.S. Air Force
"Building the U.S. Space Force represents a top priority for the Department of the Air Force," Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said in a statement on Tuesday. "These mission transfers incorporate existing forces into the agile Space Force, which stands ready to defend American and allied interests."
The locations include the 17th Test Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colo.; 18th Intel Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; 25th Space Range Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo.; 328th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.; 527th Space Aggressor Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo.; 705th Combat Training Squadron OL-A, Schriever AFB, Colo.; 7th Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Md.; 16th AF/Advanced Programs, Schriever AFB, Colo.; 32nd Intel Squadron, Ft. Meade, Md.; 566th Intel Squadron, Buckley AFB, Colo.; 544th ISR Group Staff & Detachment 5, Peterson AFB, Colo.; Detachment 1, USAF Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colo.; 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; National Security Space Institute, Peterson AFB, Colo.; AFRL Research Lab Mission Execution, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.; AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division, Edwards AFB, Calif; AFRL Electro-Optical Division, Maui, Hawaii and Kirtland AFB, N.M.; AFRL Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Counter-Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Space Analysis Squadron, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 4, Peterson AFB, Colo. and Air Force Safety Center-Space Safety Division, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
The transfer of mission, which involves 1,840 billets within the Air Force, is a sign of the growth and organization of the Space Force, which has formally been in existence since December.
Source: https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/04/01/US-Air-Force-moves-23-u...
Apr 4, 2020
Juan F Martinez
Want to transfer into the Space Force? Application period opens May 1
By Capt. Christopher Merian, U.S. Space Force Public Affairs / Published April 22, 2020
U.S. Air Force Airmen who transfer into the U.S. Space Force will continue to wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern utility uniform currently worn by USAF and U.S. Army personnel, but with distinct blue thread and a colored U.S. flag on the left arm. The USSF is the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and is part of the Department of the Air Force.
U.S. Air Force Airmen who transfer into the U.S. Space Force will continue to wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern utility uniform currently worn by USAF and U.S. Army personnel, but with distinct blue thread and a colored U.S. flag on the left arm. The USSF is the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and is part of the Department of the Air Force. (Courtesy photo)
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/2160560/want-to-transfer-in...
Apr 25, 2020
M. Difato
Space Force troops preparing for possibility of having to rescue NASA astronauts
https://spacenews.com/space-force-troops-preparing-for-possibility-...
WASHINGTON — As NASA and SpaceX prepare for a May 27 mission to fly astronauts to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center, a unit of the U.S. Space Force will be on alert should anything go wrong.
The 45th Operations Group Detachment 3 conducts an exercise on Nov. 20, 2019 at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. Credit: U.S. Air Force
The unit known as 45th Operations Group Detachment 3, based at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is responsible to rescue astronauts on land or at sea if they have to abort the mission. Det 3 has been around since the Apollo program days and the upcoming NASA mission would be the first time the unit will deploy since NASA stopped flying the space shuttle in 2011.
“We are excited for the return to human spaceflight from the Eastern Range,” said Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, commander of the 45th Space Wing.
During a call with reporters May 12, Schiess said that for the upcoming NASA launch, Det 3 will be renamed Task Force 45. The unit trains to rescue astronauts “if for some reason there was a catastrophic event.”
“Det 3 been working on tactics, techniques and procedures for the last five years to be ready to support SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing as well,” said Schiess. Boeing’s Starliner commercial crew vehicle is behind schedule and NASA has not announced when it will fly.
The unit is part of the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Space Wing but when it deploys for a mission it reports directly to U.S. Space Command.
Det 3 includes specialized rescue divers, pilots, communications and medical experts.
Lt. Col. Michael Thompson, 45th Operations Group Detachment 3 commander, told SpaceNews that the unit only has approximately 30 members based at Patrick. But the size of the rescue force assigned to U.S. Space Command through Task Force 45 will be approximately 150.
Parts of the rescue force will be forward deployed to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and some to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in order to cover the team’s 155 million square miles area of responsibility.
When Task Force 45 is deployed, it will report to Maj. Gen. John Shaw, the commander of U.S. Space Command’s Combined Force Space Component at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
May 13, 2020
Starr DiGiacomo
https://mashable.com/article/space-x-crew-dragon-flight-simulator-i...
SpaceX has released a Crew Dragon simulator, so you can endure the terror of space from home
Space is a terrifying place devoid of oxygen and mercy, and you should never go there. But if you insist on spitting in Death's eye and forsaking the Mother Earth that raised you, at least do a few dry runs before clambering aboard your flying metal shroud.
SpaceX has released an online simulator allowing you to try docking their Crew Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station. It appears fairly simple at first glance, with a dozen big grey buttons allowing you to adjust the roll, pitch, and yaw. However, this innocent exterior belies a very difficult task demanding careful precision and an abundance of patience.
The incremental progress in the simulator is incredibly slow, so astronautics may not be those who feel the need for speed — or who aren't immune to boredom. I personally have not yet managed to dock successfully. I have however sent myself careening helplessly off into space, making like George Clooney in Gravity and fulfilling a very specific and long-held fear of mine.
If you think you can do better — and I highly suspect you can — you can find SpaceX's simulator here. https://iss-sim.spacex.com/
Fortunately, real astronauts likely won't need to go through this arduous docking process themselves. "Crew Dragon missions will autonomously dock and undock with the space station, but crew can take manual control of the spacecraft if necessary," wrote SpaceX on Twitter.
