Do We Need Separate Space Theory: The Lessons of History (Paperback)

How we think has important effects on what possibilities our thoughts produce. The impact of theory on how we think can not be overstated. Acknowledged or not, humans process information through mental constructs to make order out of chaos and that fundamentally affect the relative importance ascribed to the incoming data. Professionals throughout the Department of Defense and other branches of the US government have long debated the need to produce separate space theory or whether a modified version of air theory is sufficient to guide the emerging ability to exploit space. Too often, this debate devolves into frequently acrimonious arguments over resource allocation and service independence rather than the addressing the fundamental issue of theory. This study ignores these issues in the attempt to resolve the fundamental question: are the physical characteristics of the space environment sufficiently different to require an independent body of theory to guide operators in seizing its full exploitation potential? Space is not the first environment that man has gained a new ability to exploit as a result of improving technology. The ability to exploit the subsurface naval environment began emerging in the early 1900's and was significant in both World Wars.