The actual Crew Dragon capsule will be launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket on May 27, in what will be SpaceX's first crewed mission. The spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS — two individuals vastly more qualified than I to handle navigating the void.sfsim
May 13, 2020
M. Difato
The Space Force just launched the mysterious X-37B space plane
https://www.defensenews.com/space/2020/05/17/the-space-force-just-l...
WASHINGTON — The enigmatic X-37B space plane is back in orbit after a Sunday morning (May 17) launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
After strong ground winds at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida caused the launch mission to be cancelled on Saturday, the Atlas V finally blasted off a day later at 9:14 am Eastern time.
The U.S. Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 4 is seen after landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida May 7, 2017. (Air Force)
The Boeing-made X-37B is an unmanned, reusable spacecraft that takes off vertically and lands horizontally on a runway. The Air Force, which own two X-37B vehicles, has historically been reticent to comment on the capabilities of the X-37B and what it does during its extended time in space, aside from hosting scientific experiments.
“We’ve learned a lot from the X-37,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond told a small group of reporters ahead of the launch. “One of the things that we’ve learned is the value of reusability, and I think as a Space Force there’s a couple things that we’re really going to value and reusability is one of those and autonomy is another one.”
A live video stream of the launch showed the Atlas V lifting off into space and the separation of the rocket’s first stage from the Centaur upper stage. However, the livestream cut out afterwards due to the extreme secrecy surrounding the capabilities of the X-37B, said ULA chief executive officer Tory Bruno.
“It’s a classified mission, and what is classified about it as the details of the vehicle itself, the mission it will do on orbit and where it will do that,” he said. “Therefore we have to stop the live broadcast so that we do not make it easy for adversaries to figure those things out by having that much data about the flight and deployment.”
Saturday’s launch marked the start of the X-37B’s sixth mission, which will involve more experiments than any previous mission thanks to a new service module added to the aft of the vehicle.
Raymond called the module “a trailer … behind the truck that provides added capacity for experiments,” but didn’t want to elaborate on the size of the module or how the X-37 was modified to incorporate that upgrade.
Earlier this month, the Air Force disclosed a number of the experiments that will be conducted onboard, most notably one that will deliver solar power to the ground from space via radio frequency microwave energy.
Additionally, the spacecraft will also deploy the small satellite FalconSat-8, which was developed by the Air Force Academy and carries five experimental payloads. The X-37B will also host two National Aeronautics and Space Administration experiments that will study how seeds used for food products are impacted by the effects of radiation and the space environment.
In its last expedition, which ended in October, the X-37 spent a record-breaking 780 days on orbit, for a total of 2,865 days across all missions.
One question that has loomed over the X-37 is whether it has counterspace capabilities and could be used to test offensive technologies. Some space researchers believe that the vehicle was used to launch three cubesats that were not registered in international tracking databases.
“The secret deployment of multiple small satellites raises additional questions about the mission of the X-37B,” stated the annual Global Counterspace Capabilities report released by the Secure World Foundation in March.
“It suggests that the X-37B may have a mission to serve as a covert satellite deployment platform. The secrecy surrounding both the X-37B and the deployment may indicate they are part of a covert intelligence program, but it may also indicate the testing of offensive technologies or capabilities.”
The spacecraft also has some unique performance attributes with regards to maneuverability, according to former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. In July, Wilson said the X-37B "can do an orbit that looks like an egg and, when it's close to the Earth, it's close enough to the atmosphere to turn where it is."
“Which means our adversaries don’t know -- and that happens on the far side of the Earth from our adversaries -- where it’s going to come up next. And we know that that drives them nuts. And I’m really glad about that,” she added, according to Military.com.
Saturday’s launch was the second-ever by the U.S. Space Force and the 80th under the National Security Space Launch effort. Space and Missiles Systems Center plans to launch seven other missions this year, it said in a news release.
Nathan Strout and Aaron Mehta in Washington contributed to this report.
May 17, 2020
Juan F Martinez
US Space Force to lose 1st battle? Netflix already secured trademarks for self-titled show, reports say
The streaming service filed a trademark application for Space Force as early as January of 2019, cementing its rights in multiple places, including Europe, Australia, and Mexico, according to Hollywood Reporter. The similarly-named arm of the US military – passionately endorsed by Donald Trump – owns only a pending application for registration in the United States.
The US Patent and Trademark Office usually grants trademarks on a "first-to-use" basis, which means that priority is given to whichever entity was first to put a name or a brand to use. But in many other countries, trademarks are reserved on a "first-to-file" approach – and this is where Netflix left the US military far behind.
Netflix's Space Force debuted in late-May; it satirically portrays a fictitious orbital fighting force and the political context around it. The main characters in the show are members of America's top military brass as well as a handful of space exploration geeks.
The military, meanwhile, seems to be unwilling to engage in a dispute with Netflix. "At this time, we are not aware of any trademark conflicts with the fictional program Space Force produced by Netflix," the Hollywood Reporter quoted an Air Force spokesperson, politely wishing the service "the best in their creative depiction of our nation's newest branch of the military."
The force's official mission is to ensure the US has "space superiority" and to provide "offensive and defensive space control," among other objectives.
https://www.rt.com/news/491254-space-force-netflix-trademark/
Jun 9, 2020
Juan F Martinez
Jul 28, 2020